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NORTH KOREA THIS WEEK NO. 469 (October 11, 2007)
*** NEWS IN BRIEF (Part 1)
North Korea's Rodong Sinmun extensively covers Roh's visit
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea's news outlets gave extensive coverage of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun's trip to the North for the second-ever inter-Korean summit.
The Rodong Sinmun, organ of the (North's) Korea Workers' Party Central Committee, covered President Roh's arrival in Pyongyang on its front page on Oct. 4.
The daily newspaper carried three photos, including one showing Roh and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-il shaking hands, as well as an article titled "President Roh Moo-hyun Arrives in Pyongyang; the Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong-il Welcomes President Roh."
The four-page daily carried a total of six stories covering activities by Roh, first lady Kwon Yang-suk and the South Korean delegates on its first three pages.
A headline story atrributed to the "Rodong Sinmun Political News Team" stated, "The summit between the leaders from the North and the South carries great significance in taking North-South relations to a higher level based on the historic 'June 15 North-South Joint Declaration' and the spirit of 'by our nation itself.' It is paving a new way for peace on the Korean Peninsula, co-prosperity of the nation, and the reunification of the fatherland."
The daily also said, "Pyongyang residents lined up along the roads of the capital and welcomed the guests. This forcefully showed once again that independence, peace, reunification, and national prosperity are leading the way under the spirit of 'by our nation itself.' It also demonstrates that nothing in the world can prevent the march of the Korean people, who are struggling to build a reunified Great Prosperous Powerful Nation."
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North Korea cautiously stresses unification after summit
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- In the aftermath of the historic inter-Korean summit, North Korea cautiously stressed reunification with the South while denouncing capitalist society.
According to Uriminzokkiri, the North's official Web site, on Oct. 6, the Rodong Sinmun, organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party, said the age of distrust and confrontation between the two Koreas is gone.
The leaders of the two Koreas signed a declaration on the advancement of inter-Korean relations, peace and prosperity in Pyongyang on Oct. 4.
"As we observe the cataclysmic reality to make a new pathway for fatherland unification, peace on the Korean peninsula, national co-prosperity, on the upgrade of the North-South relations, we have hope and optimism that the national unification day is never far away," the newspaper said.
However, the Rodong Sinmun on Oct. 5 strongly criticized the lifestyle in capitalist societies, though it did not directly refer to the South.
"Although the capitalist society seems to prosper, people are sick in body and spirit under the system, while they are corrupted with deformed material life," it said.
The reclusive North has shown a pattern of strengthening internal control in parallel with its engagement with the outside world.
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Pyongyang holds annual autumn trade fair
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea, which is increasingly engaging South Korea and the U.S., opened its annual autumn trade fair on Oct. 8 to encourage trade with foreign countries.
The (North) Korean Central News Agency said on the same day that the third Pyongyang Autumn International Trade Fair opened at the Three-Revolution Exhibition, with 14 countries and Taiwan participating.
The seasonal fair, which will run till Oct. 11, has been held since 2005, while the North's annual spring fair has been held since 1998.
"Exhibited there were machine tools, electric and electronic equipment, vehicles, petrochemicals, medicines, daily necessities, foodstuffs, etc. from companies of the DPRK (North Korea), China, Germany, Netherlands, Mongolia, Switzerland, Britain, Australia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Canada, France, Finland, Poland and Taipei of China," the news agency said.
Reflecting the importance of the event, Ro Tu-chol, vice premier of the Cabinet, and Rim Kyong-man, minister of Foreign Trade, attended the opening ceremony, it said.
The report said the DPRK would make positive efforts to boost friendship and solidarity with all countries which are friendly toward it and develop cooperation and exchanges with them.
Last year, North Korea's external trade, excluding trade with South Korea, came to US$2.99 billion, down 0.2 percent from the previous year, apparently due to international sanctions after its missile and nuclear tests, according to a report by the Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency in Seoul.
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Kim Jong-il makes first post-summit appearance at Arirang performance
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il showed up at May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on Oct. 10 to watch the North's "Arirang" mass gymnastics performance, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
His appearance at the pro-communist propaganda performance was Kim's first in public since holding summit talks with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in Pyongyang last week.
President Roh watched the Arirang performance during the Pyongyang visit, but Kim failed to show up at that time.
"The moment fireworks were displayed, the stadium shook with cheers of 'Hurrah!' and its background presented letters 'We pay highest tribute to the great leader who is the founder of our party.' The floor of the stadium turned into a sea of flowers and dancers," said the KCNA.
(END)
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