Orchestras may visit North, U.S.

August 26th, 2007

Joong Ang Daily
Jin Se-keun
8/27/2007

A U.S. orchestra may visit North Korea while Pyongyang sends its own orchestra to the United States, an official of a Hong Kong-based company said yesterday.

Bae Kyeong-hwan, vice president of Daepung Investment Group, told the JoongAng Ilbo that his company has been authorized by the North’s Culture Minister, Kang Neung-su, to schedule and plan the events.

“We contacted the New York Philharmonic orchestra first, but if its schedule does not permit, the Boston Philharmonic or the Philadelphia Philharmonic could be an option,” Bae said.

The New York Philharmonic earlier confirmed that it has been invited to visit North Korea, but has not yet made an official decision.

After a performance in Pyongyang, the U.S. orchestra may return via South Korea, crossing the inter-Korean border at Panmunjeom Village, Bae said.

The North’s National Symphony Orchestra will then return the visit by going to the United States for a performance, according to Bae.

He claimed that negotiations for these reciprocal visits have been worked out by Christopher Hill, Washington’s chief negotiator to the six-party talks, and his North Korean counterpart Kim Gye-gwan.  

North invites the New York Philharmonic
Joong Ang Daily
Brian Lee
8/16/2007

It’s up to the New York Philharmonic orchestra to decide whether it will accept an invitation to perform in North Korea, a U.S. State Department spokesman said Tuesday.

“We’ll consider it,” Eric Latzky, the orchestra’s director of public relations, told Agence France Press. “We received an invitation to perform in Pyongyang through an independent representative on behalf of the ministry of culture of North Korea.”

Latzky said the request, which had just been received, was “unusual” and that the orchestra would consult with Washington before making any decision. Furthermore, Latzky said, any such visit would come as part of a tour in the region.

The Philharmonic is scheduled to play in China in February 2008.

When asked whether such a visit was feasible, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, “I think it’d be fully up to them whether or not they accept such an invitation. As for the details of being able to go there and whether there’s any compensation, that sort of thing, those are probably technical details.”

Financial sanctions and restrictions regarding arms, missile and nuclear technology are in place under a United Nations resolution adopted last year in the aftermath of a nuclear test by the North, but there are no restrictions on travel to the North by ordinary U.S. citizens.

But despite the symbolic meaning the orchestra’s visit could have, McCormack said he suspected it would only play for Pyongyang’s elite. “Whether or not your average North Korean gets an invitation if the New York Philharmonic’s in Pyongyang, I have my doubts about that.”

North Korea interested in inviting New York Philharmonic
Korea Herald
8/13/2007

North Korea has shown interest in inviting the New York Philharmonic to perform in its capital, Pyongyang, apparently as part of its efforts to improve ties with the United States, sources here said Sunday, according to Yonhap News Agency.

During a meeting of six-party nuclear disarmament talks in Beijing in July, U.S. envoy Christopher Hill met his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye-gwan, and proposed that the two countries start civilian exchanges as part of confidence-building measures, said the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kim responded positively, saying that his government has already thought about such exchanges and would be interested in inviting the New York Philharmonic, according to the sources.

Eric Latzky, spokesman for the New York-based philharmonic, told Yonhap News Agency that he was unaware of any invitation by the North but said discussions were under way with South Korea for a performance tour there.

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Posted in Art, Civil society, Ministry of Culture, Music, USA | Comments Closed

Chicken farmers look North for cheap labor

August 25th, 2007

Joong Ang Daily
8/25/2007

Maniker Co., South Korea’s second-largest poultry processor, plans to build chicken farms in North Korea to take advantage of cheaper labor in the communist nation.

Maniker officials will be traveling to the North in the middle of next month to finalize details on building several farms near the border of the two countries, the company said in a statement yesterday. The project will help Maniker lower costs while giving North Korean workers opportunities for increased income and high-protein food, the statement said.

North Korea has shown “a positive reaction” to Maniker’s plan, which has been under discussion since 2002, it added.

During the visit, Maniker executives and North Korean officials will choose the location of the chicken farms between Sariwon, south of the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, and Samilpo, near Mount Geumgang on the east coast, the company said.

Maniker, which trails Halim Co. in the domestic poultry market, plans to initially sell the chickens in South Korea and may eventually sell them in North Korea as well.

The company reported a net loss of 3.4 billion won ($3.6 million) for the three months ended June 30, compared with a profit of 237 million won a year earlier.

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Posted in Agriculture, Economic reform, Foreign direct investment | Comments Closed

N. Korea building fences along border with China: sources

August 25th, 2007

Yonhap
8/25/2007

North Korea has started building fences along its border with China in an apparent attempt to forestall defections of its hard-pressed citizens, local residents said Sunday.

The move comes amid growing international criticism of China which sends back home North Korean border trespassers under an agreement with Pyongyang.

