Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

North Korea Weekly (May 11 - 17, 2009)

ROK National Intelligence Service

[Inside North Korea]

o On May 11, North Korea emphasized in a Rodong Sinmun editorial, "The entire military, the party, and the people will make a strong concerted effort in the rice-planting battle." On May 14, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, "The central court decided to put the female US journalists on trial on June 4 according to their prosecution by the authorities concerned."

[Outside North Korea]

o On May 12, North Korea and China held a rally at Pyongyang People’s Cultural Palace on the occasion of the Year of Friendship marking the 60th anniversary of their establishment of diplomatic ties. Representatives of the two governments and delegates from their provinces and cities attended the rally, where a joint press release promising expansion and furtherance of mutual exchange and cooperation was issued.

[Inter-Korean Issues]

o On May 15, the North Korean General Bureau for Central Special District Development Guidance delivered a written notice through the Gaeseong Industrial District Management Committee to the effect that "laws and contracts preferentially applied in the Gaeseong Industrial Complex are declared invalid."