ROK and Inter-Korean relations August 2004

ROK and Inter-Korean relations

August 2004

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Family appeals for help in alleged North seizure
In an emotional appeal, the family of a North Korean defector suspected of having been kidnapped and taken back to her communist homelan asked the international community yesterday for help in winning the woman's release.
Uri Presses Security Law Abolition
By Reuben Staines Staff Reporter Lawmakers of the ruling Uri Party said Friday a court decision upholding the constitutionality of the National Security Law will not stop their drive to abolish the controversial anti- communist legislation.
Top court says security law is still necessary
Amid heated public debate over efforts to abolish the National Security Law, the Constitutional Court ruled yesterday that a controversial portion of the law should be retained, citing Korea's security situation as the justification for its continued existence. The court's nine-judge panel agreed unanimously that Article 7 of the anti-communist law is constitutional. An individual had filed a constitutional petition against Clauses 1 and 5 of Article 7, that allow punishment for those who praise or encourage the activities of anti-state organizations, and for those who produce or acquire anti-state materials. The petitioner had said the clauses infringed upon fundamental human rights [National Security Law] [Human rights]
Activist says North seized defector on honeymoon
A North Korean defector on her honeymoon in China has been kidnapped and returned to her former homeland, a human rights activist group in Seoul has claimed. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said yesterday it has asked Chinese authorities to investigate the report. Jin Myong-suk, 24-year-old woman, whose last name is Jin, and her husband were attacked on Aug. 8 near China's border with North Korea by a group of men speaking Northern dialects, said Doh Hee-yoon, secretary-general of the civic group, Coalition for Human Rights of Abductees and North Korean Refugees.
Premier Plays Down Summit Story
By Yoon Won-sup Staff Reporter South Korea will seek another inter-Korean summit if such an event would help in finding a breakthrough in the crisis involving North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan said in a recent interview with a Japanese newspaper. ``I think it is important to find a peaceful resolution to Pyongyang's nuclear issue,'' Lee told Nihon Keizai Shimbun. ``If another Inter- Korean summit is held, it should serve as a step toward resolving the North's nuclear problem.'' The premier, who accompanied former President Kim Dae-jung to the first-ever summit in Pyongyang in June 2000, also expressed expectations for a second inter-Korean summit. ``I will work for President Roh Moo-hyun in order to help improve relations with Pyongyang through a summit.'' However, Lee avoided specifying when a summit would be held.
Ruling Camp Focuses on Reconciliation
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter With the National Assembly largely swayed by progressive figures for the first time in history, the liberal Uri Party has been focusing on clearing the dark legacy of the nation's modern history. Amid the intensifying war over the past pro- Japanese activities and irregularities allegedly committed by past dictatorial governments, ruling and opposition parties are seriously eroding national unity and risking a further plunge in the sagging economy. The controversy picked up further steam when President Roh Moo-hyun said his government would shed light on leftist freedom fighters whose activities have been undisclosed due to the intense ideological confrontation with the communist government in the past decades.
Anti-Spy Agency to Reinvestigate Suspicious Cases
By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter The country's anti-spy agency is ready to reinvestigate 13 suspicious incidents that were allegedly covered up by past authoritarian governments, including the 1987 bombing of a passenger plane, sources in the parliament's Intelligence Committee said Thursday. National Intelligence Service (NIS) officials outlined a plan to begin the fact-finding project during an Intelligence Committee meeting at the National Assembly. [Terrorism]
Roh to Shed Light on History of Leftists
By Shim Jae-yun Staff Reporter President Roh Moo-hyun on Wednesday said his administration would tackle the history of leftist freedom fighters whose activities against Japanese colonialism have remained undisclosed due to fierce confrontations with communist North Korea in the past decades. ``Regardless of the ideological differences harbored by our ancestor's independence activists, we need to accurately shed light on the nation's modern history,'' presidential spokesman Kim Jong-min quoted Roh as saying. ``In the tragic rivalry between the rightists and leftists, one side of the history of freedom fighters under Japanese colonial rule has largely been buried,'' Roh said during a luncheon meeting with a group of people who fought against the 1910-1945 Japanese rule. Roh's statement is expected to create yet another stir as it comes amid brewing controversy over the alleged pro-Japanese activities by fathers of some leading lawmakers of the governing party, including former chairman Shin Ki-nam, who recently stepped down taking responsibility for his father's past deeds. Rep. Lee Mi-kyung, one of the party's supreme council members, also admitted Tuesday that her father was also a military police officer for the Japanese.
Pro-Japan Version of McCarthyism Engulfs Uri Party
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter The ruling Uri Party is facing an escalating identity dispute after its senior lawmaker Lee Mi-kyung on Tuesday acknowledged her father's pro-Japanese activities in the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.
Lawmakers upset over Goguryeo resolution
National Assembly lawmakers took issue yesterday with an announcement that their government and China had resolved a nagging historical conflict over competing claims to the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo. After a briefing by the South Korean Foreign Ministry on the informal agreement reached Monday by vice foreign ministers from Seoul and Beijing, both ruling and opposition lawmakers of the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee called the settlement of the dispute unsatisfactory [Koguryo]
N. Korea Wants Illuminated Church Crosses Removed
By REUTERS Published: August 23, 2004 Filed at 7:22 a.m. ET SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea wants the removal of tall illuminated church crosses that light up the South Korean sky and are visible across the border in the secretive communist state, defense officials from the South said on Monday. The North would in turn think about ways to erase huge political carvings on rocky cliffs facing the South that glorify its socialist system and leaders both alive and dead. That is the trade-off agreed to in principle by military officials of South and North Korea as part of attempts to reduce tensions along the world's most heavily fortified border. The agreement was reached in June in talks between the rival states, which have since broken down and remain on hold. ``Religious signs, we agreed they would be gone, too,'' said a Defense Ministry official. The two sides had also agreed to remove political signposts and loud speakers that blast propaganda along the border from both sides. [Religion]
All-People Signature Campaign to Defend Food Sovereignty Starts in S. Korea
Pyongyang, August 22 (KCNA) -- The Headquarters of the All-People Movement for Defending Food Sovereignty to Protect Korean Rice which groups 68 civic and public organizations in south Korea including the south Korean Federation of Peasants Associations reportedly held a press conference in Myongdong, Seoul, on August 18 at which the start of the all-people signature campaign was proclaimed. A press release said that a recent secret document of the U.S. Defense Department disclosed the U.S. ambition to dominate the world by use of food.
Truth behind "Issue of North Korean Defectors" Exposed
Pyongyang, August 21 (KCNA) -- The south Korean authorities have taken 468 DPRK citizens to south Korea on July 27 and 28 terming them "defectors from the north", a very serious case unprecedented in the history of inter-Korean relations. This thrice-cursed crime is a wanton violation of the basic spirit of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration in which the north and the south committed themselves to get reconciled and cooperate with each other and solve bilateral issues by the concerted efforts of the nation, a blatant challenge and an unpardonable hostile act intended to bring down the political system in the DPRK.
