YONHAP NEWS

NORTH KOREA THIS WEEK NO. 489 (March 6, 2008)

   *** NEWS IN BRIEF (Part 2)

North Korea blasts U.S. hard-liners on Independence Movement Day
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea's state-run media alleged on March 1 that U.S. hard-liners are attempting to invade and rule the socialist state like Japan colonized Korea during the last century.

   In a commentary marking Korea's 1919 Independence Movement against Japan's colonization, Rodong Sinmun, a newspaper published by the North's ruling Workers' Party, insisted Washington retains a hawkish stance against Pyongyang as a prelude to military action.

   "There is not a change in the minds of the hard-lined U.S. force that seeks to invade our republic and exert its rule over the entire nation," the commentary was quoted as saying by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

   March 1 marks the anniversary of the 1919 movement, when millions of unarmed Koreans launched demonstrations across the nation calling for independence from Japan's iron-fisted rule.

   Thousands were killed and tens of thousands more wounded when Japanese soldiers fired on the protesters. Japan's colonial rule lasted from 1910 to 1945. Only South Korea observes the date as a national holiday.

   "The 3.1 popular uprising has taught us the precious truth that an armed enemy must be defeated with arms," the official Korean Central Television Broadcasting Station also said during its introduction of the historic movement.

   "No revolution or victory is possible without the guidance of an outstanding leader," the station added, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

   The comments came after the New York Philharmonic made a rare concert in the North Korean capital Pyongyang, signaling a thaw in relations between the two countries that remain technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

   North Korea, which shut down its sole nuclear reactor last year under an aid-for-disarmament six-nation accord, is currently at odds with the U.S. as Pyongyang maintains it has submitted a list of its nuclear programs and equipment, while Washington said it never received a complete list.


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North Korea says military drills will hinder its denuclearization
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea warned on March 3 that the ongoing joint military exercises by South Korea and the United States will slow down the six-party efforts to denuclearize the communist state.

   "They are, to all intents and purposes, maneuvers for a nuclear war to seize the DPRK (North Korea) by force of arms in light of their scale and nature," a spokesman for the North's Foreign Ministry said in an interview with the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

   South Korea and the U.S. began the six-day military maneuvers code-named "Key Resolve" and "Foal Eagle" on March 1 to deter potential military threats from North Korea.

   The annual military exercise involves a large portion of South Korea's 650,000 troops, as well as about 12,000 U.S. forces stationed in South Korea and 6,000 U.S. troop reinforcements from U.S. mainland and Pacific bases, according to the South Korean military.
The San Diego-based USS Nimitz, a 93,000-ton U.S. aircraft carrier that can accommodate over 6,000 crew members and more than 100 aircraft, and the nuclear-powered U.S. submarine USS Ohio are part of the drill.

   The military maneuvers demonstrate that Washington "is invariably sticking to its hostile policy to stifle the DPRK by force," the spokesman claimed.

   "Such nuclear threats and blackmail do not work on the DPRK but will only put a brake on the process of the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula," the KCNA quoted him as saying.

   North Korea will take necessary countermeasures, "including those to further bolster all its deterrent forces," the spokesman said.

  North Korea has routinely denounced the annual military drills. However, this year's exercises came amid stalled efforts to persuade Pyongyang to give up its atomic ambitions. Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test in October 2006, ignoring international pressure.

   Also on the same day, the North's Korean Central Broadcasting Station, monitored in Seoul, said the joint military exercises are "aimed at the rapid deployment of the U.S. imperialist aggressor forces and South Korean forces, the formation of combined forces and commando operations against the DPRK for another Korean war."
"An extremely dangerous situation is prevailing on the Korean Peninsula due to the frantic war moves by the U.S. imperialists and South Korean forces," the radio report said.

   It also said the North Korean military and the people are carefully watching the maneuvers by the "U.S. and South Korean warmongers" and are ready to strike back in case of any attack.

   The North Korean media comments followed statements issued by two spokesmen for the Panmunjom Mission of the (North) Korean People's Army and for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.

   "If the U.S. and South Korean bellicose forces persistently work to realize their scenario to stifle the DPRK by force of arms at any cost, the KPA will not stand passively on the defensive but counter it with positive retaliatory strikes by mobilizing all means long built up by the DPRK at a high price," the Panmunjom spokesman said.

   The spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland also claimed indiscriminate maneuvers by the "warmongers" are creating a serious obstacle to denuclearization and peace of the peninsula.

   Some 28,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War. The two Koreas technically remain at war, as the Korean War ended with an armistice not a peace treaty.


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North Korea calls for extra measures to combat terrorism
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea on March 4 called the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq typical examples of "state-sponsored terrorism" and called for extra efforts from the United Nations to combat terrorism.

