Washington Ready for Normal Relations with North Korea

May 30th, 2007

Korea Times
Lee Jin-Woo
5/30/2007

U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Alexander Vershbow said on Wednesday Washington is prepared to move forward toward the establishment of normal relations with North Korea.

“We are ready to begin the process of removing North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and from the application of the Trading with the Enemy Act,” Vershbow said at a symposium in Seoul.

But progress on all these tracks depends on achieving the complete elimination of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programs, he said.

“We’re not ready to settle for a partial solution. It is only with complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization that we can contemplate the full normalization of relations,’’ he said.

Under the Feb. 13 accord in the six-party talks, the United States agreed to begin talks with the communist North over normalizing diplomatic relations. The two countries have had no diplomatic relations since the 1950-53 Korean War, which divided the Korean Peninsula into the two Koreas. The conflict ended in a cease-fire, but no peace treaty was signed.

The ambassador also hinted that the United States might urge the Banco Delta Asia (BDA), a bank in Macau where the North funds have been frozen, to replace its management, who they hold responsible for helping the North with counterfeiting and money laundering.

Meanwhile, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said in Beijing North Korea is appeared ready to follow through on the February agreement.

“Once they have their funds from the bank, they are prepared to do their part of the bargain, which is to shut down the Yongbyon plant,’’ Hill was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. The U.S. envoy was referring to the BDA issue.

Hill rejected suggestions that the six-party disarmament negotiations, which have been stalled since February, were dead.

Hill exchanged ideas with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei on ways to resolve the stalled nuclear issue but did not give specific details, the AP reported.

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Posted in Political economy, USA | Comments Closed

Hyundai considers longer Geumgang tour

May 30th, 2007

Korea Herald
Kim Yoon-mi
5/30/2007

Hyundai Asan, the South Korean operator of travel to Mount Geumgang in North Korea, is considering expanding its new program that would allow South Koreans to tour the inner side of the mountain, its CEO Yoon Man-joon said yesterday.

Hyundai Asan on Sunday and Monday ran two pilot tours to inner Mount Geumgang, which has been closed by North Korea despite the South Korean company’s eight-year-long request to open it to South Korean visitors.

The new tour course will be open to the general public from June 1.

“For now, the new course is open three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. But depending on the tourists’ response, we could increase the visiting days. And this has already been agreed to with North Korean officials,” Yoon said during a press meeting at Pyohun Temple at inner Mount Geumgang on Monday.

Hyundai Asan’s tourism business met difficulties when North Korea conducted a nuclear test in October last year. With tension heightened on the Korean Peninsula, the number of tourists visiting Mount Geumgang plummeted, ruining Hyundai Asan’s target of securing 400,000 visitors a year. The number reached only 240,000 last year.

“We set the target at 400,000 again this year. About 15 to 20 percent of the tourists are expected to visit inner Geumgang this year. I hope by launching the inner Mount Geumgang tour, it give us a second leap toward successful Mount Geumgang tour business,” Yoon said.

The new tour includes a bus ride through North Korean villages for an hour and a half.

During the bus ride, North Korea people’s livelihoods, commercial buildings and schools will be visible to South Korean tourists.

“It must have been a big decision for North Korea to open up their ‘inner bedroom’ because you would do so to only those who are really close to you,” he said.

Regarding new marketing strategy for the existing tour to the outer side of Mount Geumgang, Yoon said the company will revamp tour programs to attract younger visitors.

Also, Hyundai Asan will add two tour sites called Munpil Peak and Beobgi Rock to the outer Mount Geumgang tour course as early as in June, he said.

The inner Mount Geumgang tour, once opened in June, will be operated from April to November with a price tag of 420,000 won ($450) for a three-day tour per person. The outer Geumgang tour currently costs 390,000 won per person.

“Just as inner and outer parts of Mount Geumgang meet to become one, I hope one day the two Koreas can become one,” said Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, who also participated in the pilot tour on Monday.

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Posted in Economic reform, Mt. Kumgang Tourist Special Zone, Special Economic Zones (Established before 2013), Tourism | Comments Closed

Another Lie “We Will Give Rations”

May 30th, 2007

Daily NK
Han Young Jin
5/30/2007

The rice-planting season began at the beginning of May. Consequently, city and provincial safety agencies have adjusted market hours at Jangmadang (markets) affecting the lives of North Korean people greatly, a source informed on the 30th. Even street vendors have been completely prohibited from selling goods on the side alleys of Jangmadang.

