| Home page To receive this publication via e-mail, click here. THE NORTH KOREA REPORT: OCTOBER 20, 2003 Our statement on why northern Korea must be liberated can be found here. TOP STORY: U.S. READY TO GIVE NK DEAL BEFORE NUKE PROGRAM ENDS BUSH OK WITH NON-AGGRESSION DEAL, BUT NOT A �PACT�; NK TEST-FIRES MISSILE President Bush is now �willing to commit to a written guarantee not to attack North Korea in exchange for steps by the country toward abandoning its nuclear weapons programs� (Washington Post). While that may sound similar to the previous U.S. position, it publicly allows the Stalinists to get their guarantee before they end their nuclear weapons program. The President, of course, won�t say he�ll support a non-aggression pact, but made it clear he�ll give the Stalinists just that in everything but name �within the context of the talks� (BBC), i.e., the six-way talks that were held last August (see 9/2 North Korea Report). Also reporting: Cybercast News, Washington Times, New York Post Bush wants �a proposal ready for North Korea to consider by year's end.� The last time the U.S. made an agreement with North Korea on this subject, the Stalinists agreed to �freeze� its nuclear development in exchange for two nuclear power plants (now partially finished) and fuel oil worth millions of dollars annually. The North admitted violating that deal a year ago last week (see 10/21/02 North Korea Report). Now they can try to hide � ahem, wait to turn over or destroy � their nuclear weapons and still get their long-coveted security guarantee. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Colin Powell joined the President in publicly ruling out any military liberation of North Korea. Powell said the U.S. is �willing to enter into some sort of agreement with them that will give them the assurances they're looking for� (Fox News), plus �ways to help North Korea out of the economic distress that it's in.� How nice. The closest thing to a response from North Korea came this morning � the Stalinists conducted a live-fire test of an anti-ship missile (CNN, Newsmax). OTHER WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION NEWS NORTH KOREA TO �PHYSICALLY DISCLOSE� ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS Prior to the above, a Stalinist spokesperson announced to the world that it would �physically disclose the nuclear deterrent� (BBC) it possesses, and talks between North and South Korea on the Stalinists� nuclear weapons ended without any progress. Also reporting: CNN, Agence France Presse, Newsmax BUSH ADVISOR SAYS FORCE MAY BE ONLY OPTION AGAINST NK Meanwhile, Richard Perle, a high-level advisor to President Bush, told Cal Thomas of Fox News (reported by Newsmax) that military action against North Korea �may be the only instrument left to us� to prevent the regime from selling its nuclear weapons to terrorist states. However, Perle apparently would no go far enough and support liberation. 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. OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS NEW SHADOW 200 PLANE CRASHES IN SOUTH KOREA One of the new fleet of Shadow 200 unmanned planes crashed in South Korea, about 20 miles south of the de-militarized zone. The new planes, just recently deployed there (see 9/29 North Korea Report) are now all grounded. Report: MSNBC OTHER SOUTH KOREA NEWS ROH AIDE ARRESTED FOR TAKING MONEY FROM CONGLOMERATE Choi Do-sul (a.k.a Do-sool, see last North Korea Report) is under arrest for taking roughly $1 million from South Korean conglomerate SK Group right after Roh Moo-hyun�s narrow victory in last December�s presidential election. Choi is a �lifetime confidant (UK sp)� (BBC 10/16) of Roh, who �has seen his popularity plummet,� due in part to this scandal. The situation is so bad that Roh, a liberal dove on North Korea who left the Millennium Democratic Party last month after failing to take control of it, has called for a referendum on his record this December, vowing to step down if he lost. The South Korean press was split on the referendum (BBC 10/15). The hawkish Grand National Party opposes it. SOUTH KOREA SENDING TROOPS TO IRAQ AFTER ALL South Korea will send troops to Iraq after all, although �the number, characteristics and timing of the dispatch� (Washington Post) is still up in the air. The South had previously held off any troops to Iraq unless there was some movement on North Korea (see 10/6 North Korea Report) � which may be what the dovish President Roh sees in the Top Story. COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS ON NORTH KOREA�S NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND THE U.S. SECURITY GUARANTEE OFFER Paul Reynolds, BBC, says the U.S. willingness to give the North what it wants �lessened tensions," but the rest of his analysis improves dramatically as it goes along. ON STALINIST-IN-CHIEF KIM JONG-IL Parapundit founder Randall Parker (Member since 2003), notes the explosion of the Stalinist myth of Kim Jong-il (born in a Siberian training camp) and his father, Kim Il-sung (placed in power in the North not for his bravery but his subservience to Comrade Josef). ON SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT ROH MOO-HYUN�S PROBLEMS The editors of the Washington Times call for the South Korean people to throw Roh, citing the �sagging economy, diplomatic standoff with North Korea and even political scandals . . . worse than they were under Kim Dae Jung, his incompetent predecessor.� Check out the Communist China and the Terrorist War page. Sign the petition for an American boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. 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