ROK and Inter-Korean relations October 2004

ROK and Inter-Korean relations

October 2004

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Mysterious Incident in East Sea
Possible Intrusion of Northern Submarines Prompts Speculation The appearance of mysterious objects in the East Sea on Sunday is belatedly drawing concern, as they are suspected of being North Korean submarines intruding into our sovereign waters. The JoongAng Ilbo, a mass-circulation local paper, triggered the controversy after revealing their identity in its Thursday edition. The paper reported that the government was informed of the approach of Northern submarines by U.S. intelligence. After spotting the intruders, the South's Navy drove them away with a volley of depth charges. However, the Ministry of Defense immediately denied the report, warning that it would take punitive action against the daily unless it corrected the story. When the incident occurred, the ministry said that naval operations to locate North Korean submarines off the east coast were conducted, but no vessels were found. In rejecting the report, the ministry conceded that depth charges had been used in the area, saying that it was standard action whenever ``submarine'' operations were launched. It also said that U.S. intelligence concerning Northern submarines should always be treated with caution. Regardless of the ministry's prompt denial, there is speculation that North Korean submarines might have infiltrated into our waters either for spying operations or for testing the South's military strength and preparedness. Suspicions are further fueled by four missing crewmen from a small naval ship that the ministry said was taking part in a drill in the East Sea on Tuesday. Only one crewman was saved. The ministry said that the vessel went aground because of inclement weather and engine problems. But the general public is not convinced by the ministry's explanations, as fishing vessels in the East Sea on the same day reportedly did not experience weather problems and returned safely to port. Some are even suggesting the four missing personnel might have been killed during a naval operation against the intruders. No matter what the truth is behind the incident, it has once again brought to light the South's vulnerability to threats from the Northern regime. Northern naval vessels have entered our waters in the West Sea on many occasions this year, deepening the confrontation between the government and the opposition camp over the interpretation of their actions. The incident is also expected to fuel the conflict between conservatives and progressives over the issue of the anti- communist law. The ruling Uri Party triggered the row with its move to abolish the security law during the current regular session of the National Assembly, which lasts until the middle of December. At this time, with national unity seriously disrupted, the government should endeavor to keep security intact. 10-15-2004 18:53 [Media] [US Military dominance]
Amnesty Backs Security Law Abolition
By Park Song-wu Staff Reporter Rajiv Narayan, second from left, an East Asian team researcher of Amnesty International, hands over an official letter in support of scrapping the National Security Law to Uri Party chairman Lee Bu-young at the party headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap Amnesty International gave support to the ruling Uri Party's move to scrap the National Security Law by expressing its strong disagreement with the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court in Seoul that the anti-communist law does not excessively restrict human rights.
Ministry Denies Report on Intrusion by NK Submarines
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter The Defense Ministry on Thursday flatly denied a news report that the South Korean Navy expelled two North Korean submarines operating off the South's southeastern coast. ``The military was not able to confirm the existence of North Korean submarines during its search-and-destroy mission on Sunday,'' ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Nam Dae-youn said at a news conference. ``The Navy was ordered to conduct the operation in line with standard procedure in such cases.'' ``The JoongAng Ilbo report on two North Korean submarines' intrusion into South Korean waters is totally wrong,'' Nam said. [Media]
Kim positive on being envoy to Pyeongyang
Responding to the Uri Party's suggestion that he become a special envoy to Pyeongyang, former President Kim Dae-jung said yesterday, "I will discuss it, if it helps the country." Uri Party leaders met Mr. Kim yesterday in a library named for him in Donggyo-dong, Seoul. A day earlier, party chairman Lee Bu-young had proposed that Mr. Kim and Grand National Party leader Park Geun-hye visit Pyeongyang as the Roh administration's "special envoys for peace," adding that he would talk to Mr. Kim the following day. Mr. Lee indirectly mentioned the issue yesterday saying, "We are sorry that we bothered you with the envoy problem," Mr. Kim said he would consider the request if, by so doing, he could assist the country. But he added, "What is important is not the former president but the incumbent president. Any agreement reached between me and North Korea cannot be a binding one." Mr. Kim and the Uri leaders also talked about the South Korea-U.S. relationship. "Regardless of who becomes the president in the United States, problems concerning the Korean Peninsula will change fast after the election," Mr. Kim told Uri leaders. "There are two things we have to bear in mind. First, the United States is a very important ally of ours. Second, we have to be careful in how we persuade the United States when it makes a decision that goes against the public wishes of Koreans. Let the United States understand that we are its friend, but have our own principles." [Friction] [PYR]
Navy conducts anti-sub operation
South Korea's Defense Ministry said yesterday its Navy vessels conducted a search-and-destroy mission for North Korean submarines on Sunday. The operation took place off the east coast of the peninsula, following intelligence reports that two objects appearing to be submarines had been spotted. After receiving the intelligence, the Navy undertook an intense search involving a P-3C surveillance airplane and Lynx anti-submarine helicopters. Depth charges were dropped, but the search proved unsuccessful.