Opposition lawmaker calls for greater Seoul role in N.K. issue
Grand National Party Rep. Park Jin, a foreign affairs expert, said South Korea needs to play a greater role in solving North Korea's nuclear weapons issue with active persuasion and negotiations involving the United States. Park criticized President Roh Moo-hyun government for neglecting important international and economic concerns and instead creating domestic dispute over history. "A great leader should know how to craft 'sales diplomacy' with a master plan containing a pragmatic strategy for the Korean Peninsula," Park said in an interview with The Korea Herald. A former presidential secretary for foreign affairs to ex-President Kim Young-sam and a one-time professor in international relations who studied in Britain, Park is one of the few people in the domestic-oriented National Assembly here who is fluent in English. The second-term-lawmaker was recently appointed chairman of the GNP's International Relations Committee when it was given an expanded role in the party's activities. He is also a member of parliament's National Defense Committee and visited Iraq as a parliamentary delegate to look into the kidnap-murder of Kim Sun-il in June. "The North Korean problem is an international issue. South Korea's diplomacy is being put to the test," Park said. He explained that no matter how the United States changes its approach towards the North after the November presidential election and regardless of who wins, the North will maintain its nuclear weapons program as a bargaining chip and to fulfill its goal to become a nuclear power.
Defector group's offices broken into a 2nd time
The office of Durihana Mission, a South Korean missionary group that aids North Korean defectors from an office in Seoul's Gangnam district, has been broken into twice in less than a week.
The missionary group is currently leading a project with civic and religious groups, including churches, to build a village in the capital region for North Korean defectors. Since the incidents did not involve any large sums, the police said they see the incidents as the acts of a person or persons unhappy with Durihana's plan to build the village for defectors.
New Uri leader harshly attacks Park Chung Hee
On his first full day on the job, the new chairman of the governing Uri Party, Lee Bu- young, attacked the late president Park Chung Hee yesterday, calling him an opportunist who once supported Japan but afterwards turned and took up the cause of communism. Referring to Mr. Park as "a man versed in betrayal and transformation," Mr. Lee offered his denunciation of the one-time Korean dictator at his first official press conference as the new Uri party leader. On Thursday, he succeeded Shin Ki-nam who was forced to leave the post because his father had been exposed as a collaborator with Japan during the colonial period. Mr. Park "graduated from the Japanese Military Academy, became an elite officer who was promoted to first lieutenant," Mr. Lee said. "After liberation, he joined the Korean liberation fighters when he returned to South Korea, after which he became a leading recruiter of Communists in the South Korean Army." The conservatives in the opposition Grand National Party, which is led by Mr. Park's daughter, Park Geun-hye, reacted sharply. In 1944, Mr. Park was graduated from the Japanese Military Academy and became a second lieutenant in the Japanese Army. He was promoted to first lieutenant when Japan was defeated in 1945 in World War II. He was disarmed by the Chinese military, and joined one of the liberation fighter units to return to South Korea in May 1946. In September of the same year, he joined the South Korean military academy and became a second lieutenant in the South Korean Army. In 1948, he was serving in the 8th regiment in Chuncheon, Gangwon province when he was arrested for pro-Communist activities. He escaped punishment by disclosing the entire Communist cell in the Army. [Park Chung-hee]
North criticizes unification head
North Korea lashed out yesterday at Seoul's unification minister, Chung Dong-young, holding him responsible for the slow pace of inter- Korean exchanges. Mr. Chung was named to his post on June 30. At a press conference Sunday, Mr. Chung said he regretted the stall in dialogue between the two Koreas. He said North Korea had misunderstood the South's motives in accepting defectors and barring a delegation here from commemorating the death anniversary of North Korea's former leader, Kim Il Sung. Radio Pyeongyang yesterday took Mr. Chung to task for those comments. "South-North relations, which had been smooth since the inter-Korean declaration of June 15, 2000, have been facing unprecedented challenges after Chung Dong-young assumed the unification post," the commentary said. "The one who is responsible for spoiling the relations is not apologizing, but rather criticizing us," the commentary concluded.
Rash Remarks of S. Korean "Minister of Unification" Flailed
Pyongyang, August 20 (KCNA) -- Jong Tong Yong in his first appearance before reporters a few days ago after he took office as "minister of Unification" let loose imprudent and disappointing remarks revealing his provocative stand toward the north and wrong mode of thinking reversing white and black. This comes under fire in papers here Friday. Drawing attention to the fact that the inter-Korean relations, which had been taking a favorable course after the publication of the June 15 joint declaration, are facing an unprecedented challenge with his taking the post of "minister of Unification," a Rodong Sinmun analyst says:
North tells defectors they can come home
North Korea has issued an appeal to its citizens who have defected to South Korea to return home, promising there would be no reprisals if they choose to come back. The Central Committee of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland, North Korea's organ handling South Korea affairs, released the appeal through Radio Pyeongyang over the last two days. The state-controlled broadcast is for listeners outside the North. Seoul officials said they could not recall the North previously ever making such an appeal. The message, titled "a letter to brothers kidnapped to South Korea" was aired Wednesday and yesterday. The North encouraged all and any defectors to return home. "You can return in a group or individually to your republic," the broadcast said. "We will receive you with a warm welcome."
Second thoughts plague a North Korean defector
Jang Bok-sun, 58, is a North Korean defector who has a special expectation of South Korea. Ms. Jang's expectation is linked to her late husband, who was a South Korean fisherman kidnapped to the North in the 1960s. "I am a North Korean defector, who arrived in Seoul two years ago. But, I was also a family member of a South Korean kidnapped by the North," Ms. Jang said as she introduced herself at a recent meeting of 30 people, who belong to a group of South Koreans whose family members were kidnapped by Pyeongyang. Ms. Jang said it was the first time she had ever spoken about her husband.
But Ms. Jang found life in Seoul different from her expectations. "I thought the government would take care of us, because we are the family of a South Korean who had been kidnapped to the North," Ms. Jang said. "But the reality was different." Ms. Jang is suffering from heart and kidney complications. She also has poor vision and difficulty in walking. She is living in a small apartment provided by the government with 500,000 won ($433) of support per month. "I can't even dream of receiving medical treatment," Ms. Jang said. "I did not contribute a thing to South Korea, but I still trusted the government. If I had known what I would encounter here, I would have stayed in the North." [Refugee reception] by Lee Young-jong
Lee Bu-young Becomes Uri Party Chairman
By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter Moderate reformist Lee Bu-young on Thursday took over the chairmanship of the ruling Uri Party, replacing Rep. Shin Ki-nam, who resigned amid growing criticism over wrongdoings committed by his father during the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule.
