| Home page To receive this publication via e-mail, click here. THE NORTH KOREA REPORT: MARCH 3, 2003 Our statement on why North Korea must be liberated can be found here. TOP STORY: NORTH TEST FIRES MISSILE HOURS BEFORE ROH�S INAUGURATION STALINIST REGIME FIRES LAND-TO-SHIP MISSILE INTO WATERS EAST OF PENINSULA COMMUNIST CHINA DENIES ANY INVOLVEMENT WITH MISSILE Hours before South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun was inaugurated, Stalinist North Korea welcomed the new leader with a land-to-ship missile test that rattled local markets and put everyone one edge. The tested missile landed in the waters between Korea and Japan. Secretary of State Colin Powell, in Seoul for Roh�s inauguration, shrugged off the test. Reports: CNN, BBC, Cybercast News, Newsmax The missile was a KN-01 land-to-sea missile, unlike the multi-stage missile tested over Japan in 1998. According to the Washington Post, it was the Stalinists latest anti-ship missile under development. Japanese and South Korean media reported possible Communist Chinese involvement with the missile program. The PRC heatedly denied the reports, according to Willy Wo-Lap Lam, CNN, but a day later, Bill Gertz, Washington Times, revealed that the missile was �an advanced, homemade version of the Chinese Silkworm anti-ship missile.� So much for the denial. MORE ON ROH�S INAUGURATION ROH CALLS FOR �MORE EQUAL� ALLIANCE WITH U.S., END TO NK�S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS In his inaugural address, Roh chose �not to urge direct U.S.-North Korean talks � the main point of friction between Washington and virtually all regional powers� (Washington Times), instead echoing the Bush Administration�s call for a multilateral solution. Roh also praised U.S. alliance with his country, but called for it to be �more equal.� MORE SOUTH KOREA NEWS PRO-UNITED STATES RALLY IN SOUTH KOREA DRAWS TENS OF THOUSANDS A major rally in support of the United States and its military presence in South Korea brought �tens of thousands� (BBC) of Koreans into the streets of Seoul on Saturday. The pro-American, anti-Stalinist rally drew 100,000 demonstrators, according to police estimates cited by Cybercast News. PARLIAMENT CREATES INDEPENDENT COUNSEL FOR $UN$HINE SUMMIT PAYOFF South Korea�s legislature has �paved the way for an independent counsel to probe allegations that North Korea was secretly given hundreds of millions of dollars in the run-up to an historic inter-Korean summit in 2000� (BBC). The opposition Grand National Party, which holds 151 of the 272 seats in the legislature, is far more hostile to North Korea than the Millennium Democrats of President Roh. Roh�s predecessor � fellow Millennium Democrat Kim Dae-jung � tried to defend the payouts before leaving office last Tuesday (see 2/17 North Korea Report). Hyundai, the firm that sent the money � borrowed from a South Korean government bank � to the North, admitted to $500 million in payments. NEWS ON COMMUNIST CHINA�S ROLE IN NORTH KOREA COMMUNIST CHINA, AGAIN, REFUSES TO HELP U.S. ON NORTH KOREA CNN reports that the so-called People�s Republic of China has once again �rebuffed� American attempts to enlist Communist China�s �help� in corralling North Korea�s nuclear ambitions. Even visiting Secretary of State Colin Powell (see last North Korea Report) had to admit that the so-called People�s Republic and the U.S. �differ on the best way to deal with North Korea� (Washington Post). In fact, according to the Post, the Communists see the situation in North Korea as an opportunity for ��trade-offs,� meaning more U.S. flexibility on the issue of Taiwan.� As an unnamed Communist diplomat put it, �We are not linking the issues. But what we are saying is this: The United States cannot expect us to continually give unless it gives us something, too.� That�s not �linking the issues�? The Post, citing more Communist sources, also said this: �While some Bush administration officials see a potential collapse of the government of Kim Jong Il as good for the region, Chinese officials view this possibility with alarm.� It�s the first report that anyone in the Bush Administration would like to see northern Korea liberated, but one must note it did not come from American sources. PRC AND RUSSIA ISSUE JOINT CALL FOR U.S.-NORTH KOREA TALKS Communist China and Russia issued a joint statement �call(ing) for urgent bilateral talks between Washington and Pyongyang to resolve escalating tensions� (CNN). The statement came from Tang Jiaxuan, Foreign Minister of the so-called People�s Republic, and Russian FM Igor Ivanov. NUCLEAR AND OTHER WEAPONS NEWS NORTH KOREA STARTS NUCLEAR REACTOR According to unnamed U.S. officials, Stalinist North Korea has restarted its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, which would enable the regime to reprocess spent fuel rods from that facility into plutonium in roughly a year �under the best circumstances� (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). However, according to CNN, the plutonium could be produced in only a month. Also reporting: BBC, Cybercast News, Washington Post NORTH KOREA MAY TEST LONG-RANGE MISSILES AGAIN CNN (2/28) also reported that the Stalinist regime is �preparing to test a ballistic missile in the near future.� The last ballistic missile test was the infamous 1998 missile flight over Japan. The North has developed an untested long-range missile that can hit the United States (see 2/17 North Korea Report). For their part, the Stalinist reacted by insisting the missiles were �a sovereign right and is aimed at strengthening self-defense capabilities� (CNN 3/3). They also accused the U.S. and Japan of �trying to make an excuse for staging a pre-emptive attack.