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NORTH KOREA THIS WEEK NO. 470 (October 18, 2007)
*** NEWS IN BRIEF (Part 2)
N. Korea keeps mum on who will participate in talks to end Korean War
PYONGYANG (Yonhap) -- North Korea kept mum on Oct. 12 about proposed talks to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War amid a controversy over last week's agreement by the leaders of the Koreas that didn't specify which countries will participate in the negotiations.
Kim Yong-nam, the North's titular head of state, said "There's not much for me to say concerning the issue" during a meeting with representatives of South Korea's Yonhap News Agency and Japan's Kyodo News Service.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il agreed to hold three- or four-nation talks to officially end the war and build a peace regime on the peninsula during their summit in Pyongyang in early October.
The conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically in a state of war.
As the leaders' agreement did not identify the participants in the talks, a controversy surfaced over which of the four pertinent countries -- South and North Korea, the United States and China -- should be excluded if the talks only involve three nations.
As signatories of the armistice, the U.S. and North Korea must be part of the talks. China, the other signatory of the three-way armistice, claims it will also be a participant, but South Korea has said it will be part of the dialogue on any occasion, partly because the summit agreement was reached between the two Koreas.
"Concerning the three-way, four-way issue, the international news media seem to be dispersing various opinions, so I'd like to tell you there's not much for me to say concerning this issue,” Kim Yong-nam, the North's second-highest official, said.
"My understanding is that we will devise measures according to the circumstances of each time. I have nothing to comment about that," he said.
Regarding the relations between North Korea and Japan, Kim reiterated the North's stance that it seeks to normalize ties based on agreements reached at the two countries' summit in 2002. "We would like to pay attention to movements by the new Fukuda administration," he said.
On the issue of the North's abduction of Japanese citizens, which has been one of the major stumbling blocks to improving relations, Kim said, "I'd like to tell you the abduction issue is one of the kind that has been already resolved."
Pyongyang-Tokyo relations have soured in recent years over the issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s.
When asked about when he expects Pyongyang and Washington to normalize relations, he said it entirely depends on the U.S. "Ask the Bush administration," he added.
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High-level North Korean official starts trip to Syria, Italy
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Choe Tae-bok, chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly, left Pyongyang on Oct. 13 for a trip to Syria and Italy, the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
The KCNA, however, did not provide further details, including the schedule or the purpose of the visits.
Choe's trip comes amid lingering concerns over alleged nuclear cooperation between the North and Syria.
The North has strongly denied the allegation raised by some U.S. media that it has been secretly helping Syria with a nuclear program. The Syrian government has also denied the accusation.
North Korea established diplomatic relations with Syria in July 1966 and with Italy in January 2000.
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Many European companies attend autumn trade fair in Pyongyang: report
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Many European companies reportedly attended an annual international trade fair in Pyongyang this month as relations between North Korea and the West, led by the United States, improved in line with steps toward North Korea's denuclearization.
The Choson Sinbo, organ of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Pyongyang, on Oct. 15 said the 3rd Pyongyang Autumn International Trade Fair took place at the Three-Revolution Exhibition from Oct. 8-11. It said many European firms from such countries as Germany, Switzerland and Italy showed intent to encourage trade and investment related to North Korea.
The newspaper said the European participation in the trade fair, which has been held since 2005, was the largest in the history of the event. However, the majority of the displays, from about 150 companies in 15 countries and regions, were from China as usual, according to the (North) Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 9.
Felix Abt, chairman of the European Business Association that was formed in Pyongyang in 2005, was quoted by the newspaper as saying that if the U.S. sanctions against the North are lifted, more European companies will invest in the reclusive country.
The newspaper said that the European companies are already jointly running or cooperating with the North in the areas of banking, mining, Internet service, software programming and pharmaceutical manufacturing. It added that the lower cost of labor in North Korea is attractive compared with rising costs in China.
(END)
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