KBS Probed for Airing NK Military Song
By Lee Jin-woo Staff Reporter Police on Thursday launched an investigation into the state-run Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), which used the North Korean military song ``Jokkiga,'' or the Song of the Red Flag, in its politics parody program on Aug. 14. Investigators will soon determine if the public broadcaster violated the National Security Law by airing the war song and whether the song was used intentionally. KBS used the song in its Media Focus program, which is critical of some media reports, as the background music of a flash animation for about 40 seconds. The short animation was aimed to lampoon the government's strict ban on reporting about the recent deployment of Korean troops to Iraq.
NGOs Warned Not to Encourage NK Defections
By Yoon Won-sup Staff Reporter The government on Thursday again warned nongovernmental groups (NGOs) that their active encouragement of North Koreans to defect is not in line with government policy. ``It is against government policy toward North Korea for NGOs to prompt or prod North Korean defectors to flee to South Korea,'' said Rhee Bong-jo, vice unification minister during a news Briefing [refugee encouragement]
Historic Relics Discovered at North Korean Industrial Complex Site
[Yonhap,Aug.16th] South and North Korean archeologists discovered thousands of relics and historic remains from the site for an industrial park in Kaesong, North Korea, a state-run South Korean developer said Monday.
N. Korea Resumes Dismantling Propaganda Facilities Along Land
[Yonhap,Aug.12th] North Korea has resumed dismantling its propaganda facilities along the heavily-armed border with South Korea, a key measure the former battlefield foes agreed to take to reduce tension, a government official said Thursday. The North had suspended taking down its propaganda loudspeakers and signboards after it boycotted inter-Korean military contacts in protest of the South's firing of warning shots at an intruding North Korean ship on July 14. South Korean authorities saw themselves that the North was dismantling one or two propaganda facilities a day since Monday, a government official said on condition of anonymity. The South Korean government is considering whether it will also resume dismantling its own propaganda facilities as a reciprocal measure, the official said.
Foreign Broadcasters Post Wrong Information About Language of Korea
By Seo Dong-shin Staff Reporter Some influential foreign broadcasting companies' Web sites have posted wrong information about South Korea and its language, an Internet-based civilian diplomatic mission dubbed ``VANK'' said Wednesday. For example, National Broadcasting Co. (NBC) in the United States says that South Korea has two official languages_Korean and English_on its 2004 Athens Olympics special web page.
Koguryo Issue Top Priority: FM
By Ryu Jin Staff Reporter South Korea will give top priority to tackling China's move to distort history of the ancient Koguryo kingdom, South Korea's top diplomat said Wednesday.
Chung expected to boost inter-Korean ties
With Unification Minister Chung Dong-young now captain of the diplomatic and security team, experts expect more government action to advance inter-Korean ties that have made little progress amid tension over the North's nuclear weapons program. Some political analysts said the National Security Council would have less power as its role of coordinating the Unification, Foreign and Defense Ministries has now been delegated to the heavyweight politician. Although National Security Adviser Kwon Chin-ho remains NSC chief, Chung heads the council's standing committee. "I think there will be some changes in government policies in the area," said Paik Hak-soon, senior researcher at the private Sejong Institute. "The government will try to upgrade South-North exchanges, though it has delayed such an initiative due to the nuclear issue." Paik said Roh's appointment of Chung as the chief of the diplomatic team reflects the president's recognition that he should focus more on improving the South-North relationship.
North drops prohibitions on terms for South Korea
North Korea is no longer banning the word Hanguk, the short form of South Korea's official name, or a semilar term, Daehan. Pyeongyang had long insisted that the terms not be used there. The North calls itself Joseon, and has insisted on "South Joseon" for the South, just as residents here call the North Bukhan, or North Hanguk. Some of the first effects of the North Korean sensitivity were felt by the contractors building two nuclear reactors in the North. Several incidents were triggered by imported goods marked with the terms. And all South Korean vehicles delivering aid to the North had to cover up the word. Truck license plates with the names of South Korean cities or provinces also had to be masked by duct tape. The South Korean TV network KBS, or Korea Broadcasting System, was asked to cover up its company's logo when its satellite transmission vehicles aired inter-Korean events in the North. Reporters from a South Korean daily newspaper, The Korea Daily News, had to tape over their name cards. Now, trucks from Korea Express, a South Korean shipping company, are traveling to the North to deliver South Korean rice aid ? and are not hiding the origin of their shipments. Since July, 85 trucks have been delivering rice there without duct tape or repainting. The government corporation in charge of rice aid said Seoul had asked for the change, and Pyeongyang had posed no objections. by Lee Young-jong
Uri Party Chairman Refuses to Resign Over Father's Past
By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter Rep. Shin Ki-nam, chairman of the Uri Party, said Tuesday he would not immediately step down from the ruling party's top post over his father's alleged collaboration with Japan during the 1910-1945 colonial period. ``I'm not in a position to talk about my political future at this time,'' Shin said on a radio program. ``It's not an easy issue that I can decide by myself. I will ask for advice from other party officials before making a decision on my course of action.'' In a major setback for the ruling camp's efforts to correct history, including an attempt to launch a fact-finding mission into pro-Japanese collaborators during the colonial years, Shin admitted on Monday that his father had served as a military policeman in the Japanese army.
Roh calls on country to deal with its past
In an emotional speech to the nation on Liberation Day, President Roh Moo-hyun told Koreans they must be prepared to examine some of the most contentious issues of the country's modern history, including the role of its leaders during the Japanese colonial occupation and their subsequent efforts to stifle the growth of democracy.
Liberation Day marred by violence in Seoul
Liberation Day was marked yesterday with violence in central Seoul as leftist demonstrators clashed with police, who used water cannon to disperse the crowds. Separately, right-wing protesters nearby burned North Korean flags. Two distinct groups held different rallies yesterday in Gwanghwamun in the heart of Seoul, causing severe traffic congestion in the city center. Around 7,000 leftists, largely members of the nation's two umbrella labor unions, pro- reunification groups and Hanchongryun, a radical student association, tore apart a giant U.S. flag and shouted such slogans as "Ditch the South Korean-U.S. alliance," and "Korea's troop dispatch to Iraq should be rescinded." The participants gathered in front of Kyobo Book Center at 2 p.m. and attempted to surround the nearby U.S. Embassy compound by forming scrum- like "human chains." The police prevented the formation of the chains, leading to the outbreak of violent brawls. The police resorted to water cannons to break up the rally. At about 4 p.m. in front of nearby City Hall, members of right-wing civic groups, estimated at around 2,500 in number, burned a giant North Korean flag
For North's defectors, a village
In an attempt to assist North Korean defectors in adapting to life in the South, human rights and religious groups say they will build a village for refugees in the capital region. Tentatively named the Tongil, or Unification, Village, the complex will offer shelter to about 100 households.
Roh Proposes Assembly Panel to Right History
By Ryu Jin Staff Reporter President Roh Moo-hyun Sunday proposed setting up a special committee in the National Assembly to carry out a comprehensive review of the nation's modern history, stressing the need to correct distortions such as the status of pro- Japanese collaborators.
