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NORTH KOREA THIS WEEK NO. 481 (January 3, 2008)
*** NEWS IN BRIEF (Part 2)
N. Korea says 2007 inter-Korean summit brought 'new phase' of unification
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea said on Dec. 29 that the inter-Korean summit in October was the most significant event of the year between the two sides as it greatly promoted peace on the divided peninsula.
In a review of events that shaped inter-Korean relations in 2007, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the the summit between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and the North's leader Kim Jong-il opened a "new epochal phase" in national unification.
"Indeed, it was a significant year when the entire Korean people in the North and South and abroad turned out in the pro-reunification movement and opened up a new era for the development of North-South relations and peace and prosperity," said the report, monitored in Seoul.
The Roh-Kim meeting, only the second time that the top leaders of the countries have met since the division of the peninsula in 1945, produced a slew of agreements to promote cross-border projects, including the first inter-Korean cargo train service since the 1953 end of the Korean War.
The report also cited a meeting of the two sides' prime ministers in Seoul in mid-November, the first meeting of its kind in 15 years, as another event that has brought the countries closer together.
"They were noteworthy events which opened up a new epochal phase in the movement for national reunification," it said.
The KCNA report also said there was a large increase in inter-Korean exchanges in sports, social and cultural sectors in 2007. It cited joint marches by athletes of the two Koreas during the opening ceremony of the 6th Asian Winter Games in China and a series of reunions of separated family members from the two sides.
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North Korea sends condolences over death of Pakistani opposition leader Bhutto
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea has expressed condolences over the death of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, its official news agency reported on Dec. 29.
In a two-sentence dispatch, the (North) Korean Central News Agency said the North's No. 2 leader and nominal head of state Kim Yong-nam sent "a message of condolences" the previous day to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf over Bhutto's sudden demise.
The 54-year-old former Pakistani prime minister was killed on Dec. 27 in a gun and suicide bomb attack following a rally in the city of Rawalpindi.
Her supporters immediately accused Musharraf of condoning and even masterminding the terrorist act, amid reports Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility.
North Korea established diplomatic relations with Pakistan in November 1972. Ri Yong-hwan has served as the North's ambassador to the South Asian country since April 2006.
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Kim Jong-il receives New Year's cards from foreign leaders
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il received New Year's cards from the leaders of some countries, the North's news outlet said on Jan. 1.
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim received the cards from Hu Jintao, China's president, and Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, on the occasion of New Year's Day.
Other leaders of "comrade" communist countries such as Cuba, Laos and Vietnam also wished the leader of the reclusive communist country well, while those of Syria, Mongolia, Denmark, Ethiopia and Colombia also sent cards to Kim, according to the KCNA.
Heads of international organizations which have close relationships with the North in terms of humanitarian aid and development also sent greetings to Kim, it said.
Among them were Lennart Bage, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development; Koitsiro Matsuura, director-general of UNESCO; Kamil Idris, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization; and Samlee Plianbangchang, director of the Regional Office for South-East Asia of the World Health Organization, according to the KCNA.
(END)
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