Some human rights activists have been pressuring Beijing not to repatriate North Korean refugees, threatening to launch a campaign to boycott the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

About a month ago, North Korean workers were spotted erecting wire fences along a 10-kilometer area near a narrow tributary of the Yalu River, a major border-crossing point, local residents said.

China already built fences along its side of the border late last year.

“North Korea started building a dike early this year and building posts about a month ago,” one resident said.

An increasing number of North Koreans are fleeing their impoverished communist homeland, hoping to defect mostly to South Korea. Some of them travel as far as Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries via China for safe passage to South Korea.

More than 10,000 North Korean defectors have so far arrived in South Korea amid reports that up to 300,000 North Korean refugees are roaming in China on their way to South Korea and other countries away from their impoverished homeland.

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Posted in China, Emigration, Political economy | Comments Closed

Vaccine institute to help Pyongyang fight deadly flu

August 24th, 2007

Korea Herald
Ahn Hyo Lim
8/24/2007

An international vaccine agency and North Korea have agreed to launch a joint project to fight diseases common among children in developing countries.

The International Vaccine Institute, based in Seoul, said yesterday that they will cooperate to conduct pilot vaccinations against Japanese encephalitis and haemophilus influenzae type b, which causes meningitis, on some 3,000 North Korean children by early next year.

Their project will also involve the establishment of a reference diagnostic laboratory in the communist country.

“Creation of a reference laboratory for diagnosis of Hib and Japanese encephalitis should not only help improve clinical management of children with these infections, but should also assist DPRK health authorities to better estimate the burden of these diseases in the DPRK,” said Dr. John Clemens, IVI director general.

Officials of the global vaccine R&D organization will visit Beijing later in the month to meet with North Korean health officials and discuss details of how they will cooperate, including the provision of vaccines and equipment, and the opening of the lab.

Haemophilus influenzae type b is the leading cause of bacterial meningitis among infants and children worldwide, killing an estimated 386,000 children every year.

Japanese encephalitis, primarily infects children in endemic areas across Asia, leaving approximately 60 percent of those who develop clinical illness either dead or neurologically disabled.

The IVI is an international organization devoted exclusively to developing and introducing new and improved vaccines to protect the world’s poorest people, especially children in developing countries.

It was established in 1997 as an initiative of the United Nations Development Program.

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Posted in Disease prevention, Health care, International Aid | Comments Closed

S. Korea sends emergency aid to N. Korea for flood recovery

August 24th, 2007

Yonhap
Sohn Suk-joo
8/23/2007

South Korea made Thursday the first delivery of 7.1 billion won ($7.5 million) worth of emergency aid to North Korea to help the communist country recover from flood damage, officials said.

About 40 truckloads of instant noodles, blankets, emergency kits and mineral water were delivered to the border town of Kaesong via a reconnected road in the western section of the Korean Peninsula. The aid shipment will be completed by the end of this month.

On Tuesday, Pyongyang requested more help from the South, and the Seoul government is considering what to offer in response to the North’s plea for construction materials and heavy equipment, they said.

Devastating floods are believed to have destroyed a revised 14 percent of the North’s farmland, South Korean officials said. South Korea, other countries and international agencies are extending a helping hand to the North.

The number of dead and missing is estimated at more than 300, with the homeless numbering about 300,000. An estimated 46,580 homes of 88,400 families were destroyed or damaged, according to the North’s media.

“The total damage would be 10 times more than that of last summer in terms of money,” Cho Yong-nam, chief of North Korea’s flood damage control committee, said in an interview with the Choson Sinbo, a Japan-based pro-North Korean newspaper which usually reflects the views of the communist country.

The severe flood damage caused the two Koreas to postpone their second summit, originally scheduled for late this month, until early October. Their leaders are to meet Oct. 2-4 in Pyongyang.

According to North Korean officials, the expressway linking Pyongyang and Kaesong has been damaged by the heavy flooding, interfering with transportation. Roh plans to travel to Pyongyang via the overland route, and South Korean officials expressed hope that the expressway will be repaired before the summit takes place.

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Posted in International Aid, South Korea | Comments Closed

200,000 Won Cell Phone Call with South Korean Defector Families

August 24th, 2007

Daily NK
Kim Young Jin
8/24/2007

An inside North Korean source relayed that along the North Korean-China border region, businesses connecting North Korean civilians with relatives in the U.S. and in Japan charging exorbitant usage fees are receiving the spotlight.

Choi Yong Nam (pseudonym, 37), residing in Moosan, North Hamkyung, in a phone conversation with DailyNK on the 23rd, revealed, “International cell phones calls are directly made from North Korea or there are cases where North Koreans are directly brought to China to call their relatives in foreign countries.”