NK Notifies South of Plan to Release Mt. Kumgang Dam
By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter North Korea notified South Korea over the weekend of its plan to release water from the Mt. Kumgang Dam, located in the upper part of the Han River, beginning from Sunday. It is the second time for Pyongyang to give notice on its opening of the sluice gate of the dam, also called the Imnam dam, since May 2002. At that time, the North opened the floodgate for 24 days from July 26.
Chung Seeks to Mend Ties With N. Korea
By Park Song-wu, Seo Dong-shin Staff Reporters Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Sunday expressed regret at the halt to inter-Korean government talks, saying it has resulted from a chain of events that have irritated Pyongyang. ``It is regretful that the North has misunderstood a series of issues such as the massive defection of North Koreans to Seoul and the South's refusal to allow its citizens to visit the North (to offer condolences on the anniversary of the death of founding leader Kim Il-sung),'' Chung said at a media conference. He did not clarify whether his expression of regret is intended as an olive branch to the North. Chung said the North believes the recent passage of a human rights bill in the U.S. House of Representatives triggered the South to bring more than 450 North Koreans to Seoul via a third Asian country. ``But it is not true,'' Chung said. ``We helped them come to the South because the situation in the third country where they had stayed became acute. Our policy is to help those North Koreans wandering in third countries.'' Chung, however, asked South Korean civic groups that have been involved in helping North Koreans reach Seoul to restrain from ``promoting'' defection by those in the North.
However, the event was scrapped after Pyongyang demanded that Seoul send delegates from two pro-North Korea groups _ the Pan-Korean Alliance for Unification and radical university student body Hanchongryon _ to the event. Such groups have not attended the celebrations over the past three years. The North blames South Korea's refusal to permit the delegations to attend the event for the cancellation Both direct and indirect statements from North Korea have been unusually harsh in their criticism of the South in July and August. Pyongyang has attacked Seoul over diverse issues such as joint military exercises with the United States,
South Korea Warns of Possible North Terrorism
By REUTERS Published: August 16, 2004 Filed at 2:15 a.m. ET SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea is threatening to use terrorism against the South, Seoul's intelligence agency said in a rare public advisory on Monday, and warned South Korean citizens in China and Southeast Asia to be on their guard. The attacks may be in retaliation for the recent airlift of a large group of North Korean refugees, the National Intelligence Service said
Park Chung-hee Assassin Brings Political Storm
By Lee Jin-woo Staff Reporter On Oct. 26, 1979, South Korea experienced one of the most controversial events in its modern history. Kim Jae-kyu, then chief of the Korea Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), predecessor of the National Intelligence Agency, shot then President Park Chung-hee and his political rival Cha Ji-chul to death during a party at a secret KCIA residence in Kungjung-dong, Seoul.
GNP Leader Apologizes for Father's Mistakes
By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter Park Geun-hye, chairwoman of the opposition Grand National Party (GNP), on Thursday offered former President Kim Dae-jung an apology for his suffering during the authoritarian rule of her father, late President Park Chung-hee.
Civic Group Urges NK to Host Aug. 15 Program
By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter A pro-unification civic group in Seoul Thursday urged North Korea to carry through with the Aug. 15 civic exchange program, saying Pyongyang's request for Seoul to allow ``anti-state'' bodies to attend lacks persuasiveness. ``The stumbling block at this moment is Pyongyang's demand for Seoul to let two controversial bodies participate in the event,'' Lee Jeom-ho, policy-making manager of the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, told The Korea Times. Pyongyang recently made it a condition of hosting the event that Seoul should permit delegates from the two pro-North Korea groups _ the Pan-Korean Alliance for Unification and the radical university student body Hanchongryon _ to participate in the fourth occasion of the yearly event.
3 Candlelight Vigil Organizers Charged
By Lee Jin-woo Staff Reporter The prosecution on Thursday indicted three leaders of a civic coalition on charges of organizing candlelight vigils in Seoul last year in tribute to two Korean schoolgirls, who were killed by an armored vehicle of the U.S. army in 2002, without permission from police.
Koreas may hold summit next month, ex-lawmaker says
A high-level North Korean official said a second inter-Korean summit might be held in September or October, a former lawmaker claimed yesterday. The North Korean intelligence official in China recently told a South Korean senior official that there were signs a meeting may be held in coming months between President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, former Rep. Chang Sung-min of the opposition Millennium Democratic Party quoted the South Korean official as saying. He did not elaborate except to say the North Korean official said the meeting could be in Pyongyang or Seoul or a third country.
Speculation has been rampant that a second summit may be held before the U.S. presidential election in November
Roh tries for a truce with the military
Although it was billed as a "peace treaty" luncheon, President Roh Moo-hyun had a few pointed words for the minister of defense, Yoon Kwang-ung, and 70 senior military officers at the Blue House yesterday. Mr. Roh urged the military to take the initiative to "clarify and disclose problem issues in the military's past." He told his guests, "This would be a good time for the military to regain the public's trust."
Government to Examine Historical Distortions
By Ryu Jin Staff Reporter Prime Minister Lee Hai-chan ordered his Cabinet on Wednesday to examine how South Korean history is introduced in foreign nations' textbooks, stressing a multi-sided approach is needed to tackle China's move to distort Korean history involving the ancient Koguryo Kingdom.
YS Opposes Scrapping of National Security Law
By Yoon Won-sup Staff Reporter Former President Kim Young-sam said Tuesday he is opposed to the idea of abolishing the anti- communist national security law. ``The National Security Law must not be annulled under any circumstances as the nation may face serious problems without it,'' Kim said during a meeting with Grand National Party (GNP) chairwoman Park Geun-hye, who was on the third leg of her series of meetings with former heads of state.
