| Home page To receive this publication via e-mail, click here. THE NORTH KOREA REPORT: JUNE 1, 2004 Dragon in the Dark: How and Why Communist China Helps Our Enemies in the War on Terror is now available: here, at Amazon, or at 1-888-280-7715. Our statement on why northern Korea must be liberated can be found here. TOP STORY: NORTH KOREA CONFIRMED AS SOURCE OF LIBYAN URANIUM Less than one day after the last NKR noted reports that North Korea had provided Libya with uranium, officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the report to the Guardian (UK). The 1.7 tons of uranium, which was one step away from weapons-grade, was sent to Libya in 2001. North Korea didn�t admit to weaponizing uranium, a violation of it 1994 promise to the U.S. to �freeze� its nuclear weapons development, until a year later (see 10/21/02 NKR). Libya�s uranium was handed over to the U.S., but this news opens the frightening possibility that the North �supplied other clients, possibly including terrorist groups.� Liberation, anyone? PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIAIVE LIEKLY TO GET BOOST Most analysts agree the six-party talks on North Korea�s nuclear weapons are in trouble, while the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) would get a boost (Christian Science Monitor). The aforementioned talks have led to American concessions and little else through three rounds (see 4/28/03 and 3/1/04 NKRs). The PSI is a joint effort by the U.S., Australia, Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Canada, Norway, Denmark, and Singapore to prevent rogue states from sending weapons of mass destruction to terrorists, and is targeted primarily on North Korea and Iran (see 7/14/03 and 12/22/03 NKRs). WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION NEWS NUCLEAR PLANTS WILL BE CANCELLED � IN DECEMBER An unnamed Bush Administration official sought to end speculation on the resurrection of nuclear power plants in North Korea (see last NKR), saying, �Come December 1, it's a dead project� (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). The less trusting among us would note that this would be after the November elections. Stop the North Korean Nuclear Power Plants: Are the plants dead or aren�t they? You can make sure they don�t come back! Use this China e-Lobby fact sheet and tell the President to kill the power plants from the 1994 agreement that North Korea broke. OTHER NEWS ON COMMUNIST CHINA�S ROLE FIVE REFUGEES IN GERMAN EMABSSY COMPOUND Five refugees from North Korea entered Germany�s embassy in Beijing to escape life as nonpersons trying to avoid being sent back by the PRC. Communist China sends back any refugee it finds to its Stalinist ally. As such, many have used democratic nations� embassies to escape, usually to South Korea. Report: BBC URI PARTY MEMBERS PREFER COMMUNIST CHINA TO U.S. In a survey on South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun�s Uri Party, �63 percent of its members consider China to be South Korea's most important trading and diplomatic partner, compared with 26 percent favoring the United States� (Washington Times, second item). Whether this drives or is driven by Uri�s dovishness on the North was not discussed. OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS SOUTH KOREA ADMITS TALKS WITH U.S. ABOUT PERMANENT TROOP REDUCTION South Korea ended a year of denials and admitted �that it would within days begin discussions on U.S. plans to cut back its military presence in the country� (Cybercast News). The U.S. wants �a reduction of almost one-third of the 37,000� stationed in South Korea. OTHER SOUTH KOREA NEWS STALINISTS FORM MILITARY HACKING UNIT FOR CYBER-ATTACKS AGAINST SOUTH KOREA United Press International (via Washington Times) reports that North Korea has established �a military unit specialized in hacking into South Korean computer networks.� The hacking unit, organized by order of Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il, is �aimed at getting secret information from the South's agencies and staging cyber propaganda.� NORTH AND SOUTH HOLD MILITARY TALKS Military officers from Stalinist North Korea and democratic South Korea held talks last week, during which the Stalinists �agreed to study proposals to improve communication between their armed forces� (BBC). The two sides agreed to talk again sometime next month. Also reporting: Washington Times ROH PARDONS SIX INVOLVED IN $UN$HINE PAYOFF SCANDAL Dovish South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun granted presidential pardons to �six people who were convicted of illegally paying more than $500m to North Korea in 2000� (BBC). The payments came just before the 2000 summit between Roh�s predecessor, Kim Dae-Jung, and Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il. Many believe that the $500 million itself greased the skids for the summit, the only success of Kim Dae-Jung and Roh�s �sunshine� � or as we prefer to call it, $un$hine � policy with the North (see 2/3/03, 2/10/03, 2/17/03, 3/3/03, 3/24/03, 6/30/03, and 8/11/03 NKRs). PRIME MINISTER GOH RESIGNS Prime Minister Goh Kun, the man who acted as president during Roh Moo-hyun�s impeachment (see 3/15 and 5/17 NKRs), has resigned. Report: BBC COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS ON KOIZUMI�S TRIP TO NORTH KOREA Takehiko Kambayashi, Washington Times, examines the political reaction to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi�s trip to North Korea (see last NKR). Jim Frederick (Time Asia), and Sarah Buckely (BBC) examine the strange tale of Sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins, who either defected to or was kidnapped by North Korea (see 12/19/02 NKR). 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