� RUMSFELD SAYS NORTH KOREA WOULD SELL NUKES TO �HIGHEST BIDDER� Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld �said he had no doubt the communist dictatorship (of North Korea) would try to sell its nuclear material �to the highest bidder�� (Newsmax). JAPANESE OPPOSITION WARY OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS, FOOD AID TO NORTH Two members of the Democratic Party � the lead opposition party in Japan � expressed their firm opposition to Japan acquiring nuclear weapons, an option some are considering for Japan if North Korea holds to its ambitions for nukes. One of them was also unhappy about American food aid to the Stalinist regime: �We must be wary of providing food aid too readily� (Newsmax). Stop the North Korean Nuclear Power Plants: North Korea announced that it would restart the pre-1994 plutonium power plants. Despite this, talk of negotiations continues, and the two nuclear power plants that were part of the deal have still not been canceled. Use this China e-Lobby fact sheet and tell the President to stand firm against the Stalinist regime, and not to build the power plants. UN ENVOY HEADED TO NORTH KOREA United Nations official Maurice Strong will head to Stalinist North Korea �as a personal envoy of the UN secretary general� (BBC) for talks aimed at finding �a peaceful resolution to the stand-off over the North's nuclear ambitions.� CASTRO OFFERS TO MEDIATE NUCLEAR ISSUE Fidel Castro, of all people, offered his services as mediator in the dispute over North Korea�s nuclear ambitions. The Communist dictator of Cuba mad the offer while in Japan for meetings with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Report: BBC OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS UNNAMED DEFECTOR SAID STALINIST REGIME�S INTERNAL SUPPORT WAS WEAK According to the Washington Post, U.S. intelligence received a number of reports from a North Korean defector �that there was substantial domestic opposition to Kim Jong Il's rule, including the existence of opposition political parties and increasing disaffection by the military and political elite.� However, �the CIA suddenly retracted the reports� about two weeks ago. The defector was never named. One defector now in Japan, forced to go by the assumed name Kenki Aoyama, had said the Stalinist-in-chief, Kim Jong-il, was losing military support. That was about three weeks ago (see 2/10 North Korea Report). Whether or not this was the defector the story referenced is not known. His charges of North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens was not believed either until the Stalinists admitted to 13 abductions between 1978 and 1983 (see 9/30/02, 11/04/02, 11/18/02, and 12/2/02 North Korea Reports). NK ACCUSES U.S. OF INVADING ITS AIRSPACE, RIP JOINT U.S.-SOUTH KOREAN EXERCISES Less than a week after flying a MiG into South Korean airspace (see last North Korea Report), North Korea accused the U.S. of invading its space with RC-135 �spy� planes, according to CNN (3/1). They also took a few rhetorical shots at joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises scheduled to begin tomorrow (BBC). The Stalinists called the exercises �reckless war moves� (CNN-2/25). NORTH KOREA ACCUSES U.S. OF PLANNING SNEAK ATTACK The Stalinist regime didn�t stop at the above accusations. It also accused the U.S. � in particular the CIA � of preparing �a surprise attack on the nuclear facility of [North Korea] and destroy it� (Agence France Presse via Washington Times). It also warned that such an attack would �presuppose a nuclear war,� and lead to �horrifying nuclear disasters.� FOOD AID TO NORTH KOREA TO CONTINUE The United States will continue donating food aid to North Korea through the World Food Programme despite ��serious concerns� about North Korea's restrictions on monitoring and on access to its people� (CNN). Those restrictions have enabled the Stalinists to get away with stealing the food from its own people to keep the army and party fat and happy (see 3/6/02 Update). U.S. REVISES MILITARY CONTINGENCY PLANS IN CASE OF WAR WITH NORTH KOREA According to the Washington Times, the latest in a series of biennial revision of contingency plans by the U.S. and South Korea, in the event of war with the Stalinist North, has been completed. The newest version includes more attention to �North Korea's special-operations forces, or commandos.� COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS ON NUCLEAR NORTH KOREA Max Boot, in the Los Angeles Times, calls the Bush �policy� on North Korea �the Bush administration's major failure so far.� He then goes on to say, �Either continued concessions (another �no nukes for aid� deal) or a tough policy of regime change would be preferable to our current vacillation.� Outside of the wisdom of continued concessions, which is never a good idea with the Stalinist regime, Boot is dead on. Meanwhile, Carl Limbacher, of Newsmax, ponders a possible target for North Korea�s nuclear weapons: the numerous satellites orbiting the earth. Damaging the satellites via radiation could bring �America � and the world . . . to a virtual standstill in less than a fortnight.� Meanwhile, Stanley Kurtz, in National Review Online, examines the options regarding North Korea, including the one he finds most likely � war. ON THE U.S.-NK WAR OF THE WORDS The incendiary rhetoric flying out of Pyongyang, and the U.S. refusal to cow to it � or do anything else in response � has led some analysts to fear �an armed confrontation � deliberate or accidental,� according to Doug Struck, Washington Post, who heard from them. Mike Chinoy, CNN, reviews the latest in North Korea�s propaganda. ON POWELL�S ASIA TRIP So how did Secretary of State Colin Powell do on his trip to Asia? Depends on whom one asks. According to Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times, he did pretty well. Doug Struck, Washington Post, was not so sure. Check out the latest stories on the Communist China and the Terrorist War page. Sign the petition for an American boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Miss an Update, Weekly Links, or a North Korea Report? Find it on our web site. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving it. 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