| Home page To receive this publication via e-mail, click here. THE NORTH KOREA REPORT: NOVEMBER 17, 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 here. � D.J. McGuire Our statement on why northern Korea must be liberated can be found here. TOP STORY: NORTH KOREA TALKS SET FOR DECEMBER Stalinist North Korea has agreed to another round of six-party talks on its nuclear weapons program in Beijing, capital of its longtime ally Communist China, sometime next month. When the talks would be held is open to question: Chosun Ilbo (ROK) reported they were set for December 10-13; a later BBC report put them sometime between the 10th and 20th. The North also repeated its earlier promise to end its nuclear weapons development if the U.S. �drops its �hostile policy� towards the communist state.� The first round of talks, involving North Korea, the U.S., Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the PRC, ended with no agreement, despite major American concessions (see 9/2 NKR). Meanwhile, the U.S. �has taken note of a sweeping new proposal from North Korea to end East Asia's nuclear standoff� (Washington Times). The �offer� was a rehash of its terms for giving up its nuclear weapons � �economic reparations and a written security pledge from Washington� � and as such was not quite so �sweeping.� AXIS OF EVIL NEWS IAEA ADMITS TO BEING FOOLED ON NORTH KOREA AND IRAN�S NUCLEAR PROGRAMS The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) admitted that Iran and North Korea were able to keep their nuclear weapons programs hidden from the organization, in the case of the former �for two decades� (New York Post). Iran has been an arms client of both North Korea and Communist China for years. Stop the North Korean Nuclear Power Plants: 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 RUMSFELD CALLS NORTH KOREA A �TRAGEDY,� BUT STILL WON�T BACK LIBERATION Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, just before beginning a seven-day trip to Asia, called North Korea a �tragedy,� and noted �It is a country where many of the people starve, many people are trying to leave that country . . . there are large concentration camps where people are imprisoned� (Bill Gertz, Washington Times, ellipsis in original). Despite all of this, Rumsfeld once again refused to even advocate the liberation of the long-suffering people of northern Korea. MORE ON RUMSFELD�S TRIP TO ASIA Later, while in South Korea, Rumsfeld confirmed earlier reports (see 6/9 NKR) that the U.S. �is to move its forces back from the highly-fortified Demiltarized (sic) Zone dividing South and North Korea� (CNN). Also reporting: Washington Post He also called for the North to end their nuclear weapons development in a joint statement with South Korean Defense Minister Cho Young-kil (BBC), and told Japanese Defense Agency Director Shigeru Ishiba that the U.S. �will not conclude an agreement with North Korea on its nuclear-arms program without verification� (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). WELDON STILL ANGRY ABOUT THE NIXING OF HIS NK TRIP Congressman Curt Weldon (R-Pennsylvania) is still miffed at the Bush Administration for canceling his delegation�s visit to North Korea in October. He was particularly angry at National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice who �tried to stop his last trip to the �hermit kingdom� in May� (Washington Post, second item; see also 6/2, 7/9, and 10/27 NKRs). INTERNATIONAL NEWS JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA NOT SURE ABOUT PUTTING TROOPS IN IRAQ ANYMORE After recent events, South Korea and Japan told the U.S., �plans to deploy peacekeepers would be limited or delayed� (Washington Post). JAPAN CONSIDERING STRONGER MILITARY As North Korea continues to rattle its nuclear saber, support in Japan is growing for a stronger military, which would require changing Japan�s constitution (Washington Times). COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS ON NORTH KOREA�S NUCLEAR WEAPONS Parapundit founder Randall Parker (Member since 2003) grows increasingly despondent on the prospects for a non-nuclear North Korea, to say nothing of liberation, and finds any belief that Communist China would helpful on the issue �wishful thinking�. David Frum, National Review Online (and Member since 2003) is not happy that the U.S. is �for all practical purposes acquiescing in Iran�s and North Korea�s hopes for weapons of mass murder.� The editors of the New York Post rip the IAEA for being asleep at the switch on North Korea�s nuclear weapons development. Sadly, even here, liberation was not mentioned. 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. |