| Home page To receive this publication via e-mail, click here. THE NORTH KOREA REPORT: JULY 28, 2003 Note: Due to vacation plans, the next North Korea Report will go out on August 11. Fifty years ago this month, the Korea War was suspended by the 1953 Armistice, ensuring that South Korea would be free. Sadly it also ensured that millions of Koreans would be trapped in a Stalinist hell on earth until this very day. Our statement on why North Korea must be liberated can be found here. TOP STORY: U.S. PREPARED TO GIVE NORTH KOREA EVERYTHING IT WANTS AGREED TO TALKS THAT WOULD RUN �WHOLE GAMUT� OF ISSUES, BUT NK STILL BALKING The U.S. has told Communist Chinese envoy and Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo that they would accept �meet again with Chinese and North Korean officials in Beijing, provided the session was followed almost immediately by multilateral talks that include South Korea, Japan and possibly Russia� (Washington Post). Also reporting: UPI via Newsmax, CNN 7/23 During the talks, the U.S. is apparently willing to �reassure North Korea it does not face a U.S. invasion and then move toward what one official called a �whole gamut� of issues . . . such as providing energy and food aid.� The last such round of talks in Beijing (see 4/28 North Korea Report) ended with the Stalinists boasting of its nuclear weapons. Now this is all predicated on �the North Korean government (meeting) a series of tough conditions, including progress on human rights,� at least for now. Still, given the Stalinist regime�s long history of violating agreements, this is far from an unassailable idea. Of course, no one in the Administration was willing to discuss liberation. Meanwhile, as Undersecretary of State John Bolton visited Communist China for talks of the North�s nuclear ambitions, the Stalinist regime continued to hold its nose to talks with anyone unless it was with the U.S. alone (BBC, CNN 7/28). OTHER NUCLEAR NEWS NORTH KOREA READY TO CALL ITSELF A NUCLEAR POWER, CONDUCT NUKE TEST Meanwhile, North Korea is apparently prepared to declare itself a nuclear power on September 9 � exactly 55 years after the Stalinist �state� was founded (Cybercast News). The regime also threatened to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in response to �the ultra-modern weapons the new conservatives of the U.S. try to use� (CNN) in the region. The Stalinists are also looking to conduct a nuclear test �unless the nuclear crisis is resolved by Sept. 9,� according to the Japanese Asahi Shimbun (cited by the Washington Times). SECOND NUCLEAR SITE NOT CONSIDERED LIKELY; BUT NORTH HID TUNNELS FROM IAEA Apparently the plutonium reprocessing discovered by the U.S. and its allies thanks to high levels of Krypton-85 gas (a by-product of the procedure) �is likely to have originated from the Yongbyon reprocessing plant and not from a separate, secret nuclear site� (Bill Gertz, Washington Times). Thus, the reports in the last North Korea Report were likely incorrect. However, a former official with the International Atomic Energy Agency told Newsmax that North Korea had several tunnels under Yongbyon, and never allowed the IAEA to see all of them. So as one sign of the futility of �verification� of North Korea�s nuclear program fades, another comes to the fore to replace it. Stop the North Korean Nuclear Power Plants: Despite North Korea�s boast of nuclear weapons, a brazen violation of the 1994 agreement to freeze its nuclear ambitions, the two nuclear power plants that were part of the deal have still not been canceled. Use this China e-Lobby fact sheet and tell the President to kill the power plants. PSI �READY TO ROCK AND ROLL� According to an unnamed State Department official, the Proliferation Security Initiative � the coalition of 11 nations working together to stop North Korea shipments of arms to terrorists and drugs to, well, anyone, is �ready to rock and roll right now� (USA Today). �All we need is actionable intelligence,� said the official. The members of the PSI � the one good thing to come out of Bush Administration on North Korea � are the U.S., Japan, Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and Spain. JAPAN CONSIDERING NUCLEAR ARMS Thanks to �starkly increased tensions with North Korea� (New York Times cited by Parapundit), Japan is now willing to consider the possibly of developing nuclear weapons. OTHER AMERICAN-RELATED NEWS U.S. AND SOUTH KOREA COMMEMORATE ARMISTICE SUSPENDING KOREAN WAR The United States and South Korea held a ceremony to mark the suspension of the Korea War 50 years ago yesterday. The armistice ensured South Korea�s de facto freedom, but also left millions trapped in the Stalinist North. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was the keynote speaker for the Korean ceremony (Washington Post, BBC 7/27-1). The ceremony took place despite North Korea warning that it was a �dangerous act� (BBC 7/23). The North held its won celebration of its �victory� (BBC 7/27-2), which included charging all American presidents since 1950 with �war crimes . . . drug trafficking and violating the armistice agreement� (BBC 7/25). Can you say �projection�? In the United States, another ceremony in was held Washington. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz attended, and gave a few remarks (Washington Post). NORTH KOREAN FIRM HIT WITH U.S. SANCTIONS FOR YEMEN SCUD SALE The United States �imposed sanctions on a North Korean company for selling Scud missiles to Yemen� (BBC, see also 12/16/02 and 12/30/02 North Korea Reports). NEWS ON COMMUNIST CHINA�S ROLE RETIRED GENERAL SAYS DON�T TRUST PRC, BUT NON-AGGRESSION WITH NK IS OK General John Singlaub told Newsmax that while the U.S. should �prepare for war,� he backed a non-aggression pact and aid to the Stalinists for one year if they agreed to �verifiable good faith with the dismantling of chemical and nuclear capabilities.� While Singlaub did note that Communist China could not be trusted at all in regards to its half-decade ally, one has to ask, why give North Korea an extra year? What�s wrong with moving to liberate the regime � either via military action or taking steps to undermine the regime and encourage a Poland-style revolt � right now? OTHER INTERNATIONAL NEWS AUSTRIA SAYS NORTH KOREAN BANK USED FOR ESPIONAGE Austrian authorities have that the Stalinist-owned Golden Star Bank in Vienna �is being used as a base for North Korean secret services� and �is also suspected of being involved in money laundering and attempts to finance Pyongyang's military programme� (London Telegraph). Despite this information, the bank has not been shut down. AUSTRALIAN THINK TANK SAYS TO PREPARE FOR WAR The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a Canberra-based think tank, has called on its country to engage in �effective preplanning� (Cybercast News) for a possible war with the Stalinist regime. ABDUCTION NEWS SOUTH KOREAN ABDUCTEE BACK HOME AFTER ESCAPING NK; HAD BEEN GONE 30 YEARS Kim Byong Do, a South Korean fisherman abducted by the Stalinists 30 years ago, returned home to his family �three months after he escaped from North Korea to China� (Washington Post, last paragraph). Kim, whose mother thought he was dead, was one of over 450 South Koreans �believed abducted by the North since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.� North Korea also admitted to abducting 13 Japanese from 1978 to 1983, but claims only five are still alive. They are back in Japan, but the Stalinists are keeping their children hostage in North Korea (see 9/23/02, 9/30/02, 10/21/02, 11/18/02, 2/10, and 3/17 North Korea Reports). COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS RANDALL PARKER DOES IT AGAIN The Parapundit founder (and Member since 2003) has another tour de force on the horrific North Korean regime, how Communist China props it up, and why any attempt to strike a deal with it is pointless. ANOTHER CALL FOR LIBERATION Constantine C. Menges, of the Hudson Institute, has a five-point plan �to end this nuclear threat� in North Korea, in the Washington Times. The final point is to provide support to those Koreans who are fighting to liberate themselves from the Stalinist regime. MORE CALLS FOR APPEASEMENT Two Korea �experts�, Paul Chamberlin and Bill Taylor, praise Congressman Curt Weldon�s plan to give North Korea everything they want in the Washington Times. William Perry rehashes his appeasement call (see last North Korea Report) in the Washington Post. Unlike other doves, Perry openly dismisses liberation as an option. OTHER VIEWS The editors of the Post, although not nearly as dovish as Perry, echo his call for talks. Geoff Metcalf, Newsmax, has no taste for appeasement, but falls short of calling for liberation. ON THE KOREAN WAR As mentioned above, yesterday marked the 50th Anniversary of the armistice that suspended the Korean War. The editors of the New York Post remind their readers of what those who fought achieved, and what we can learn from it in dealing with the North today. Peter Brookes, also in the New York Post, hopes the war will remind Americans and Koreans why they must remain vigilant again Kim Jong-Il�s regime �until it's over - once and for all.� Rachel Clarke, BBC, described the efforts of Vince Krepps to bring his brother�s remains home (his brother was did in a North Korean prison in 1951). Kevin Kim, BBC, talks to a Korean War veteran from South Korea, and his disturbingly dovish grandson. Mike Chinoy, CNN, sees the same generational divide. Sarah Buckley, BBC, talks to MASH doctors from the war. Buckley also looks at the North�s rather unique interpretation of the war. Rebecca Dana, Washington Post, talks to veterans of the war. Korean war vet John Jay Daly, also in the Washington Post, recounts how the war �ended.� The St. Petersburg Times has a special online section dedicated to the War. ON COMMUNIST CHINA�S ROLE Charles R. Smith, in Newsmax, highlights the links between the PRC, North Korea, and Pakistan � our supposed ally in the terrorist war. John Tkacik, of the Heritage Foundation, gives a healthy reminder, in the Weekly Standard, of the fact that Communist China has �not been very helpful� in regards to its Stalinist ally. 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. |