4 troops missing in mishap
Shortly after the South Korean Navy went hunting a submarine Monday, four South Korean troops were listed as missing at sea in a separate incident.
The vessel that capsized was said to be a small boat used for special forces missions.
S. Korean Authorities Urged to Nullify Emergency Plan
Pyongyang, October 12 (KCNA) -- The south Korean authorities should disclose an "emergency plan to cope with the suddenly changed situation", declare it null and void and unconditionally apologize to the DPRK, holding responsibility for the grave impact the plan will have on the inter-Korean relations. A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland urged this in an answer given to a question put by KCNA Tuesday as regards the emergency plan allegedly to cope with the suddenly changed situation in the north, a very provocative plan which has been brought to light in south Korea recently. It has been disclosed that the south Korean authorities have steadily updated emergency plans such as Chungmu 3300 and Chungmu 9000, after working out them in secrecy in anticipation of what they call the suddenly changed situation in the north, the spokesman said, and continued: It is the first time that the south Korean authorities are reported to have been watching for a chance after drafting a concrete plan to cope with the suddenly changed situation in the north.
Four Missing in Naval Accident
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter A small South Korean vessel capsized and sank off the nation's southeastern coast Tuesday night, however the accident was not linked to a possible intrusion by North Korean submarines, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
He was referring to a news report stating U.S. military intelligence had advised South Korea on Monday about two suspected North Korean submarines operating in South Korean waters. ``It's true we received intelligence on the submarines and the Navy quickly launched an operation, but we were not able to confirm the existence of extraordinary objects,'' Nam said. The South Korean military sent its P-3C patrol aircraft and anti-submarine LYNX helicopter to the area in an unsuccessful operation that included the dropping of anti-submarine bombs. In September, 1996, a North Korean submarine carrying 26 agents ran aground off the South's eastern shore. Almost all of them were killed, either by South Korean troops or their comrades, in a mountain search operation that lasted nearly two months. [Intelligence] [US military dominance]
Overview of Intra-Korean Exchanges & Cooperation for August 2004
Kim, Park proposed as envoys to North
The leadership of the governing Uri Party and the Roh administration proposed yesterday that former President Kim Dae-jung and the Grand National Party leader Park Geun-hye visit Pyeongyang as "special envoys for peace."
North flails Seoul plan to run the peninsula
North Korea condemned South Korea yesterday for preparing contingency plans to take over the North and accommodate a mass outflow of refugees. The North's Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland issued a statement through the country's state-run Korea Central News Agency. It demanded that Seoul scrap the plans and apologize to the North. The spokesman for the committee, which handles South Korea affairs, said Seoul has been talking about reconciliation and cooperation but is, in cooperation with Washington, planning a takeover. The North flailed the Unification Ministry for its role in the planning. The existence of some sort of plans had been an open secret, although no details were known until a legislator discussed them last week.
Uri Backs Kim Dae-jung as NK Envoy
By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The leader of the ruling party on Tuesday expressed his support for appointing former President Kim Dae-jung as a special envoy to North Korea in order to seek a solution to the ongoing standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs.