Choi added, “In order to be connected to families or relatives in South Korea, at least 200,000 won in South Korean currency (around US$215) is needed. To communicate with families in the U.S. or in Japan, at least 400,000 to 500,000 won are used up.” He minimizes the essential element of risk, but denounced that the price is baselessly expensive.

Choi explained, “However, China or regular phone calls are not charged such fees. Separated families, cases of requesting huge amounts of remittance from relatives in the U.S., Japan, or in South Korea, or the process of relatives trying to bring the families in North Korea to foreign countries require a high fee.”

Such a costly fee seems to be due to the control of cell phone use in North Korea. In order to prevent information leaks to the outside, the North Korea’s authorities have stepped forward using equipments such as “cell phone detectors.”

Another source said, “Getting caught while using cell phones is rarely pacified on the spot as it used to be before. Inspection and punishment are severe, but one can escape through bribery even though there is a difference in the amount.”

After inspections, the violators are taken to the police station and have to go through basic investigations.

Regarding the content of investigations, he said, “They investigate the place of usage, past call history, whether or not the calls are related to foreign countries (South Korea, Japan, and the U.S.). Then, they investigate whether or not the person has a previous conviction.”

Kang Soon Young (speudonym, 44) who is visiting relatives in Yanji, China, said, “There are at least 100 North Korea-born people who are making a living doing various kinds of projects (work) along the border area in Yanji alone.”

The border area project refers to the remittances for money sent to South Korea or abroad or river-crossings, smuggling, phone connections and various projects that are becoming active in Chinese cities sharing the border with North Korea.

He relayed, “Nowadays, the border patrol has been toughened, so crossing the river without going through people who work in such border area projects is almost impossible.”

On one hand, Mr. Kang relayed, “There was a public execution along the Hoiryeong Riverfront on the 10th. The executed was a man in his 50s with the crime of aiding and abetting river-crossings (defecting) and was charged with smuggling.”

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Posted in Cell phones, Civil society, Communications, Emigration, Telephones | Comments Closed

International Train Crew is the Best Job in North Korea

August 24th, 2007

Daily NK
Kwon Jeong Hyun
8/24/2007

The term for the train crew of North Korean Pyongyang-Beijing international rail connecting North Korea and China is limited to two years, relayed a related person of Dandong Customs in China on the 22nd.

The source at the customs said in an interview with DailyNK, “The crew of Pyongyang-Beijing international rail is a very competitive position. Only by paying a significant sum of bribe can one gain such a position.”

The source said, “Most of the international rail crew simultaneously trade. The crew who can conduct secret trade via trains is known as a covetable profession among the North Korean citizens.

Further, “The term of employment for North Korean crew do not surpass two years. There is so much corruption and the positions are quickly exchanged after the upper-level management receiving bribery from other applicants.”

He said that he has received introductions from new North Korean crews to watch over them during the 2 years.

The person said, “Most of the crew do secret trade. They think that they have offered that much, so they should earn that much as well. There are many instances where even the customs is aware of what is going on.”

He said that the product which is usually traded is cigarettes. “Cigarettes are brought in North Korea at around 4 boxes (around 2,000 packs) per a person.”

“They relay goods that outsiders send and also goods that cannot legally come out of North Korea. Please understand my difficulty in revealing the situation in greater detail. All kinds of goods can be secretly brought onto trains.”

The cigarettes are a favorite good which both the North Korean and Chinese customs make efforts to pay back the duties. However, by bringing these cigarettes secretly into North Korea without the payment of duties, the making of money is inevitable.”

The source said, “According to what I have heard from Chosun (North Korea) crews, there is a saying that failure to earn several hundreds of thousands of dollars during the two years is moronic. How many train crew are there? They consider the international rails as private trading floors, so what is there that they cannot do? I know of workers of the international freight trains who saved over 50,000 dollars.”

He said, “While observing North Korean railroads for over 10 years, I only saw once one person working as a crew for the freight train for four years.”

International rail between China and North Korea operates twice weekly. 2-3 passenger trains on the back of the Pyongyang-Shinuiju rail and 1 freight train have been divided as international rails and operate to Beijing.”

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Posted in Black markets, International trade, Labor conditions/wages, Railways, Transportation | Comments Closed

South Korean food maker Maniker plans to open chicken farms in North Korea

August 24th, 2007

Yonhap
8/24/2007

[Excerpt]

Maniker Co., a South Korean food maker, said Friday its executives will visit North Korea next month to finalize the company’s project to set up chicken farms there.

Maniker, one of the nation’s leading chicken-processing companies, has explored ways to build chicken farms in North Korea since 2002 to take advantage of the North’s cheap labor.

During the visit in mid-September, Maniker executives and North Korean officials will choose the location of the chicken farms between Sariwon, south of the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and Samilpo near Mt. Geumgang on the east coast, the company said in a statement.

