| Home page To receive this publication via e-mail, click here. THE NORTH KOREA REPORT: SEPTEMBER 8, 2003 Fifty-five years ago today (which is now tomorrow in East Asia), the �Democratic People�s Republic of Korea� (otherwise known as North Korea) was born. Our statement on why the regime must be destroyed, and its people liberated, can be found here. TOP STORY: U.S. PREPARED TO GIVE AWAY THE STORE TO NORTH KOREA NON-AGGRESSION �ASSURANCE� COULD COME WHILE NK STILL HAS NUKES Well, that didn�t take long. Less than a week after North Korea threatened to test nuclear weapons during last month�s Beijing talks (see last North Korea Report), the Bush Administration is now prepared to give the Stalinists �non-aggression assurances before the (nuclear) program is completely dismantled� (CNN). The Administration was even �dangling the prospect in Beijing last week that it would discuss a package of economic and energy aid even before North Korea completely terminates its nuclear weapons programs� (Washington Post), meaning the dovish move actually occurred during last month�s talks themselves. North Korea previously promised to �freeze� its nuclear weapons program in 1994, winning millions in fuel oil and two partial nuclear power plants before admitting they broke the agreement last year (see 10/21/02 North Korea Report). Now, they can get everything they want and we�ll still have no guarantee that the regime will have no nuclear weapons. All the while, Secretary of State Colin Powell insisted that �threats and truculent statements that are designed to try to frighten the international community� would not intimidate the United States (Washington Times). Powell himself hinted to the Administration cave in just two days later (BBC). OTHER WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION NEWS SOUTH KOREAN PAPER SAYS NK HAS LONG-RANGE MISSILE READY A report from Chosun Ilbo (cited by Thomas Crosbie Media via Ireland Online), claims that North Korea �has developed a long range missile capable of targeting all of Japan and the US territory of Guam.� The new missile, with a range of 1,800 to nearly 2,500 miles, has yet to be deployed. NK PARLIAMENT RUBBER STAMPS NUCLEAR DRIVE The �Parliament� of North Korea �endorsed a government decision to increase the country's drive for nuclear weapons� (BBC). While they were there, the �assembly� gave Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-Il another term as �chief of defense.� Also reporting: Cybercast News Stop the North Korean Nuclear Power Plants: The U.S. is finally moving to cancel the two nuclear power plants from the 1994 agreement that North Korea�s broke. Keep the pressure on until the plants are cancelled! Use this China e-Lobby fact sheet and tell the President to kill the power plants. NORTH KOREA REBUILDING TAEPODONG-2 MISSILE TEST PLANT Stalinist North Korea �has rebuilt a factory for testing its long-range Taepo Dong-2 ballistic missiles� (Geostrategy Direct via World Net Daily). The factory �had been damaged in an explosion late last year.� OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS FEDERAL JUDGE TRYING TO BE LENIENT TO UN PROTEST SHOOTER The federal judge trying the case of Steven Kim, the Korean-American who fired seven shots at the UN building to protest the Stalinist North Korean regime (see 10/7/02 North Korea Report), is looking to be lenient on Kim. Kim injured no one in the shooting, and said in court he intended to injure no one. Report: New York Post EX-PRESIDENT CARTER CALLS FOR U.S. TO GIVE NK NON-AGRESSION PLEDGE Former President Jimmy Carter, the main force behind the 1994 �Agreed Framework� debacle, called for the U.S. to pledge �not to take any aggressive action against North Korea� (CNN). Carter then went further to say that the pledge �should not be revoked unless South Korea agrees with the United States that it is under the threat of attack.� As for North Korea�s history of violating its agreements, �a nuclear violation would come not just from a declaration in Washington, but with the affirmation by the International Atomic Energy Agency that North Korea had violated its commitment.� This is the same IAEA that couldn�t find Iran�s nuclear weapons program (see 12/26/02 Update). MORE NEWS ON COMMUNIST CHINA�S ROLE COMMUNIST CHINA CONTINUES TO BASH U.S. ON ITS NORTH KOREA STANCE Communist China expanded its criticism of the United States for its treatment of North Korea during last month nuclear talks in Beijing (see last North Korea Report). In particular, the PRC said the U.S. �would have to consider modifying its demand for a complete and total dismantling of all of North Korea's nuclear programs� (Washington Post). Of course, the U.S. did just that one day later (see Top Story). Meanwhile, both Communist China and dovish South Korea �praised the North Koreans for showing flexibility and for offering a detailed proposal at the talks.� YANG BIN LOSES APPEAL Yang Bin, the �private� businessman in Communist China whom North Korea appointed to run its �free trade zone� in Sinuiji (see 10/7/02 and 10/14/02 North Korea Reports), lost his appeal to reverse his 18-year jail term for bribery and fraud. Report: BBC OTHER INTERNATIONAL NEWS NORTH KOREAN FERRY RETURNS TO JAPAN The North Korean Mangyongbong-92 ferry, believed to be used by the Stalinists for espionage and drug smuggling (see 2/3, 6/9, and 8/25 North Korea Reports) was back in the Japanese port of Niigata, where �more than 100 protesters� (Washington Times, second item) were there to greet it. COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS ON NORTH KOREA�S NUKES Halle Dale, Washington Times, backs the nuclear talks, but �primarily for the sake of creating regional alliances,� not because she thinks they will succeed. She also has kind words for the Proliferation Security Initiative as the plan �(m)ost promising in the long run.� James Robbins, National Review Online, labels the Stalinist regime �a vast criminal enterprise,� and calls on the U.S. to have �a comprehensive Korean strategy, one that takes in all the issues of our relationship with the two Koreas and seeks to reach lasting solutions based on something more than scraps of paper.� C�mon, Mr. Robbins, just say it: liberation. The Swedish Dagens Nyheter (cited by the Washington Times) calls for the U.S. to �remove North Korea from the list of states that support terrorism, and open diplomatic relations with Pyongyang,� if the North pledges to end all of its misdeeds. Meanwhile, Sarah Buckley, BBC, gauges the reaction to North Korea�s nuclear test threat. ON JAPAN AND NORTH KOREA The editors of the Washington Times take note of Japan�s new willingness to pursue a missile defense, and its recognition of the regional threat North Korea has become. ON SOUTH KOREA�S GROWING, AND DANGEROUS, DOVISHNESS Anthony Faiola, Washington Post, sees first hand the disturbing dovishness of South Korea�s younger set, which seems to include a complete ignorance about what life is really like in the Stalinist North. ON COMMUNIST CHINA�S ROLE Jack Kelly, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, argues in the Washington Times that North Korea�s nuclear threats may push Communist China closer to the U.S. � he must have missed the PRC saying it was our fault (see News on Communist China�s Role and last North Korea Report). Meanwhile, Peter Brookes, of the Heritage Foundation, notes that such rhetoric from the Stalinists is not new (New York Post). Check out the Communist China and the Terrorist War page. Sign the petition for an American boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Miss an Update, Week's Links, or a North Korea Report? Find it via our home page. Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving it. Anyone who wishes to join can send his/her name and e-mail address to [email protected]. Please feel free to send any news on Communist China or North Korea that you happen to find to the same address. |