| Home page To receive this publication via e-mail, click here. THE NORTH KOREA REPORT: DECEMBER 15, 2003 Dragon in the Dark: How and Why Communist China Helps Our Enemies in the War on Terror is now available! My book detailing Communist China�s history of aiding terrorist states, Saddam Hussein, the Taliban, and al Qaeda can be ordered can be ordered here, at Barnes and Noble, or at Amazon. � D.J. McGuire Our statement on why northern Korea must be liberated can be found here. TOP STORY: NK AGAIN REJECTS U.S. OFFER, PROPOSES NUKE FREEZE From the unmitigated gall department, the Stalinists said they would return to the six-party nuclear talks, and �freeze� its nuclear weapons program, but not unless the U.S. resumes fuel aid, takes the regime off the list of states that sponsor terrorism, and give the regime its highly coveted security guarantee. President Bush rejected the North�s counteroffer. North Korea also shot down the latest offer from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea for �coordinated steps,� which essentially gave North Korea the security guarantee it demanded before it completely ended its nuclear weapons program. The latest Stalinist rejection (yesterday) seemed to miss that (BBC). The last �freeze� to which the North agreed was in 1994, when it did not yet have nuclear weapons, and won fuel aid plus two now partially constructed nuclear power plants. The Stalinists admitted to violating that �freeze� last year (see 10/21/02 NKR). Also reporting: CNN, Cybercast News, Washington Times OTHER WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION NEWS YONGBYON ACTIVITY SPOTTED An American satellite has detected �fumes rising� (BBC) from the Yongbyon nuclear power plant. The plant was the source of the plutonium that the Stalinists have now weaponized. It was also the plant that the aforementioned 1994 agreement had temporarily shut down. What activity caused the fumes is unknown at present. Also reporting: Parapundit Stop the North Korean Nuclear Power Plants: Construction on the nuclear power plants from the 1994 agreement has been suspended for one year, but the plants have not been cancelled. 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 AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS DEAN GOES DOVISH ON NORTH KOREA Like all of the other Democrats who would replace President Bush � and increasingly like the President himself � former Vermont Governor Howard Dean backed a deal with North Korea on its nuclear weapons. He even went so far as to say the Stalinist regime �ought to be able to enter the community of nations� (Washington Post, page 2). INTERNATIONAL NEWS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME WANTS MORE NK MONEY, AGAIN The UN World Food Programme �issued an emergency call for $171m� (BBC) for food aid to North Korea. The U.S. �is considering� the request. The North has a history of �diverting food meant for famine-hit areas to its one-million strong military� (see 3/6/02 Update). SOUTH KOREA NEWS AIDE TO KIM DAE-JUNG GOES TO JAIL FOR PRE-SUMMIT PAYOFF Park Jie-won, a former aide to ex-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, will go to jail for twelve years for helping send $500 million to North Korea just before the 2000 summit between Kim and Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il. Park, who helped �arrange state bank loans� (BBC) to Hyundai, which made the payout, also took $12.5 million himself. The $un$hine scandal has cast a pall on the summit, as well as South Korea�s Kim himself. Kim Dae-jung had won the Nobel Peace Prize for the summit (see 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 3/3, 3/24, 6/30, 8/11, and 9/29 NKRs). LEE HOI-CHANG ADMITS TO TAKING ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN DONATIONS Lee Hoi-chang, the man who barely lost to President Roh Moo-hyun last year, admitted to taking �$42m in illegal donations� (BBC). Roh, who�s top aide was arrested for taking a nearly $1 million bribe (see 10/13 NKR), said he would quite if his campaign took one-tenth that amount in illegal funds. Lee, for his part told the nation �was ready to go to jail.� COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS John Larkin, Time Asia, takes the political pulse of South Korea, and finds that of its dovish President, Roh Moo-hyun, to be very weak. 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. |