NK NEWS BRIEF | September 11, 2013

September 9th celebrations in PY for the 65th anniversary of the country’s founding | Photo: REUTERS/KCNA

ECONOMY & FOOD SECURITY

• After marathon negotiations, NK and SK have agreed to reopen the KIC. The agreement was reached 136 days after SK workers were initially forced to leave the complex. In addition to resuming operations, the sides agreed to set up a secretariat for their committee, allow SKs entry into the complex at all times on a daily basis, exempt taxes due this year for SK firms as a compensation measure for losses caused by the closure, and hold further talks on the matter of unpaid wages for NKorean workers.

• RFA: NK plans to build special tourist and economic zones throughout the country to raise foreign currency. However, interest in special economic zones in Sinuiju and Rason is lukewarm due to past failures and lack of basic infrastructure. Instead, more focus may be placed on a “tourist belt” from Mt. Baekdu (Yangkang Province) to Mt. Chilbo (N. Hamgyong Province).

• ORNK: The govt’s recent mandate to plant grass for livestock grazing has been met with irritation and disillusionment from NKoreans.

NK INTERNAL

• On September 9th NK celebrated its 65th birthday with festivities in PY, new Independence Day stamps, and distribution of this year’s corn harvest and wartime rice reserves. Unfortunately, food has not been distributed outside of PY and that has driven up food prices in provincial markets. Video of PY during the celebration.

• NK leadership Watch: During the Worker-Peasant Red Guards parade for the 65th anniversary celebrations, results of current internal political reshuffling were evident. Gen. Ri Yong Gil stood in the spot previously occupied by Gen. Kim Kyok Sik, indicating that Gen. Ri has replaced Gen. Kim.  Also, the event marked the return of KWP Secretary and weapons industry boss Pak To Chun.

• Instead of the typical displays of heavy weaponry, the 65th anniversary parade focused more on promoting KJU’s personal achievements.

• NK’s plan for three big prestige projects (a ski resort, an equestrian club, and turning barren land into beautified lawns) is diverting funds away from more important needs. The regime is forcing diplomats, workers overseas, and Chongryon to raise funds for the projects.

HUMAN RIGHTS

• As uncertainty and disappointment swirl around recent developments on Kenneth Bae’s release, the USG says it is still willing to send Amb. King to NK if they reinstate the invitation.

• “Lawyers for Korean Peninsula Human Rights and Unification”, a new group that draws its membership entirely from the legal profession, was launched in Seoul. The group’s mission is: to devise ways to bring about the rapid enactment of the NKHR Act; to attempt to bring about resolutions to pressing issues including those of POWs, abductees, defectors, and separated families; and to conduct research into the development of legal and institutional mechanisms for use in the unification process and thereafter.

REFUGEES

• The SKorean embassy in Laos has reportedly gained custody of six NKorean children, all aged 6 and 7 years old, who were arrested near the Laos border with their guide.

• Re-re-defector Kim Kwang-ho has been repatriated to SK with his family after their detention in China, however he has been charged with violating SK’s archaic National Security Law for visiting NK without permission, praising the KJU regime, and disclosing the information of defectors.

• Asahi Shimbun: Kyoko Takayasu, a NKorean of Japanese ancestry who escaped NK after her family background held her back, has saved up and donated 15,000 USD to help build a school in Nepal.

• Lee Young Guk spent four and a half years at Camp No. 15. In his book, “I Was Kim Jong Il’s Bodyguard,” he discusses how he used up all his strength just to stay alive; however, after thirteen years in SK, he has realized motivation comes from different places.

• Young Defectors’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, a group that connects young South Koreans and defectors, recently held its opening night performance of an original show titled “Yi Jung Sa Yeon.” The story shows the ups and downs of life for young NKoreans living in the South.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS & SECURITY

• PGH at the G20 summit in St. Petersburg: “As mutual trust builds between the South and North, and if denuclearization proceeds, we aim to provide infrastructure support for North Korea…We’re ensuring that we build the foundations for peaceful Korean Peninsula reunification, and I want to work create a Republic of Korea that contributes to the happiness of the global village. Korea wants to be able to demonstrate the potential of the Northeast Asian region, and I proposed the plan for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia with the thought of what role we must play in mind.”

• Charged with conspiring to stage a revolt, plotting to disrupt SKorean systems, and creating an organization benefiting NK, SKorean UPP politician Lee Seok Ki was stripped of his parliamentary immunity, clearing the way for his arrest.

• NYT: US & SK reiterated their stance that there will be no formal talks with NK unless it shows willingness to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

• After China’s chief nuclear envoy to NK’s unsuccessful plea to get NK to abandon its nuclear weapons program, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping said that he “hopes the Six Party Talks will begin again soon.” He added that the talks “must adhere to their original purpose,” which aim to denuclearize NK and have it return to the NPT.

• With international attention on Syria’s use of chemical weapons and concern about setting precedents of non-action, the NK-threat factor is being emphasized by the USG. US Secretary of Defense stated, “North Korea maintains a massive stockpile of chemical weapons” and that NK’s arsenal presents a “real threat” to SK.

ANALYSIS & OPINION

• Cathcart: “When new Vice Premier Liu Yuanchao arrived in Pyongyang this past July 25th to commemorate the Korean War armistice, he brought not only a sleek vase, but a dumpy tea set with six cups. Not only was the tea set cheap, the kind of thing that could be bought in an airport waiting area, it was an unsubtle indication of China’s desire for the North to resume Six-Party Talks toward denuclearization.”

• Snyder: “North Korea has successfully avoided accountability for its persistent efforts to expand its WMD capacity. The United States intervened in Iraq at the same time that North Korea was on the verge of conducting its first nuclear test. North Korea has publicly stated that the Obama administration’s intervention in Libya affirms that North Korea has taken the right path by pursuing its nuclear development. A U.S. focus only on Syria, despite evidence of North Korea’s support for the latter’s WMD programs, will strengthen Pyongyang’s belief that its nuclear weapons program is successfully deterring U.S. and international efforts from holding it accountable for its actions.”

• Pinkston: “The alternative to civil society engagement is to isolate the DPRK completely and prevent socialisation processes that can accelerate critical thinking. Now that the Rodman visit has produced an arrangement for exchanges in sports and culture, more North Koreans will be exposed to new ideas and information. This should be welcomed and encouraged since it comes with very little risk and cost, but it creates a small window of opportunity for social exchange and, perhaps, some eventual policy change in North Korea.”

MISC

• Scientists from the UK, US, and NK have teamed up to investigate recent earthquake activity at Mt. Baekdu – a volcano straddling the Chinese-NKorean border that has been dormant for 1,000 years.

• SKorean weightlifters will head to PY this week to participate in the 2013 Asian Cup and Interclub Weightlifting Championship. NK is expected to allow SK’s flag to be flown and its national anthem to be played on its soil for the first time.

• During his five-day stint in NK, former NBA star Dennis Rodman distanced himself from Kenneth Bae negotiations, revealed KJU’s daughter’s name, agreed to arrange a US-NK basketball match, and announced plans to collaborate on a book with KJU.

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