| Home page To receive this publication via e-mail, click here. THE NORTH KOREA REPORT: JUNE 28, 2004 Due to the Independence Day Holiday, the next North Korea Report will go out on Tuesday, July 6. Dragon in the Dark: How and Why Communist China Helps Our Enemies in the War on Terror is now available: here, at Amazon, or at 1-888-280-7715. Our statement on why northern Korea must be liberated can be found here. TOP STORY: U.S. CAVES TO NORTH KOREA ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS OFFERS AID IF NORTH KOREA FREEZES DEVELOPMENT, ALLOWS INSPECTORS; NK THREATENS NUCLEAR TEST, THEN LAUDS TALKS; ANOTHER ROUND SET FOR SEPTEMBER The Bush Administration opened the third round of six way-talks on North Korea by caving in to the regime, offering it fuel oil � albeit from its allies - and �provisional security assurances� (Voice of America via Epoch Times, HK), i.e., the U.S. promised not to conduct military action against the regime. In return, the North would �dismantle� its nuclear weapons programs, to be checked by �international inspectors,� i.e., the folks who missed Iran�s nuclear weapons program for a decade. More ominously, The North would have three months to hide their nuclear weapons � ahem, �seal� their nuclear facilities � before the inspectors arrive. Also offered was �steps to address North Korean concerns about economic sanctions and its presence on the U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism� (CNN). All of this would come before the North would have to eliminate even one of their nuclear weapons. In short, it�s a return to the hideous 1994 Agreed Framework, during which the North agreed to �freeze� its nuclear weapons development in exchange for two nuclear power plants (now half-built), and hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel oil. The North admitted to violating that deal in 2002 (see 10/21/02 NKR). The Stalinist regime flatly rejected the offer, demanded the aid for nothing more than a second �freeze,� and repeated their threats of a nuclear test (Washington Times). However, after the talks ended on Saturday, they put a positive spin on the talks, saying �common elements helpful to making progress in the talks were found there� (BBC). In other words, the U.S. didn�t concede enough, but it was getting close. Another round of talks is scheduled for September, meaning the North can play this game for another three months as it continues to build its nuclear arsenal. It should be noted that, contrary to reports cited in the last Update, the Administration insisted it did not offer to rule out peaceful liberation (Cybercast News). However, the Administration has never publicly endorsed liberation of any kind for the people of northern Korea, so this means little, if anything. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION NEWS DEFECTOR SAYS NORTH KOREA HAD NUCLEAR WEAPONS BEFORE 1994 Hwang Jang-Yop, the highest-ranking Stalinist ever to defect from North Korea, told Voice of America (reported via Epoch Times) that North Korea had nuclear weapons before the disastrous 1994 Agreed Framework. Hwang says he �heard it directly from Kim Jong-Il.� Hwang also said North Korea would have tested a nuclear weapon in the early 1990s but for �international problems,� i.e., the reaction from the rest of the world. Hwang even says North Korea told U.S. negotiator Robert Gallucci, who denied it. Then again, Gallucci had the audacity to claim the 1994 deal �achieved its principle objective.� Said �objective� completely ignores the uranium program, which had progressed so far that North Korea was able to export semi-weaponized uranium to Libya before the U.S. force them to admit to it in October 2002 (see 10/21/02 and 6/1 NKRs). That said, Gallucci was smart enough to question the Bush Administration�s �sub contracting Washington's North Korea policy to Beijing� (BBC), which �fails to take into account the very different strategic and regional interests of China and the US.� Indeed. Stop the North Korean Nuclear Power Plants: Are the plants dead or aren�t they? You can make sure they don�t come back! 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 NEWS ON COMMUNIST CHINA�S ROLE JAPANESE WHO AIDED NK REFUGEES SENT TO PRC PRISON Communist China has sentenced Takayuki Noguchi, a Japanese citizen caught trying to help two North Korean refugees escape, to eight months in jail. The Communists send back any North Korean refugees they find, which forces them to live as nonpersons unless they can escape the PRC. Reports: BBC, United Press International via Washington Times OTHER SOUTH KOREA NEWS HOSTAGE BEHEADED IN IRAQ The group of thugs that had taken South Korean interpreter Kim Sun-Il hostage beheaded him after the government of President Roh Moo-hyun refused to scrap August�s planned deployment of 3,000 South Korean troops in Iraq (see last NKR). Reports: CNN, BBC, Washington Times, World Net Daily Roh insisted the troops would be deployed as scheduled, but not everyone in his dovish Uri Party is going along with that (Voice of America via Epoch Times, Cybercast News). COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR CALLS FOR LIBERATION During an interview by Stephen Herman, VOA (via Epoch Times), Professor Yoichi Shimada of Fukui Prefectural University had this to say about North Korea: �The regime change would be the only way to resolve the nuclear issue, abduction issue and many other issues.� Three cheers for Professor Yoichi! ON THE SOUTH KOREAN BEHEADING Charles Scanlon (BBC) and Patrick Goodenough (Cybercast News) finds South Korea divided in its reaction to the beheading of Kim Sun-Il. The BBC also gauged the reaction of South Korean media. The editors of the Washington Times give President Roh Moo-hyun well-earned praise for staying resolute on his nation�s troop deployment to Iraq. ON NORTH KOREAN FUNNY MONEY The BBC gives a quick history of the �superdollar,� the counterfeit American currency �thought to originate from communist North Korea.� 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 would be interested in receiving it. Anyone who wishes to join (or unsubscribe or change their address) can send his/her name to [email protected]. 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