Ever since the rice-planting season began, the markets open at 5 o’clock in the afternoon until sunset. Basically, sellers can only trade for 3 hours at the most.

Park(43) who lives in the border regions of North Hamkyung province said, “We live by selling at Jangmadang. I feel like cast a spiders’ web in my throat because the authority forced to close Jangmadang during the farm supporting activity. Leaders of the People’s Units force members to work on the farms and the Safety Agents scowl Jangmadang like an eagle scavenging for food.”

She should support her husband working at a factory which manufactures farming equipment and two sons. Surviving the march of suffering, she began to sell noodles at the markets.

Park said, “If I sell things, at the least, I can make a little money and buy some corn. If I cannot trade for a month, I will have lost all my goods to waste.”

Every year, North Korea endures the rice-planting season and closes Jangmadang partially. Although many people buy rice and corn in advance, it is nonetheless a tough month for the people and acquiring food is a big concern.

“They said they would redistribute rations from April. Lately, they haven’t said anything but to be patient” said Park and added, “Since we cannot afford to have rice, I only hope that the price of corn does not increase.”

Rice which sold at 850 won in early May has already risen more 50 won. Fortunately, corn has maintained its cost at 300 won.

In North Korea, spring poverty season from early March is called as “Yellow Spring,” because the sky is seen yellow for the malnutrition or hunger. The period between end-May to mid-June is the time of “farm hardship (‘barely hump’ in Korean)” Around June 15th, when barley begins to ripen, the “farm hardship” disappears.

Normally as March approaches, people begin to deplete their stored a year worth of food. By May, the 6 months worth of Kimchi that was made in last December has been consumed and people resort to herbs and plants to accompany their meals.

More recently, as trade became common, there have been less cases where people have died from starvation.

It is even uncommon for Park’s husband who works for an agricultural factory to acquire distributions from his work. He is offered lunch when he gets called to fix equipment on the farms but then again, this doesn’t happen every day.

Hyun who trades between Pyongan and Hwanghae said dissatisfied, “They (authorities) said they would distribute rations as of April 1st. The people are angry as they feel they have been deceived once again. It is common practice that rice is lacking during the springtime, but I don’t understand why they keep attracting the people’s discontent by telling lies.”

He said, “People living in Pyongan are in a worse position than people living in the border regions. Traffic control officers roam the district of Moonduk, South Pyongan and regulate merchants by forcing them to the farms.”

Hyun added, “In the past, even amidst starvation, people in Pyongan believed that they were living in such deity because the U.S. ruined the economy. When I went there this time, the atmosphere was certainly different. People are blatantly cursing that the ‘nation cannot even feed and save the people.'”

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Posted in Agriculture, Economic reform, General markets (FMR: Farmers Market) | 1 Comment »

N.K. to build 10,000 apartments for Pyongyang residents

May 29th, 2007

Korea Herald
5/29/2007

North Korea plans to build 10,000 apartments for its Pyongyang residents this year, according to a report Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency said.

The move follows similar construction of 10,000 apartments in the city last year, the Choson Sinbo, a newspaper run by an association of North Korean residents in Japan, quoted a Pyongyang official as saying.

The plan includes mending cracks and worn-out parts of tens of thousands of existing apartments in Pyongyang, the report said, noting the city government last year completed repairing an unidentified number of apartments built before 1990.

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Posted in Real estate | Comments Closed

Kim’s sons vie for N.K. leadership

May 28th, 2007

Korea Herald
Jin Dae-woong
5/28/2007

North Korea appears to have embarked on preparations to pick a successor to leader Kim Jong-il from among his sons, as the communist leader’s health has declined recently, South Korean intelligence sources said yesterday.

According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Kim Jong-il has been frequently accompanied by his two sons, Kim Jong-chul (26) and Kim Jong-woon (23) in his recent official activities, such as inspections of military bases and the so-called “on-site guidance” tours.

“Kim has yet to decide whom will be his successor, but he appears to have it in mind to select one of his two sons,” one source said. “He is now looking at who would be better for the position while they accompany him on military inspections.”