North's reaction to 'war plans'
North Korea is reacting hysterically to what it believes is the latest version of OPLAN 5027-04, claiming that the United States and South Korea have established a new plan for preemptive war against the North, incorporating lessons learned from the war in Iraq. The Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (Jopyeongtong), an official propaganda agency on inter-Korean affairs, argued in a statement last week that "the U.S. imperialists and the South Korean military have worked out a new operational plan in order to complete their scheme of invading the North." These days you often don't need to wage extensive cloak and dagger operations to obtain your adversary's war plans because they are available on the Internet, although you have to be cautious to differentiate the real ones from false or tentative versions. U.S., Japanese and South Korean media have shown great interest in the U.S. OPLAN series and have given prominent coverage whenever they are informed of an updated plan. We suspect Pyongyang officials may have come across such an Internet or media-edited version of a war plan, although they act like they have extracted a great military secret from the Pentagon. Unfortunately, however, we can find sufficient reasons for their apparent overreaction. Inter-Korean activities have again slipped into a lull after a recent series of unfavorable events, including Seoul's aborting a plan by some civic groups to participate in ceremonies in Pyongyang observing the 10th anniversary of Kim Il-sung's death, the arrival in Seoul of hundreds of North Korean refugees, and naval tensions in the West Sea off the North Korean coast. In addition, there was the reported U.S. obstruction of the Gaeseong industrial estate project with a ban on the introduction of American-licensed "strategic" items into the economic cooperation zone. Probably partly reflecting these various circumstances, the Jopyongtong statement strongly denounced the alleged U.S. operations plan, terming it a "most dangerous war scenario" that revealed Washington's attempt at a preemptive blitzkrieg attack on North Korea with precision guided weapons and other high-tech military equipment. It asserted that the plan for relocating U.S. forces in Korea, including the move of the Yongsan headquarters to an area south of Seoul, is all related to what it called the U.S. invasion plan. Then it threatened retaliation with what was implied as its nuclear power. "If the U.S. imperialists make a miscalculation about our capabilities and ignite a war, our military and people will explode the just power of deterrent, crush all who provoked the war and completely eliminate them from the face of the earth," the statement threatened. Pyongyang for some time has been saying that it needs nuclear power as the ultimate deterrent against external invasion. As strong as the North Korean statement is, it bespeaks a fear of U.S. attack although more reasonable thinking could conclude that a U.S. invasion of the North is nearly inconceivable in this election year. Yet, one can also reckon that this fear must be driving the North toward accelerating its nuclear and missile development programs by all possible means. For a long time, especially since the end of the Cold War with the breakup of the Soviet Union and the transformation of China, North Korean paranoia about its security has been the key factor determining Pyongyang's internal as well as external policies. That paranoia explains much of North Korea's behavior on the international stage. The obsession has reached its peak in the face of the U.S. war on Iraq, which demonstrated advanced U.S. capabilities for high-tech warfare which could be used even better against North Korea. OPLAN 5027, and 5026 - a separate plan for the defense of Seoul and its vicinity - both presuppose an all-out North Korean attack, but, quite ironically, it seems they also provide a reason for the North to stick to and spur its development of nuclear armament. Here, we can see the counterproductive effect of all the publicity given to the U.S. war scenarios, although it of course had to be expected. 2004.08.10
Olympics aired North and South, but in HDTV here
Both North and South Koreans will be able to watch the Olympics live this month, thanks to some help from South Korean television crews in Athens. But the broadcast quality will be higher here. Broadcasters from both sides of the Demilitarized Zone said after a meeting in Mount Geumgang on Aug. 4 and 5 that the crews from Seoul would film events involving North or South Korea, the opening and closing ceremonies and other highlights and provide them to Pyeongyang for rebroadcast in North Korea, either live or delayed
History war' begins at home
It is said that the government has decided to settle the issue of the distortion of the history of the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo by the Chinese authorities by biding its time. If the Chinese government continues to refuse to correct the distortions it has made on the history of Goguryeo, there are very limited means at our disposal. If there is no means with which we can win a quick victory, our best option is applying diplomatic pressure on the governmental level with a long-term view, while cooperating with North Korea, which possesses various Goguryeo relics and accumulated research on Goguryeo, in setting the record straight. [Koguryo]
Panel Begins Inquiry Into Assassination of Ex- President
By Yoon Won-sup Staff Reporter A government panel began operations on Monday to inquire into the truth behind the assassination of former President Park Chung-hee. The Commission for the Democratization Movement Activists' Honor-Restoration and Compensation is expected to become the bone of contention as it will invite strong repercussions from the conservative sector in the process of reviewing the 1979 assassination of Park. The committee will focus on whether the killer, Kim Jae-kyu, can be considered to have helped the democratization of the country.
Inter-Korean Summit Looms
Expectations High for Peaceful Resolution to Nuclear Crisis Despite the government's firm denial, speculations are running high that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il would come to the South within this year to hold summit talks with President Roh Moo-hyun. Rumors are not just coming from inner circles of the ruling Uri Party but also from sources in mainland China. They say the summit, the follow-up of the former president Kim Dae-jung's historic meeting with the Northern leader in Pyongyang in June 2000, will take place in October or sometime after the end of the U.S. presidential election slated for November.
S. Korea Helps NK Watch Olympics
By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter North Korean people will be able to enjoy the upcoming Olympic Games in Athens as South Korea has accepted the North's request to relay the broadcast of the sporting event to Pyongyang. The Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) in Seoul said Sunday that it has recently agreed with its Northern counterpart over the relaying of the Summer Games broadcast to North Korea via satellite. In the past, the North has usually pirated the broadcasting of international sporting events instead of buying broadcasting rights.
Athletes from the two Koreas are scheduled to march into the stadium together under one Korean flag during the opening and closing ceremonies of the games, which begin on Aug. 13 and continue for 17 days.
Park challenges Roh over issue of Goguryeo
Openly appealing to nationalist sentiment over a historical dispute with China involving the 1,500-year-old kingdom called Goguryeo, Park Geun-hye, the leader of the Grand National Party leader, decried yesterday what she called the Roh administration's tepid response to Beijing.
Ms. Park proposed a political response to the issue, suggesting the establishment of a joint body within the National Assembly among political parties to counter China's attempts to claim Goguryeo. The governing Uri Party reacted positively to the idea and said it would look into ways of cooperating with North Korea to counter China's claims. The Grand National Party also sent a protest Beijing yesterday, and Ms. Park said she would meet with the Chinese ambassador to Seoul, Li Bin, on Aug. 13. Eleven Grand National lawmakers will visit China today to tour the various Goguryeo remains and relics in the northeast of the country [Koguryo]
Northern academic to research for South
A North Korean sociologist has been commissioned to do research for a state-run South Korean institute. The Korea Educational Development Institute said it has selected Dr. Kim Dok-yu, a 64-year-old North Korean, to carry out research projects commissioned by the World Bank and the Global Development Network. Last month, the two international organizations asked the South Korean institute to work on nine projects on education in the Asia-Pacific region. The institute publicly recruited researchers; Mr. Kim applied through a university in China. He is a senior researcher of North Korea's Sociological Association. He will research the North's programs for assisting sociologists and will be paid $30,000. The South Korean institute said that its selection of Mr. Kim would increase inter-Korean academic exchanges.
Seoul Seeks NK Help Over History
By Yoo Dong-ho and Seo Dong-shin Staff Reporters South Korea is considering joining with North Korea to address China's continued distortions of Korean history involving the ancient kingdom of Koguryo, vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong- jo said Friday. As inter-Korean cooperation on China's misrepresentation of Korean history has gained momentum through various civilian exchanges, we will seek diversified measures after working- level consultations with the North,'' Rhee said during a press conference. [Joint Korean]
Song Du-yul departs Korea for Germany
Song Du-yul, a Korean-German sociologist who was convicted of subversion and then released from prison on appeal last month, flew to Germany yesterday along with his wife, Chung Chung-hee. [Human rights] [National Security Law]
European Headquarters of Pomminryon Asserts Innocence of Korean Scholar in Germany
Pyongyang, August 5 (KCNA) -- The European Headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification (Pomminryon) issued a statement on July 24 as regards the release of Song Tu Ryul, a Korean scholar in Germany. Welcoming his release, the statement said: The south Korean authorities had kept Song in custody for 10 months on charge of the violation of the "Security Law," the only evil law in the world, playing down his academic success and damaging his personality. This is intolerable.