North Korea has showed “positive” response to the project, Maniker said.

If the project is successful, Maniker will be the first direct investment by a South Korean company outside an inter-Korean industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Kaesong.

“At this time, we expect the North Korean business project to produce a visible result,” said a Maniker official on condition of anonymity.

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Posted in Agriculture, Economic reform, Foreign direct investment | Comments Closed

N. Korea’s powerful commission in vanguard of flood recovery operations

August 22nd, 2007

Yonhap
Sohn suk-joo
8/22/2007

North Korea’s most powerful organization is leading efforts to clean up damage from heavy floods and restore the country’s infrastructure, the North’s state media reported Wednesday.

The National Defense Commission (NDC), the highest decision-making body under the communist country’s constitution that was revised in 1997 to reflect its “songun” or military first policy, supervises relief operations involving military forces and equipment.

“We’ve achieved recovery and restoration by appealing to party, government and labor officials to go out to damaged areas under the guidance of the National Defense Commission,” Kim Kyong-san, a senior official of the Pyongyang Railway bureau, said in an interview with Radio Pyongyang.

According to North Korea watchers, North Korea’s cabinet has usually spearheaded flood relief efforts in the communist country in the past. The NDC’s involvement signifies the extent of the damage and is also meant to speed up restoration ahead of the summit between President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who leads the commission, they said.

Meanwhile, North Korea is in the final stages of restoring the railway line in Pyongyang.

“The Pyongyang railway line is fundamental in connecting the country to the east and west. All workers have labored hard and are urged to do more at the final stage,” Kim Kyong-san said.

Devastating floods are believed to have destroyed a revised 14 percent of the North’s farmland, South Korean officials said. South Korea, other countries and international agencies are extending a helping hand to the North.

The number of dead and missing is estimated at more than 300, with the homeless numbering about 300,000. An estimated 46,580 homes of 88,400 families were destroyed or damaged, according to the North’s media.

This year, South Korea is providing 400,000 tons of rice to the North, while it plans to send 7.1 billion won (US$7.5 million) worth of relief goods to North Korea.

On Tuesday, Pyongyang requested more help from the South, and South Korea is considering what to offer in response to the North’s plea for construction materials and heavy equipment.

The severe flood damage caused the two Koreas to postpone their second-ever summit, originally scheduled to be held late this month, until early October. Their leaders are to meet Oct. 2-4 in Pyongyang.

According to North Korean officials, the expressway linking Pyongyang and Kaesong has been damaged by heavy flooding, interfering with transportation. Roh plans to travel to Pyongyang via the overland route, and South Korean officials expressed hope that the expressway will be restored before the summit takes place.

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Posted in Cabinet, Foreign aid statistics, International Aid, National Defense Commission, Railways, South Korea | Comments Closed

Kimberly-Clark considers opening factory in North Korean industrial park

August 22nd, 2007

Yonhap
8/22/2007

Kimberly-Clark Corp., one of the world’s biggest makers of health care and sanitary goods, is considering opening a factory in a South Korean-built industrial zone in North Korea, according to the company’s senior executive on Wednesday.

Moon Kook-hyun, chief executive officer of Yuhan-Kimberly Ltd., Kimberly-Clark’s South Korean unit in Seoul, recently told reporters that the company’s “sewing plant” in China may take part in slots of the industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Kaesong.

“First of all, I plan to sign a preliminary contract (to take part in the Kaesong industrial complex) and then will persuade our head office,” Moon said.

Moon and Thomas Falk, chairman of Kimberly-Clark, visited the Kaesong industrial park in February.

Currently, state-run Korea Land Corp. is receiving bids from foreign companies which want to set up factories in Kaesong, located just 70 kilometers north of Seoul.

“If Kimberly-Clark applies to receive land for the Kaesong industrial park, there will be no difficulty,” said an official at Korea Land.

South Korea began building the industrial park in 2003 on a trial basis with the hope of creating a model for eventual reunification of the Korean Peninsula.

Currently, 26 South Korean plants employ about 16,000 North Korean workers who produce garments, kitchenware and a number of other goods.

If the industrial zone becomes fully operational by 2012, more than 350,000 North Korean workers will work there, according to the South’s Unification Ministry.

In a free trade agreement signed last month, the U.S. government said it would recognize the Kaesong-made goods as originating in South Korea.

Moon’s remark also came as optimism has been building over progress in resolving the North’s nuclear standoff.

North Korea has shut down its key nuclear facilities at Yongbyon under a February agreement, which was also signed by South Korea, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia.

It now has to disable the Yongbyon facilities and declare all of its nuclear programs in exchange for 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid.

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Posted in Foreign direct investment, Health care, Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), Korea Land Corp. (RoK office), Special Economic Zones (Established before 2013) | Comments Closed

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