| Home page To receive this publication via e-mail, click here. THE NORTH KOREA REPORT: JANUARY 20, 2004 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: NORTH KOREA DENIES URANIUM PROGRAM; PRC BACKS STALINISTS REGIME BACKS AWAY FROM 2002 ADMISSION OF VIOLATING 1994 AGREEMENT North Korea insisted it does not have a uranium-based nuclear weapons program, despite admitting to the same in October 2002 (see 10/21/02 NKR). The denial �strengthened U.S. officials' suspicions that last week's display was intended to shift attention from that topic in upcoming six-nation negotiations� (Washington Post). The Stalinists issued their denial to the unofficial U.S. delegation that visited the North last week (see last NKR). That denial has won over Communist China � our supposed friends and partners in getting North Korea to disarm � who now does not believe the Stalinists have a uranium program. Of course, Wen Jiabao, Premier of the People�s Republic, had this answer to the question of whether or not the North has nuclear weapons, �I truly don�t know� (see 11/24/03 NKR). WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION NEWS PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE CONDUCTS ARABIAN SEA EXERCISE Proliferation Security Initiative has begun a naval exercise in the Arabian Sea. The PSI, founded to stop the shipments of weapons of mass destruction and missiles to terrorists, is largely, though not entirely, aimed at North Korea � the largest terrorist arms supplier this side of Communist China (see 7/14/03 and 12/22/03 NKRs). Report Cybercast News DELEGATION TELLS ADMINISTRATION NK HAS LIKELY WEAPONIZED PLUTONIUM The unofficial American delegation that visited North Korea told Administration officials that North Korea no longer had any �spent� nuclear fuel stored at Yongbyon, meaning it had apparently weaponized the plutonium in those rods. A member of the delegation also said a Stalinist flak told him, �As time goes by, we are increasing our arsenal� (CNN). Charles Pritchard, a leading delegation member, said he was �stunned by the activity� (Washington Post) at Yongbyon. Also reporting: Washington Times, BBC U.S. MEETS SOUTH KOREAN AND JAPANESE OFFICIALS ON NK NUKES American officials met with their Japanese and South Korean counterparts today to discuss �a second round of multiparty talks on resolving a long-running standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons� (Voice of America via Epoch Times, HK). U.S. MORE CONFIDENT OF A SECOND ROUND IN SIX-PARTY TALKS The aforementioned talks come as the U.S. has �growing confidence that stalled talks over the North Korean nuclear crisis can be revived soon� (Washington Times). The last round of six-party talks (North Korea, Communist China, the U.S., South Korea, Japan, and Russia) ended without any progress last August (see 9/2/03 NKR). 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 U.S. TROOPS TO PULL OUT OF SOUTH KOREA The United States and South Korea agreed to move 7,000 American troops put of Seoul for positions further south, but still within South Korea. Even so, the hawkish opposition to South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun was livid at the news. Report: BBC U.S. DELEGATE TO KEDO MEETS STALINIST AMBASSADOR TO UN Joseph DeTrani, the U.S. envoy to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), met with North Korea�s UN Ambassador last week (Washington Times). KEDO oversees construction of two half-built nuclear power plants in North Korea and the transfer of fuel oil to the North worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The aforementioned goodies were part of the 1994 Agreed Framework, in which the North agreed to �freeze� its nuclear ambitions. The Stalinists admitted to violating the agreement fifteen months ago (see 10/21/02 NKR). BEGALA EQUATES BUSH TO KIM JONG-IL Democratic strategist Paul Begala called President Bush �Kim Jong Il with better hair� (National Review Online) during an airing of CNN�s �Crossfire� last week. HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNAL NEWS AMID ANOTHER FOOD SHORTAGE IN NK, WFP ADMITS STALINISTS STEALING FOOD AID North Korea will suffer another food shortage, according to Brenda Barton, of the World Food Program. The shortage is due to �donor fatigue� among those who donate to the WFP, in part caused by the Stalinists stealing the food aid to feed themselves and their military, something Barton admitted continues to this day. Report: Washington Times ABDUCTION NEWS JAPANESE DIPLOMATS DISCUSS CHILDREN OF RETURNED ABDUCTEES Japanese diplomats are in North Korea to �discuss the fate of the family members of former Japanese abductees� (Voice of America via Epoch Times, HK). At least thirteen Japanese were kidnapped by North Korea from 1978 to 1983. Also reporting: Washington Post The five acknowledged survivors are back in Japan, but the North has refused to let their families join them. The Stalinists claim that eight of them died, but provided no evidence of that (see 9/23/02, 9/30/02, 10/7/02, 10/14/02, 10/21/02, 10/28/02, and 11/18/02 NKRs). OTHER SOUTH KOREA NEWS PRISONER OF WAR REVISITS OLD PLATOON Jeon Yong-il, the South Korean veteran who was a prisoner of war for over 50 years (see 11/24/03 NKR) had an emotional reunion with his platoon from the Korean War, or what was left of it, before the South Korean army formally discharged him. Report: BBC FOREIGN MINISTER QUITS OVER POLICY TOWARDS U.S. Yoon Young-kwan resigned as South Korea�s Foreign Minister after ministry aides criticized President Roh Moo-hyun for his dovishness and his �attempts to put too much distance between Washington and Seoul� (Washington Post). Roh appointed his foreign policy confidante, Ban Ki-moon, to replace Yoon (BBC). Also reporting: CNN, Cybercast News The White House had no reaction to the news, other than boilerplate: �relations with Seoul remain solid� (Washington Times). ROH SAYS HE�S SORRY FOR FUNDRAISING SCANDAL South Korea�s dovish President Roh Moo-hyun �apologised (UK sp) for a corruption scandal that has damaged his administration's credibility� (BBC). Roh has plummeted in opinion polls as his aides have been charged with taking illegal campaign contributions (see 10/13/03, 12/15/03, and 1/5 NKRs). LEGISLATURE APPROVES MOVING OF CAPITAL TO DAEJON South Korea�s legislature has approved a measure to move its capital from Seoul to �a yet-to-be-chosen site near Daejon� (Time Asia). The move � which if it actually happens, would take more than two decades � �would make South Korea's government quite a bit safer.� COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS ON NORTH KOREA�S NUCLEAR WEAPONS Nicholas Eberstadt, of the American Enterprise Institute, rips those who �play pretend�, and refuse to recognize �that the Kim regime has absolutely no intention of ever giving up its nuclear capability � at any price, for any reason.� His terrific piece is in Time Asia. The editors of the Washington Post, meanwhile, insist that the North needs �an incentive� to �dismantle all of its illegal weapons programs.� Perhaps Mr. Eberstadt should talk to them. One of our favorites � Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center � warns against �devising new ways to cave in to� North Korea in the Weekly Standard. ON KIM JONG-IL Newsmax profiles Kenji Fujimoto, former chef to Stalinist-in-chief Kim Jong-il and author of Kim Jong-il�s Chef, a harrowing tale of some of the dictators more eccentric actions. ON ROH MOO-HYUN George Wehrfritz and B. J. Lee, Newsweek Intl., examine the political fallout from the collapse in support for embattled dovish South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun. ON NORTH VS. SOUTH KOREA Ed Feulner, of the Heritage Foundation, finds only one difference between prosperous South Korea and disastrous North Korea: freedom. His comparison is on National Review Online. ON COMMUNIST CHINA�S ROLE Kwon Tai-hyung, of the University of Montevallo, calls on the United States not to sacrifice the island democracy for the sake of a North Korea deal, in the Epoch Times, HK. 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. |