Seoul Seeks NK Help Over History
By Yoo Dong-ho and Seo Dong-shin Staff Reporters South Korea is considering joining with North Korea to address China's continued distortions of ancient Korean history involving Koguryo, vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo said Friday.
Dissident professor's departure:
Korean- German professor Song Du-yul, left, and his wife wave to his supporters at Incheon International Airport, Thursday, before leaving Korea. Song has decided to return to Germany after being released from jail on July 21. The Seoul appellate court acquitted him of key charges of violating the National Security Law and gave him a suspended term. {photo] [Human rights]
Professor Song Leaves for Germany
By Lee Jin-woo Staff Reporter Song Du-yul, a Korean-German professor who was recently freed from jail after being given a suspended prison term for violating the National Security Laws, on Thursday departed from the country for Germany. The 59-year-old sociology professor at Muenster University boarded an aircraft of Lufthansa airline at Incheon International Airport, departing at 2:35 p.m. for Frankfurt. He was accompanied by his wife and his lawyer Kim Hyung-tae, who had helped Song with a legal battle at a district court and an appellate court in Seoul. Before Song's departure, some supporters gathered at the airport to bid him farewell. Song decided to go back to Germany in order to give lectures for winter session classes, which he had postponed for almost a year in order to come to Korea last September, ending 37 years of exile for his alleged pro-Pyongyang activities.
On Aug. 2 shortly after he was freed, Song paid tribute to those who fought and died for the nation's democracy during the 1980 Kwangju Uprising at the national cemetery in Kwangju. He also made a short trip to Cheju Island on Aug. 3 where he spent his childhood, visiting a cemetery for the victims of a massacre caused by ideological disputes back in the late 40s.
GNP Defends Anti-Communist Law Against Uri Party
By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter Kim Deog-ryong, floor leader of the Grand National Party (GNP), on Thursday reconfirmed the opposition party's support of the anti- communist law and reiterated their disagreement with the ruling Uri Party's plan to scrap it.
The articles in question, however, have been criticized by the United Nations as infringing on the basic human right of freedom of expression and North Korea has long demanded the law be dropped as a prerequisite to improved relations with the South. [National Security Law] [Human rights]
North and South Korean Teachers Hold Joint Meeting
North and South Korean teachers meet at the foot of Mt. Kumgang. North and South Korean teachers held their joint meeting at the foot of Mt. Kumgang on July 19 for the first time since the division of the Korean Peninsula.
North and South Korea Hold 10th Round of Separated Family Reunions
Inter-Korean Farmers Meeting Held at Mt. Kumgang Resort
Korean Farmers Determine to Take Lead in Reunification Movement
S. Korean Organizations Urge Liquidation of Past
Pyongyang, August 3 (KCNA) -- Representatives of over 300 civic and public organizations in south Korea reportedly held a press conference of all civic and public organizations for urging the right liquidation of the past at a citizens' park of Kwanghwamun in Seoul on July 29. The press conference was called to castigate the Grand National Party for openly opposing the revision of the "special law on probing the truth behind the pro-Japanese and anti-national actions" and the "law on probing the truth behind the suspicious deaths".
Navy monument must go on
The Navy's 2nd Fleet was planning to build a monument in Wolmi Park in Incheon to commemorate the inter-Korean naval skirmish in the Yellow Sea in 2002. But the project has been halted due to some local civic groups' protests. Our society is facing a lamentable situation in which the military cannot even build a victory monument at its former base. The civic groups have also said they would initiate a movement to remove the statue of General Douglas MacArthur, who led the amphibious landing at Incheon during the Korean War. Such moves coincide with a number of strange happenings in the country. The civic groups argue that building the Yellow Sea skirmish monument is anachronistic and that it would encourage hostile confrontation between the two Koreas. [Role of ROK military]
U.S. and S. Korean Authorities Hit for Their Allurement and Abduction of North Koreans Abroad
Pyongyang, August 3 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA Tuesday as regards the recent allurement and abduction of many northerners abroad to south Korea: Recently the south Korean authorities, at the U.S. instigation and under its command, faked up the so-called "massive defection of northerners and their transfer." They took away hundreds of northerners, mainly women and children, to south Korea in groups after alluring them to Vietnam via the vicinity of the DPRK on a phased basis. As a matter of fact, most of the northerners whom they described as "defectors from the north" are those who fell victim to the allurement tactics of the enemy's spy organs after going to Northeast China for a visit to their relatives. It is by no means accidental that this case was faked up in less a week after the "bill on human rights in north Korea" envisaging fabulous "financial aid" to the "defectors from the north" was passed through the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. media are making much fuss, as if they had been waiting for the opportunity to occur, that the wholesale defection of north Koreans proves bankruptcy of the north Korean regime's education, information activities and control over its citizens. They cry for joy that it would be a best scenario if this leads to the collapse of north Korea. This clearly proves that the recent case was, to all intents and purposes, a product of the U.S. hostile DPRK policy whose ultimate aim is to topple its political system and it was prompted by the deliberate intention of dishonest elements in south Korea desirous of discord and confrontation between the north and the south. What should not be overlooked is that Vietnam conspired with them in this case. The DPRK has information enough to prove that Vietnam was involved in the plot of the U.S. and the south Korean authorities to allure and abduct citizens of the DPRK. Through its involvement in the case Vietnam self- exposed that it can stoop to any perfidious action, discarding elementary sense of obligation and morality between the states, in order to meet its own interests. The DPRK will certainly make non-governmental organizations in some countries pay for their flesh traffic worldwide as they have been engrossed in threatening, alluring and trading off DPRK citizens under the signboard of humanitarianism at the instigation of the U.S. The U.S. seems to calculate that it can use the issue of "defectors" for bringing down the DPRK as it did erstwhile East European countries. This is, however, as foolish an act as trying to put an end to the sun. No issue between the DPRK and the U.S., to say nothing of the nuclear issue, can be settled unless the U.S. fundamentally drops its hostile policy toward the DPRK.
Uri Endeavors to Scrap Anti-Communist Law
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter The ruling Uri Party is moving to jump-start its stalled drive to do away with the nation's anti-communist law, which carries harsh penalties for expressing sympathy with North Korea. In a party's forum Wednesday morning, a group of 46 lawmakers agreed to put forth a bill late this month aiming to annul what they claim is a ``draconian'' law. ``The National Security Law, which defines North Korea as an anti-state organization, is an obstacle we have to overcome to promote reconciliation and cooperation between the two Koreas,'' said student activist-turned-legislator Im Jong-seok. The law, enacted in 1948 and subsequently revised seven times, has long been an object of controversy as it has often been used by past authoritarian governments as a tool to crack down on pro-democracy activists and opposition figures.
