Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Weekly Report on North Korea No. 926 (January 12 to 18 2009)

ROK Ministry of Unification

Internal Affairs

• North Korean Minister of Electric Power Industry emphasized, “Electric power is the lifeline for the construction of socialist economy and it’s important to raise the awareness and responsibility on the matter of the nation’s electric power.
• Central Broadcasting Station, January 13

• The DPRK held a central reporting session to mark the 50 th anniversary of the foundation of Workers’ Defense Group.
• Central Broadcasting Station, January 14

Inter-Korean Affairs

• North Korea announced the “Statement of the Spokesperson of the North Korean People’s Army” on January 17. In the statement, the North criticized South Korean President Lee’s comments as overt confrontational declarations and declared full alert.
• Korean Central News Agency, Central Broadcasting TV, Central Broadcasting Station, January 17

Foreign Affairs

• The DPRK criticized that the U.S. has expanded its military power in the Asia-Pacific region and urged that the U.S. as the guarantor of peace must conclude a peace treaty with the North.

• North Korea criticized the movement of Japanese Self Defense Forces as an outward expansion of its military power. It also criticized Tokyo Governor Ishihara’s comments that it would be best for all if North Korea is assimilated to China as violating the dignity of a sovereign country.

• The DPRK asserted that normalization of North Korea-U.S. relations was a precondition for denuclearization and that it would not give up its nuclear program unless the U.S. ’s nuclear threat goes away, through the statement of the Spokesperson of North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Spokesperson’s press conference with Korean Central News Agency.