NK Boat Briefly Crosses NLL
A North Korean patrol boat briefly entered South Korean waters off Sochong Island in the West Sea at around noon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Tuesday. ``The patrol boat went about 1.3 kilometers south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) at 12:15 p.m.,'' a JCS spokesperson said in a statement. ``After capturing two Chinese ships, it returned to the northern side at around 12:28 p.m.'' About 10 Chinese ships were operating near Sochong Island, watched by the South Korean Navy, when the North Korean boat crossed the NLL, the official said. A de facto inter-Korean sea border, the NLL has been a constant source of conflict between the rival Koreas in recent years. Navy ships from the two sides clashed in 1999 and 2002, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr 10-12-2004 19:54
Uri Chairman Supports DJ as NK Envoy
By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter The leader of the ruling party on Tuesday expressed his support for appointing former President Kim Dae-jung as a special envoy to North Korea in order to seek a solution to the ongoing standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs. During a forum for journalists held at the Seoul Press Center, Uri Party chairman Lee Bu-young said his party is considering a plan to send special peace envoys to North Korea and the four major powers surrounding the Korean peninsula in an effort to find a breakthrough in the two-year- long nuclear deadlock. ``The former president has expressed his willingness to contribute to maintaining peace on the Korean peninsula, worrying over the possible uncertainty that might unfold after the U.S. presidential election next month
5-years in prison given to former leader's aide
Upholding lower court rulings, the Supreme Court yesterday confirmed a five-year prison term handed down to Kwon Roh-kap, a senior aide of former President Kim Dae-jung. At its final hearing, the Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Kwon was guilty of receiving 20 billion won ($17 million) from Hyundai Merchant Marine before the legislative elections in April 2000. Chung Mong-hun, then Hyundai Group chairman, paid Mr. Kwon the money in return for administration help in its North Korean businesses, the prosecution had charged. Mr. Chung at the time wanted Seoul's permission to operate a casino and duty free shops at the Mount Geumgang resort in North Korea, the prosecution said in its indictment. Mr. Chung committed suicide in August 2003 during investigations of his involvement in the "cash for summit" scandal surrounding the inter-Korean summit in 2000.
3 Universities Favored Students From Kangnam
By Na Jeong-ju Staff Reporter Yonsei University, Korea University and Ewha Woman's University on Friday came under criticism after the government confirmed the institutions had given extra points to graduates of some high schools in southern Seoul when selecting applicants.
Two Koreas Resume Military Talks
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter After a three-month lull in inter-Korean talks, military officers from South and North met Thursday to discuss rail and road links between the two nations, the Defense Ministry said. Lieutenant colonels from the two sides discussed ways to improve overland routes to an industrial park being built in North Korea's border town of Kaesong in the west and a scenic resort at Mt. Kumgang in the east. In a major setback to relations, North Korea in recent months has cancelled two scheduled maritime and military contacts with South Korea to protest Seoul's refusal to let some of its citizens visit the communist country to mourn the 10th anniversary of leader Kim Il-sung's death. Seoul-Pyongyang relations hit a snag in mid-July when the two Koreas disputed details of a border incident in which South Korean navy boats fired warning shots to turn back a suspected northern vessel that it alleged intruded into southern waters in the West Sea.
Ex-President Hints at NK Envoy Role
By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter Former President Kim Dae-jung expressed his willingness to assume an active role in resolving the ongoing nuclear standoff over North Korea's nuclear programs, drawing renewed speculation that he will be appointed as special envoy to the communist nation. During an interview with a local daily, the former head of state said he will seek ways to help the government resolve the nuclear crisis even though he no longer has an official role in the administration. ``I think I should play a supporting role and keep a low profile, although I may have to go (to North Korea),'' Kim told the Kyunghyang Shinmun.
Opposition, Uri go to war in brouhaha over 'secrets'
The governing Uri Party charged opposition lawmakers yesterday with revealing state secrets about risks in a military confrontation with North Korea and about what the South would do if the regime in Pyeongyang lost its control. Uri Party leaders said that Grand Nationals' disclosure of such national secrets as a North Korean attack scenario and Seoul's contingency plan against North Korean collapse are breaches of security. The opposition countered that the governing party is simply interfering with their pursuit of Assembly affairs.