Hyundai Stays on Course Year After MH's Death
By Park Chung-a Staff Reporter Exactly one year ago, the entire nation was plunged into shock when Chung Mong-hun, chairman of Hyundai Asan, committed suicide by jumping from the 12th floor of his office in Seoul. He was 54. Wednesday is the first anniversary of Chung Mong-hun's death, the fifth son of Chung Ju-yung, the founder of the Hyundai Group, once the largest conglomerate in Korea. Junior Chung had been at the cockpit of inter-Korean economic cooperation since his father's death in 2001. His death came amid a major political row over payment of money to North Korea. Chung was indicted for his role as a conduit in the so-called cash-for-summit deal, in which the Kim Dae-jung government was accused of sending millions of dollars to North Korea in return for agreeing to have the landmark summit of the two Koreas in June 2000. Chung has been portrayed as a scapegoat of the partitioned Korean peninsula and for shady ties between business and political circles
Seoul Won't Address NK Human Testing
By Reuben Staines Staff Reporter The South Korean government will not confront Pyongyang over claims by a North Korean scientist that he used chemical weapons to experiment on political prisoners before defecting to the South, a senior official at the Unification Ministry has said. ``It's hard to check the authenticity of the North Korean defector's allegation,'' the official told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity. ``But unless the claims can be clarified, we will not take up the issue with North Korea.'' [Human rights] [Media]
Kim Dae-jung: A political profile
BBC Asia specialist Larry Jagan on the life and times of former dissident, Kim Dae-jung, President of South Korea. Kim Dae-jung was elected in December 1997 after promising voters democratic reform, and campaigns to curb corruption and the political power of the country's industrial conglomerates, known as the chaebols. He said he would start meaningful talks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il - a pledge which he has now made good.
Kim Dae-jung - Biography
Nobel Peace Prize 2000
Seoul Calls for Early Resumption of Inter-Korean Ministerial Talks
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter The Unification Ministry on Tuesday called on North Korea to resume inter-Korean ministerial talks at the earliest possible date. The South Korean government expressed its regret concerning North Korea's cancellation of the meeting scheduled Aug. 3-6 in the South's capital of Seoul.
Seoul Pressed to Address Claims of Human Experiments in NK
By Reuben Staines Staff Reporter A BBC documentary program quoting a North Korean scientist who claims he experimented with chemical weapons on political prisoners has upped international pressure on Seoul to address the human rights issue with Pyongyang. But the South Korean government said Monday it will not bring up the issue with the North unless the claims can be verified. ``It's hard to check the authenticity of the North Korean defectors allegation,'' a senior official at the Unification Ministry told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity. He said while the international community may blame Seoul for failing to challenge Pyongyang over the claims, the ministry believes raising the human rights issue would hurt progress in inter-Korean relations. ``South Korea fully understands the seriousness of the North Korean humanitarian issue but we are taking a different approach to that of the international community.''
The BBC reporter, Olenka Frenkiel, in February presented a similar story featuring another defector who said he witnessed atrocities in prison camps, including human experiments. Those claims were dismissed by South Korea's National Intelligence Service, prompting Frenkiel to search for other defectors to back her story. [human rights] [Media]
'SM-2 launch enhances Korea's midrange antiaircraft defense capability'
The South Korean Navy successfully test-fired a midrange ship-to-air guided missile, a senior naval official said yesterday.
The test-firing was conducted in Hawaii on July 29 and 31 during a multinational naval exercise dubbed "Rim of the Pacific." Other participants were the United States, Britain, Japan, Australia, Canada and Chile.
The destroyer, the Adm. Yi Sun-shin, is equipped with such high-tech weapons as Rolling Airframe Missiles and antisubmarine helicopters, as well as radar-evading stealth features. (RAM - used against anti-ship missiles)
'I've done a lot of cruelty to animals'
It's brutal, nauseating and absurd. And it's on its way to the UK. Steve Rose on the new South Korean cinema Monday August 2, 2004 The Guardian
Kim Ki-duk likes to claim that he doesn't make films to shock. "I make films thinking that life is beautiful," says the director. "That embrace happiness and unhappiness. They are one." Anyone who has seen his film The Isle may disagree. The Isle lures people in with beautiful lakeland scenery, only to send them out vomiting, thanks to some horrific scenes involving fish-hooks. The film's UK release has been delayed until this September, as the British Board of Film Classification objected to scenes involving cruelty to fish and other creatures. Kim feels some remorse: "We cooked all the fish we used in the film and ate them, expressing our appreciation. I've done a lot of cruelty on animals in my films. And I will have a guilty conscience for the rest of my life." The Isle is one of at least six new Korean movies that are coming to the UK in the next three months. In the past decade, South Korea's film industry has staged a miraculous renaissance, going from mediocre to a standard probably higher than Britain's. Last year it was one of the few places in the world where homemade films outsold Hollywood ones; and South Korean films have been scooping up major prizes at festivals like Cannes and Berlin, and are being exported in ever-greater quantities.
Park has enjoyed greater commercial success than Kim at home. His Joint Security Area, a tough thriller about escalating tensions with North Korea, became the country's most successful film ever back in 2000
Official site promotes North's view
A statement openly supporting North Korea's political agenda was posted on the Internet site of the Government Information Agency, the mouthpiece of the Roh administration, the JoongAng Ilbo found yesterday. The contribution, written by an Internet user, was screened by the site's operator (www.news.go.kr). The writer urged the formation of a South Korean delegation as soon as possible to express condolences to North Korea on the 10th anniversary of the death of its leader, Kim Il Sung. The statement also criticized the South's recent acceptance of North Korean defectors, calling it a violation of the agreement between the two Koreas' leaders in June 2000.
Former Chairman of Hanchongryon Sentenced to Penal Servitude
Pyongyang, August 1 (KCNA) -- The Seoul Western District Court sentenced Jong Jae Uk, chairman of the 11th-term south Korean Federation of University Student Councils, to three years' imprisonment and five years' stay of execution on July 29, according to south Korean MBC. The court charged him with violation of the "Security Law" and the "law on rally and demonstration".
National Reunification Institute Issues White Paper
Pyongyang, August 1 (KCNA) -- The National Reunification Institute made public a white paper Saturday to lay bare the deceptive nature of the U.S. cutdown of imperialist aggression troops in south Korea and bring their aggressive nature home to the people at home and abroad. The U.S. has staged several farces of troop cutdown since its military occupation of south Korea on September 8, 1945. But history has never seen any drastic reduction of the U.S. imperialist aggression troops in south Korea.
Defectors Call on Seoul to Block Repatriation
By Reuben Staines Staff Reporter A group of North Korean defectors made a last- minute plea to the Foreign Ministry over the weekend to prevent the repatriation of about 20 other defectors, including their relatives, who were arrested in China in June.