   "The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq and the Israeli occupation of Arab territories have caused a vicious cycle of terrorism and horrible bloodshed as they are typical state-sponsored terrorism," the (North) Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing an unnamed North Korean delegate's comments to a U.N.-sponsored anti-terrorism meeting last month.

   The delegate called on the U.N. "to take substantial measures to combat terrorism" during the meeting of the special committee on international terrorism that opened in New York on Feb. 25, the KCNA said.

   The belated report came amid news reports that Washington is unlikely to remove Pyongyang this year from its list of countries sponsoring terrorism. North Korea was put on the list after its agents were found to have bombed a South Korean airliner in 1987, killing all 115 people on board.

   Washington insists Pyongyang give a complete and accurate account of its nuclear programs, including a suspected covert uranium enrichment program, prior to its removal from the blacklist.

  The North Korean delegate also said his country has "opposed all forms of terrorist actions and any form of supporting it" and would "positively contribute to the efforts of the international community to root out terrorism," according to the KCNA report.


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North Korea claims 'no hurry' to break deadlock, blames U.S.

   SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea said on March 5 it does not care about the U.S. presidential election and is "in no hurry" to resolve the dispute over its nuclear programs while the current U.S. administration is in office.

   Rodong Sinmun, organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party, made the comment in an article titled "Hawkish policies will not work on us."
"The U.S. implemented zero percent its commitment in six-party agreements to remove the DPRK (North Korea) from its list of terrorism-sponsoring countries and sanctions imposed under the Trading with the Enemy Acts," the daily said in a commentary.

   "Reality is like this. For what reason should we hurry up while the 'action-for-action' principle is not kept?" asked the commentary, carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

   The six-party talks are now deadlocked over Pyongyang's alleged failure to provide a full list of its nuclear programs.

   Under the terms of the six-party deal, the North was to have disabled all its nuclear facilities and declared all its nuclear programs by the end of 2007, in exchange for energy and political rewards. Washington also promised to take North Korea off the U.S. terrorism blacklist and remove economic sanctions as the denuclearization process moves forward.

   North Korea began disabling its key nuclear complex in Yongbyon in November, but slowed the disablement process earlier this year, accusing the U.S. and the four other members of the talks of failing to honor their pledges.

   Pyongyang claims it provided a full list of its nuclear programs in November but Washington insists it cannot remove the North from the list until it provides a full and accurate declaration of its nuclear programs.

   Angry hardline U.S. politicians have urged the Bush administration to end six-party dialogue and employ a stronger policy toward North Korea, blaming the communist country's "delaying tactics" for the current impasse.

   "We don't care who will become the next U.S. president," said Rodong Sinmun. "It's absurd and false that the U.S. hardline conservatives mislead public opinion to make it look as if we anticipate something from the next U.S. president."
The North warned the U.S. will face an "ultra hawkish countermeasure" and the six-party efforts will come to nothing if Washington takes a tough policy against the communist state.


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North Korea wants more cultural exchanges with UK: envoy
LONDON (Yonhap) -- North Korea is exploring ways to expand cultural exchanges with Britain following the New York Philharmonic's unprecedented performance in Pyongyang, the socialist country's ambassador to Britain said on March 4.

   Amb. Ja Song-nam delivered an address in a joint session of the British House of Lords and House of Commons, marking the first time a North Korean diplomat has done so.

  North Korea invited the legendary British rock guitarist Eric Clapton to perform in Pyongyang early next year in exchange for a performance in London by the North's State Symphony Orchestra scheduled for September, Ja said.

   "We haven't yet heard from Clapton and he will make a decision," the envoy said. He appealed for help from all participants in the meeting "to promote cultural exchange between the two countries."
North Korea established diplomatic ties with Britain in 2000. The reclusive communist state has been making concerted efforts to increase its cultural diplomacy as it struggles to join the international community.

   A concert by Clapton in Pyongyang would be a rare opportunity for North Koreans to hear Western rock music, as the communist country has banned rock music out of fear that it would spread capitalist Western pop culture in the isolated society.

   During the meeting that lasted one-and-a-half hours, Ja gave a brief explanation of the past and present situations surrounding North Korea and answered questions on human rights, nuclear issues and cultural exchanges from participants. Among them were seven British lawmakers, human rights activists, Korea experts, businessmen and journalists.

   The envoy denied allegations of a covert uranium enrichment program by Pyongyang and nuclear technology transfers, both key sticking points delaying negotiations over North Korea's nuclear programs.

   "There is no uranium enrichment program and the allegation that our country has transferred nuclear technology to Syria is groundless," Ja said. "We cannot disclose a non-existent thing, whether the disclosure is made in public or in secret," he said.

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