Booklet Outlines Terrorist Profile
By Lee Jin-woo Staff Reporter The nation's spy agency has distributed booklets in order to help the public detect terrorist suspects at major public facilities, especially airports and train stations. According to the Korean-language pamphlet titled ``How to Detect Terrorist Suspects'', distributed by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) at major public areas, including Incheon International Airport, Wednesday, those who attempt a terror attack tend to show certain characteristics. The booklet mentions a number of things members of the public should watch out for. For example, terrorist suspects often leave a restroom hurriedly after leaving a backpack or a plastic bag behind, and a person paying with cash is more likely to be a terrorist suspect than a credit card user since terrorists try not to leave any traceable evidence, the pamphlet says. Terrorist suspects often do not order alcoholic beverages at bars or other similar entertainment spots or order a drink but do not drink it. They also have a tendency to sit in the corner, carefully watching others. Regarding the appearance of terrorists, the booklet highlights those who have a pot belly or who wear thick clothing despite warm weather and sweat a lot as targets who should be carefully monitored because suicide bombers often wear explosives around their bellies hidden under thick clothes.
Defense gurus downplay risk of North's guns
Defense officials and military experts yesterday dismissed a conservative lawmaker's claim that without U.S. forces to prevent it, South Korea's capital would quickly fall in a North Korean artillery barrage. During a National Assembly hearing Monday, Grand National Party Representative Park Jin quoted a report by the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses that said Seoul would be overwhelmed by North Korea within 16 days without U.S. help. [Military balance]
S. Korean Authorities' Scheme to Register DMZ as World's Heritage Lambasted
Pyongyang, October 5 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland in a statement Monday condemned the scheme of the south Korean authorities to register the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along the Military Demarcation Line as a world's heritage and open it to international tourism, branding it as a vicious challenge to the aspiration and desire of all the fellow countrymen for the reunification of the country and an anti- national folly to perpetuate the division of the nation. It is a behavior bereft of common sense to register as a "heritage" the DMZ which is symbolic of misfortunes and sufferings of national division and along which the north and the south are standing in acute military confrontation, the spokesman said, and went on:
South Korea's Arms Buildup under Fire
Pyongyang, October 5 (KCNA) -- The Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland Monday issued information bulletin No. 886 assailing the south Korean authorities' recent decision to increase the "defense budget" for next year 9.9 percent over this year's. [Military balance]
S. Korea's Much Fuss about DPRK's Import of Sodium Cyanide under Fire
Pyongyang, October 5 (KCNA) -- The south Korean authorities are kicking up much fuss, asserting that the north illegally imported sodium cyanide which their enterprises had produced and exported to several countries in Asia. This can not but be an anti-national act shocking and infuriating the north [Sanctions]
Dispute over N. Korea military briefly halts Assembly audit
Rival lawmakers' heated debate over North Korea's military capabilities briefly suspended the National Assembly's second-day inspection of the Defense Ministry yesterday. The dispute started after ruling party lawmaker Ahn Young-geun demanded opposition lawmaker Park Jin stay out of the auditing process. Ahn accused Park of leaking Monday to the press that the alleged nation's defense confidential said that Seoul would fall to North Korea within 15 days from the outbreak of a war with the communist state, if South Korea has to defend itself without U.S. troops. [Military balance]
Plan to cope with fall of North divulged
An opposition lawmaker disclosed details yesterday of South Korean plans for coping with the possible collapse of the North Korean regime and for handling a mass defection from the communist state, including a contingency for dealing with insurrection. The plans, revealed by Grand National Party Representative Chung Moon-hun at a National Assembly hearing, are the first significant look at the government's readiness in case the leaders in Pyeongyang lose control over their country and the South is forced to step in. Mr. Chung's office said the details have been kept classified, but the Unification Ministry, seeking to assure the public, provided selective details. Under the plan, code-named "Chungmu 9000," South Korea will establish an emergency administrative headquarters in the North, which will work to liberalize the economy and society. South Korea's unification minister will head the agency with powers greater than a governor. Unification Ministry staff will be deployed to operate the organization, and officials from other ministries will follow to take systemic authority in the North. Another plan, called "Chungmu 3300," details Seoul's preparation for any mass defection and includes contingencies for a possible civil war.