No bed of roses for North Korean defectors
Discrimination and free market forces combine to give them a tough life after honeymoon is over By Lee Jun Bok MOST North Koreans go to South Korea with a vague 'South Korean dream'. Former North Korean Ms Lee Yae Seon (right) now runs a beer pub. -- LEE YAE SEON But as soon as the excitement of arriving settles in, they face the realities of a free market economy in which nothing is free. Few of them succeed and, unable to integrate into the mainstream South Korean society, most end up depending on government support. One of the luckier ones is Ms Lee Yae Seon, 39. She has been operating a beer pub in Sanggye-dong with two other North Koreans for almost a year and is now making a small profit of about 1.2 million won (S$1,760) a month. But adapting to life in South Korea has not been easy for Ms Lee either. In North Korea, she was an actress in the Bekdusan theatre group, operated by the army to provide entertainment and propaganda for its troops. 'When I came here, I knew I had to start all over again. But I was okay with that. I was happy to take charge finally of my own life,' said Ms Lee, who went to South Korea via China in January last year. The sheer joy of earning money and keeping it motivates her. 'If we can keep it up like this, someday I'll be able to buy a real car. It's a dream coming true, you know?' she said. For Mr Yoon In Ho, 29, things are different. The former skier arrived in 1999. Initially, he tried modelling, but his North Korean accent and the cold treatment from South Korean co-workers made him quit after only six months.
A two-month crash course at Hanawon, a government centre assisting North Koreans to adjust to life in South Korea, payment of initial settlement funds and free education are the basic help most North Koreans receive. While fewer than 10 North Koreans arrived each year up to the early 1990s, more than 1,000 have made the dangerous journey annually since 2002. The comments of one defector might serve as an indicator of what many of these North Koreans can expect once they get here. He said: 'The honeymoon was over as soon as I got here.'
Modern Korean History Sparks Political Controversy
Following President Roh Moo-hyun's statement that a national project of dealing comprehensively with controversial historical problems was needed while he was receiving a report from Truth Commission, the Uri Party announced Sunday that the party would set up a "Truth and Reconciliation Committee.' Uri Party chairman Shin Ki-nam said at the press conference, "We need to straighten our dark legacies from the periods of Japanese colonial period and past military rule. When democratic reformists were not the majority party, this could not be done. Although it's late, we should shake off those legacies." Shin did not cover the point that it was a rewriting Korea's modern and current history based on the ruling party's historical view. According to the logic of Uri Party, the work of liquidating the past was necessary for the future.
Roh upholds reconciliatory policy toward North Korea
Amidst the cold spell between the Koreas following the mass defection of North Koreans to Seoul last week, President Roh Moo-hyun reaffirmed his resolve to pursue reconciliation projects with Pyongyang to contain the negative impact. It remains unclear, however, whether the South and North can open their ministerial talks tomorrow as scheduled because Pyongyang has refused Seoul's offer to prepare the four-day negotiations. Most government officials and experts believe the cool period will be temporary.
Amidst the cold spell between the Koreas following the mass defection of North Koreans to Seoul last week, President Roh Moo-hyun reaffirmed his resolve to pursue reconciliation projects with Pyongyang to contain the negative impact. It remains unclear, however, whether the South and North can open their ministerial talks tomorrow as scheduled because Pyongyang has refused Seoul's offer to prepare the four-day negotiations. Most government officials and experts believe the cool period will be temporary.
Designation of Hanchong as Enemy-Benefiting Organization Condemned
Pyongyang, July 30 (KCNA) -- The south Korean authorities designated the south Korean Council of Youth Organizations (Hanchong) as an enemy- benefiting organization and sentenced its chairman to two years' imprisonment and two years' suspension of qualification and its vice- chairman and executive chairman respectively to one and a half years' imprisonment, one year's suspension of qualification and three years' stay of execution in a trial on July 20
Roh Vows to Step Up Inter-Korean Cooperation
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter South Korea will step up efforts to promote inter-Korean cooperation and exchange projects under the policy of engaging North Korea, President Roh Moo-hyun said Saturday. ``The government will maintain its policy of inter-Korean reconciliation to expedite various projects like the linkage of cross-border railways and roads, and civilian exchanges,'' Roh said while meeting with security-related senior officials. Roh also vowed the government will make further efforts to open the demonstration industrial complex for South Korean firms in North Korea's border town of Kaesong by the end of the year as scheduled.
North Koreans here face society quickly
Last of three articles With the recent arrival of hundreds of North Korean defectors to Seoul, reportedly from Vietnam, this week, defectors and officials alike are voicing concerns over the lack of resettlement facilities and programs for the rapidly increasing number of defectors here. Since 1998, the number of North Korean defectors coming into South Korea has been doubling annually, and is expected to reach 2,000 this year. Currently, there are 5,600 North Korean defectors settled in the South. If this trend persists, within two years we will witness an era of 10,000 defectors per year. Some policy changes are necessary.
Roh supports panel that hailed North spies
Saying the nation needs to understand its mistakes and learn from them, President Roh Moo- hyun offered his support yesterday for a presidential truth commission that has been attacked by conservatives for ruling that former North Korean spies could be considered democracy activists.
Roh Urges Project to Address Past Wrongdoings
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter President Roh Moo-hyun on Friday cited the need for a comprehensive national project to deal with past wrongdoings that have so far passed unnoticed. The liberal head of state's remark is widely understood as an instruction to the presidential fact-finding body for handling those who collaborated with Japan during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule and other wrongdoings committed under other iron-fisted rulers in the past.
In a related development, Roh accused opposition parties of using criticism of the commission in an attempt to attack him, giving his approval to a recent ruling by the presidential fact-finding body in favor of pro-North Korean activities of the past. ``I think opposition forces have criticized the commission in order to pick a fight with me.'' The presidential commission recently ruled that the unwarranted use of state power, namely torture, led to the deaths of three North Korean spies in the 1970s, and that their deaths contributed to the pro-democracy movement, inviting a backlash from the conservative opposition Grand National Party (GNP).
Pyongyang's Angry Reaction
Inter-Korean Relations Undergo Severe Test As anticipated, North Korea severely criticized the South Thursday for bringing in some 470 Northern fugitives from a Southeast Asian country, calling it "premeditated abduction and terrorism in broad daylight." In a bitter statement read by the Committee for the Peaceful Unification of Fatherland, the Northern regime warned that the South should take responsibility for the consequences of providing shelter to them. It also said that all other parties involved in the case would be paid due prices. The North's angry reaction forebodes ill for the development of inter-Korean relations. The North is now at loggerheads with the South due to the recent developments such as the abortion of a Southern delegation's trip to Pyongyang to pay tribute to the late Kim Il-sung on the 10th anniversary of his death and the repulsion of a Northern patrol boat which intruded into Southern waters on the West Sea.

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