The open appearance of Kim’s second and third sons at the official events resumed with Kim’s worsening health, stemming from chronic diabetes and heart disease, the sources said. Due to health concerns, Kim, 65, halved official public activities between January and May this year, compared to the activities made in the same period last year, they said.

Jong-chul and Jong-woon, both born to deceased Ko Young-hee, the reclusive leader’s purported third wife, had frequently accompanied Kim on such activities, but halted their attendance after the death of Ko in 2004, they added.

The reemergence of Kim’s two sons indicates that North Korea is gearing up for a third generation of hereditary power succession, another source said.

In late 2005, Kim Jong-il banned any debate on a succession nomination in fear of a rapid erosion of his power in the Stalinist country.

Kim Jong-il took over from his father, Kim Il-sung in 1994. It was the North’s first hereditary power transfer.

The two “princes” have recently completed special military studies courses at Kim Il-sung Military University, one of North Korea’s top schools, named after the North Korean founder, he said. Jong-chul and Jong-woon respectively began the secret courses in 2001 and 2002, specializing in leadership and military theories based on Kim Jong-il’s military first policy, he said.

The special education was made in response to calls from Ko that the two sons should succeed the leadership of their father, he added.

Sources said that the moves are expected to reignite a fierce power struggle between Kim’s sons and their advocates over who would take over the helm of the communist country.

Before Kim issued a ban on any discussion in 2005 concerning his successor, it had been reported that Kim’s three sons, including the oldest, Kim Jong-nam, and their advocates had been engaged in a fierce power struggle in recent years.

Kim Jong-nam, 36, may stage a challenge against Jong-chul and Jong-woon in the pursuit of leadership, noting that oldest sons are generally favored in North Korea, where Confucian traditions that honor seniority are still dominant, they said.

Jong-nam is believed to have fallen out of his father’s favor when he was caught trying to enter Japan in 2001 on a forged passport. He was born to Kim’s first purported wife Sung Hae-rim, a former North Korean movie star, who died in 2002. The eldest son escaped an assassination attempt in Austria in 2004, which was suspected of being conducted by advocates of Jong-chul and Jung-woon.

Kim Jong-chol was widely favored to be first in line to succeed Kim Jong-il, but he has been said to suffer from a chronic overproduction of female hormones.

In addition, the emergence of Kim Jong-il’s purported new wife, Kim Ok, is also expected to add a new twist to the power struggle between the princes, sources said.

The 43-year-old former secretary of Kim Jong-il has frequently accompanied the reclusive leader Kim on his visits to army bases and industrial complexes, and sat with him when he met visiting foreign dignitaries.

Sources think that the young lady could be behind the leader’s ban on any succession debate because Kim’s early appointment of a successor may destabilize her status as first lady. She is building up her own political force with close affiliates in crucial posts within the regime, they said.

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Posted in Political economy | Comments Closed

Russia, North sign deal for a joint railway

May 28th, 2007

Joong Ang Daily
5/28/2007

Russia has its own dreams of a cross-border railway, linking its tracks to North Korea.

The former communist country has signed a non-binding deal with the communist country to rebuild a section of railway from the Russian border station of Khasan to the North Korean port of Najin, a Russian radio station reported yesterday.

Representatives of the Russian Railways and the North’s Ministry of Railways signed the memorandum last April at the end of the four-day talks held in Pyongyang, the Voice of Russia said.

A container terminal in Najin is the end goal of the new joint venture. After the repairs and reconstruction are completed, the two sides plan to ship freight from Northeast Asia to Russia and Europe, it said.

To solve technical and financial issues connected with this project, working groups will be set up. The first meeting is scheduled in Pyongyang next month.

After resolving practical issues, the two sides plan to organize a meeting of the leaders of the two countries’ railways to sign an agreement.

The restoration of the railway from Khasan to Najin will make it possible in the future to link the Trans Korean Railway to the Trans Siberian Railway, according to Russian media reports.

On May 17, two trains crossed the Military Demarcation Line dividing the two Koreas for the first time since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korea hopes the historic test runs will lead to the connection by railway of the Korean Peninsula, China and Europe.