100.000 Conservatives demonstrate
A crowd, estimated at 100,000 and made up of conservatives and Christians, massed yesterday in front of Seoul City Hall to denounce North Korea and voice opposition to government efforts to abolish the National Security Law [photo]
Claim Over History Textbook Causes Stir
By Na Jeong-ju Staff Reporter The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development is up in arms over a claim by a Grand National Party lawmaker that a high school history textbook contains left-leaning and anti-American contents. During an inspection of the ministry on Monday, Kwon Chul-hyun, a lawmaker of the conservative GNP, claimed that a history textbook published by Kumsung Publishing Co. for teaching Korea's modern history in high schools is anti-American, pro-North Korean and anti-chaebol.
Education Minister Ahn Byung-young said the ministry would take steps to revise history textbooks where necessary.
120,000-strong rally expected here today
About 120,000 members of the conservative religious and veterans groups will gather in front of Seoul City Hall this afternoon, organizers said, to oppose the repeal of the National Security Law. At 3:30 p.m., the Christian Council of Korea said, 70,000 members of the group will rally to pray for Korea and the retention of the law. Two hours later, a veterans association and anti- North Korea groups said, 50,000 protesters would join the religious group at the rally.
3 of 4 defectors here on welfare, data say
More than 77 percent of the North Koreans who have defected to the South receive minimum standard of living allowances from the government, according to Unification Ministry data sent to the National Assembly. Of the 4,747 defectors currently living here, 3,672 get the allowance, according to the data from the ministry. Nearly 2,700 of the North Koreans on the welfare rolls are capable of working, the ministry said. But it added that only 39 were enrolled in employment programs run by the Health and Welfare Ministry. [Refugee reception]
Seoul to Seek Summit With Pyongyang: Chung
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter South Korea will push for an inter-Korean summit to resolve the prolonged standoff over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Monday. On the first day of the National Assembly's 20- day audit session, Chung said he would make efforts to bring about a second inter-Korean meeting to break the current deadlock in bilateral ties.
Korea Needs Overseas PR Overhaul
By Jung Sung-ki Staff Reporter President Roh Moo-hyun is making great efforts to accomplish his administration��s vision of building South Korea into the economic hub of Northeast Asia with a series of upcoming overseas ``sales diplomacy�� tours. But according to government officials in charge of promoting the nation��s international profile, Roh��s photo opportunities with foreign leaders won��t achieve much in the long-term unless he chooses to invest more in providing information about South Korea to the international community.
The official also expressed concerns that many foreign media outlets still paint only a negative picture of South Korea, highlighting issues relating to the ongoing nuclear standoff with North Korea and labor strikes, mainly due to a lack activities promoting the nation. [Image]
New Aspect of Defector Issue
Seoul Should Take More Fundamental Approach The intrusion by 43 North Korean asylum-seekers into the Canadian embassy in Beijing on Wednesday heralds a new phase in the issue of defectors. The Chinese government, which has previously overlooked North Koreans breaking into foreign embassies, is asking Canada to hand over the intruders. On Monday, Chinese police actually took custody of nine defectors who had sought asylum in an American school in Shanghai. Beijing's hardened policy resulting from the changed environment surrounding defectors is likely to lead to new factors in the issue.
Needless to say, the single biggest factor in the latest developments involving North Korean refugees is the U.S. bill aimed at protecting human rights in the communist country. Pyongyang, which had maintained a ``go-if-you- want'' stance on defectors until recently, has began to tighten the exit routes, fearing the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 will trigger a mass exodus which might lead to the crumbling of the isolationist regime. For Beijing, too, the U.S. bill, and the possible onrush of North Koreans, comes as a major headache not just because of its alliance with Pyongyang but also because of its own internal instability and human rights problems.
As some officials here have said, the U.S. bill, apparently aimed at the collapse of North Korea, needs some fine-tuning to harmonize with the ``soft landing'' policy of Seoul, which cannot handle any event similar to the fall of Berlin Wall on the Korean peninsula. Assuming Washington follows the hardliners' lead in pushing the human rights issue as one of two means for pressing the reclusive regime, along with Pyongyang's nuclear programs, a fierce and complicated diplomatic war of nerves will take place not only between the two Koreas but also between China and the United States. [Refugee reception] [Friction] [Camouflage]
Roh calls on country to lead its own defense
Speaking at ceremonies to mark the 56th anniversary of South Korea's Armed Forces Day, President Roh Moo-hyun said the country should prepare to lead in its own defense against North Korea. "If we have confidence in our capabilities and gradually build up what is necessary for our defense, we will be able to lead in deterring North Korean aggression," Mr. Roh said at Gyeryongdae, a combined Army, Air Force and Navy base in South Chungcheong province. "We have to make focused efforts to have an independent defense capability to protect our national security," Mr. Roh said. The president did not clearly define what he meant by "independent defense," but he outlined his vision for the Korean military. "We should aim to have a capability to carry out independent military strategies, enhanced intelligence, elite soldiers and officers and cutting edge technologies." The Korean military does not have the right to pursue an independent military strategy in war time. [US military dominance]
Roh Vows to Reform Military
By Yoon Won-sup Staff Reporter President Roh Moo-hyun pledged to actively pursue restructuring the military so it can play a leading role in the national defense with the support of a strong alliance with the United States.
``The military itself should firmly conduct reforms,'' Roh said, stressing professionalism and civil control in the military structure in a ceremony held at Army headquarters in South Chungchong Province to commemorate the 56th anniversary of Armed Forces Day Friday.
Abolish "National Security Law"!
North and South Korean People Call For Abolition of Unjust Law The "National Security Law" is an unjust law of South Korea which is one of the hindrances to the reunification of Korea. The DPRK has been opposed to the "law," which still exists in South Korea, especially after the announcement of the June 15 Joint Declaration. South Korean people are also opposed to the "National Security Law," and recently voices demanding the abolition of the "National Security Law" have been getting widespread more and more. In such a situation, the South Korean political world except the right-wing conservative party has begun to demand the abolition of the "law."
YS to Lead Defectors' Broadcasting
Former President Kim Young-sam has become an honorary chairman of the committee for an Internet broadcasting service established and run by North Korean defectors.
Seoul Delegation Won't Visit NK
A South Korean delegation will not be able to attend inter-Korean festivities marking the National Foundation Day to be held in Pyongyang this year, according to an official Thursday. ``Yesterday we received a message from the preparation committee in the North saying it will be difficult to invite the delegation from the South under the current situation,'' the official at the preparation committee in the South said. While celebrating separately, both parties nevertheless agreed to issue a joint statement soliciting a peaceful unification, the official added. The two Koreas have so far held two joint celebrations, including last year's in Pyongyang. One of the few holidays observed by both Koreas, National Foundation Day, or Kaechonjol, marks the foundation of ancient Korean in 2333 B.C. by the nation's legendary founder Tangun. 09-30-2004 17:27
Seoul Ready to Accept Defectors
By Yoon Won-sup Staff Reporter Forty-four North Koreans, who entered the Canadian Embassy in Beijing Wednesday in an apparent bid to seek asylum, will likely be transported to South Korea as they wish, according to government officials.
Meanwhile, as the United States Senate approved a bill Tuesday aimed at improving the human rights situation in North Korea, speculation has surfaced that the latest defectors may be transferred to the U.S.
Navy Succeeds in Test-Firing Lightweight Torpedo
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter South Korea has succeeded in test firing a lightweight torpedo, boosting its naval anti- submarine combat capability, a defense institute said Thursday.
Major Military Scandals Under Probe
By Yoo Dong-ho Staff Reporter The Defense Ministry said Thursday its fact- finding panel is considering delving into a spate of military scandals that had long been veiled in secrecy during the past iron-fisted regimes. [Unit 684]

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