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Posted in Railways, Russia, Transportation | Comments Closed

S. Korea to postpone rice aid until N. Korea acts on denuclearization

May 24th, 2007

Yonhap
5/24/2007

South Korea has decided to put off food shipment to North Korea until the communist country fulfills its promise to shut down its main nuclear reactor, government sources said Thursday.

South Korea had planned to start sending 400,000 tons of rice to the impoverished North late this month in the form of a loan to be paid back over 30 years after a 10-year grace period.

In inter-Korean economic talks in April, however, South Korea made its food aid conditional on the North’s fulfillment of its obligation to start denuclearization steps in return for energy aid within 60 days of a Feb. 13 six-party deal.

The North failed to meet the April 14 deadline, citing a banking dispute with the United States over $25 million of its funds frozen at a Macau bank, Banco Delta Asia. In a separate deal, the North Korean money was unblocked but the communist country has yet to withdraw it.

Hoping that the banking dispute would have been resolved by the end of May, South Korea’s government last Tuesday approved budget spending for the rice aid worth $170 million and raw materials worth $80 million for the North to make soap, footwear and clothing.

“As we made clear in inter-Korean economic talks last month, however, we will wait and see if North Korea will carry out the Feb. 13 agreement,” a government official said, asking that he remain anonymous.

The South Korean government has yet to sign a commercial contract to purchase rice aid for North Korea, so it would be next to impossible to keep the inter-Korean agreement to start shipment in late May.

South Korean officials have expressed frustration over the prolonged financial dispute which was touched off by Washington’s accusations that North Korea laundered illicit money through the Macao bank.

North Korea has been free to withdraw the money but it reportedly insists that it gets it back through a U.S. bank. The U.S. government said last week that arrangements were being made to address the North Korean demand.

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Posted in Agriculture, Foreign aid statistics, International Aid, South Korea, Statistics | Comments Closed

Where is the nearest North Korean Embassy?

May 23rd, 2007

The Internet knows…

http://kp.embassyinformation.com/?einfo

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Posted in Political economy | Comments Closed

North Korean Soccer Sponsors

May 23rd, 2007

So, it looks like Hummel, a Danish sports apparel company is sponsoring the North Korean national soccer team.

http://www.hummel.dk/Company/Sponsorships/Football/North%20Korea.aspx

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Posted in Civil society, Football (soccer), Foreign direct investment, Sports | Comments Closed

Chondoism, National Religion

May 23rd, 2007

KCNA
5/23/2007

Chondoism is the national religion of Korea. The Chondoists are enjoying their religious life to the full under the protection of the DPRK.

It was founded in 1860 with the idea “Man and God are one” as its principle, for the purpose of building an “earthly paradise” under the banner of “Poguk anmin” (defending the country and providing welfare for the people). From the outset, however, it had to undergo suppression of feudal ruling classes and foreign invaders.

Choe Je U, the founder of the religion who had been called the Most Venerable Suun, and the second leader of the religion were killed by the feudal state of Ri dynasty for their anti-feudal and anti-aggressive spirits. During the Kabo Peasant War (1894 – 1895) and the March First Popular Uprising against the Japanese imperialists, hundreds of thousands of believers were arrested, imprisoned and killed cold-bloodedly.

It was the early winter in Juche 25 (1936) that the religion met its true guardian.

President Kim Il Sung appreciated the patriotic nature of Chondoism and met Tojong (a title of a local leader of Chondoist religion) Pak In Jin. He called for firmly uniting under the banner of the national liberation, transcending differences in ideology, religious faith and political view and led a great number of believers to the sacred war against the Japanese imperialists. After national liberation, he aroused them to building of a new country.

Moved by the noble benevolence of the President who embraced and warmly looked after all the people of the country, the wife of Pak In Jin called him as “Heaven” when she was honored with his audience in 1992.

The Chondoists are also enjoying a happy life under the care of Kim Jong Il.

They are leading a free religious life with the building on a beautiful bank of the River Taedong. Chondoists who were elected deputies to the Supreme People’s Assembly are taking part in the political affairs of the country and are doing a lot of good things for the DPRK.

Pak In Jin, Kang Je Ha, Pak U Chon, Ryo Pung Gu and others who contributed to the liberation, prosperity and development of the country were laid to rest in the Patriotic Martyrs’ Cemetery.

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Posted in Civil society, Religion | 1 Comment »

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