*** TIP ON NORTH KOREA

North Koreans' Average Life Expectancies Plummet in Two Years

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Average life expectancies for North Koreans have fallen significantly in two years, a stark contrast to the aging population in the rest of the world, according to a U.S. intelligence agency report.

   North Koreans' average life expectancy in 2010 was estimated to be 64.13, which is 7.4 years shorter than two years earlier, the Central Intelligence Agency said in its updated version of the World Factbook 2010.

   The CIA World Factbook 2010 also estimated average life expectancies for men and women to be 61.5 and 66.9, respectively, compared with 69 and 74 in the 2008 report.

   North Korea ranked 171st among 233 countries on the list, while South Korea was 42nd with an average life expectancy of 78.9, according to World Factbook data carried by U.S. government-funded radio station Voice of America on Nov. 5. The South Korean life expectancy for men was 75.6, and for women 82.3.

   The CIA, however, did not elaborate on what was behind the abrupt decline of the North's figures in the World Factbook.

  
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U.S. Calls on N.K. to Foster Atmosphere for 6-way Talks Resumption

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The United States on Nov. 8 called on North Korea to show sincerity as a precondition to resuming the six-nation negotiations on ending its nuclear programs.

   "We are prepared to resume multilateral discussions at the point we feel they can be constructive," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.

   Crowley was addressing remarks that Rose Gottemoeller, assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification and compliance, made at a forum earlier in the day: "I think it's time to resume talking to them in the six-party context," she said.

   The talks, involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia, have been sidelined over the sinking of a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors in the Yellow Sea in March. The North denies involvement.

   Seoul demands Pyongyang apologize for the Cheonan's sinking and show a commitment to nuclear dismantlement before returning to the nuclear talks, which have been in limbo since early last year over U.N. sanctions for the North's nuclear and missile tests.

   "The president looks forward to his visit to Korea," Crowley said. "I'm confident that North Korea will be a major topic of discussion since he will meet with many of the leaders of the six-party process. We'll compare notes, and then see what happens in the aftermath."

   Stephen Bosworth, special representative for North Korea policy, is currently in Seoul to prepare for Obama's discussions with Lee over North Korea, a diplomatic source said.

   Crowley could not confirm that. "I don't know who we'll have on hand when the president's in Korea," he said.

  
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Ship Sinking Not Directly Related to Nuclear Talks: Seoul

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea's commitment to denuclearize is more important in restarting six-party nuclear talks than its apology for the ship sinking, a top presidential aide said on Nov. 9, another clear shift that Seoul is delinking the two issues.

   Chances of resuming the six-nation talks, stalled for nearly two years, soured when Seoul-led multinational investigation concluded that Pyongyang had torpedoed its warship Cheonan in March. The North claims innocence in the deadly incident that killed 46 sailors.

   Seoul previously opposed reopening the nuclear talks, demanding Pyongyang first apologize for sinking the Cheonan. Officials, however, have recently suggested that the apology is not a prerequisite to having the talks resume.

   "With regard to the six-way talks, whether North Korea has the will to denuclearize is the more important condition than the Cheonan issue," the Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

   The official, however, stressed that Seoul's position on the nuclear talks does not mean it has abandoned the Cheonan issue.

   "Even if we do not set the Cheonan issue as a direct condition (for the resumption of the talks), it can be one of the important barometers in judging North Korea's sincerity," he said. "For now, the Cheonan issue is the most important factor in inter-Korean relations."

   He added Seoul did not detect any indication that the North has restarted the operation of nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. Latest satellite images showed that human and vehicle traffic had picked up in the area.

   This week's G-20 summit, which will bring together leaders of the six-party member states except for North Korea, is expected to be an opportunity for the countries to discuss the Korean nuclear issue. The Lee Myung-bak administration is reportedly seeking to turn around the strained inter-Korean ties after the G-20 summit.

   Another high-level Cheong Wa Dae official said the presidential office has an "idea" on the matter, but that progress will depend on Pyongyang's attitude. He did not elaborate.

  
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Mobile Phone Subscriptions in N. Korea Quadruple in One Year: Operator

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- The number of mobile phone users in North Korea has more than quadrupled in a year, an operator said in a report seen on Nov. 9, illustrating the fast growth of a tech-savvy generation in the reclusive socialist state.

   According to the third quarter earnings report by Cairo-based Orascom Telecom Holding, released on Nov. 7, the number of subscribers in North Korea increased from 69,261 in September 2009 to 301,199 in the same month 2010.

   Orascom operates a joint mobile service with the local Koryolink in North Korea. Orascom said Koryolink "successfully launched the Video Calling service to the market, which resulted in a high level of demand, especially from the youth segment.

   "Koryolink enriched its distribution network during Q3 2010 by adding two new shops inside Pyongyang and one more shop outside Pyongyang to reach a total of 13 shops and 13 indirect sales outlets covering 8 main cities in addition to the capital itself."

   Despite the growth, the overall "mobile penetration" remains at 1 percent in the country that has a per-capita GDP of US$1,900 and a population of 22.8 million, Orascom said.

   North Korea first launched the mobile phone service in Pyongyang in November 2002, but banned it after a deadly explosion in the northern Ryongchon train station in April 2004, possibly out of concern that it could be used in a plot against the regime.

   In 2008, the country reversed its policy and introduced a 3G mobile phone network in a joint venture with Orascom. The regime is reportedly building a factory to produce its own mobile phones.

  
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Bush Expresses Frustration at China's Reluctance to Dissuade N.K. from Going Nuclear

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Former U.S. President George W. Bush has recounted frustrations he felt while seeking China's help in dissuading North Korea from going nuclear and pursuing long-range missiles.

   Bush recalls in his memoir, "Decision Points," the moment in October 2002 when he asked Chinese President Jiang Zemin at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, for China's help in pressuring North Korea not to pursue nuclear weapons programs.

   "He told me North Korea was my problem, not his," Bush said, quoting Jiang as saying also, "Exercising influence over North Korea is very complicated."

   In his memoir, Bush discusses the time he quit the Agreed Framework, citing North Korea's clandestine uranium program, another way to make nuclear bombs.

   The North's plutonium-producing nuclear facilities were frozen under the 1994 deal, signed under the Bill Clinton administration, in return for two light-water nuclear reactors, which are less conducive to nuclear armament, and other economic and diplomatic benefits.

   Citing the uranium program, the U.S. stopped building the light-water reactors and providing alternative energy to the North, which then seceded from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and expelled inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

   In February 2003, Bush said he had to step up pressure on China with a threat of a possible attack on North Korea.

   "I told President Jiang that if we could not solve the problem diplomatically, I would have to consider a military strike against North Korea," he said.

   China, North Korea's biggest beneficiary, moved to convene multilateral talks in August 2003 to discuss North Korea's nuclear dismantlement. The talks involved the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.

   A six-party nuclear deal was signed in September 2005 for the North's nuclear dismantlement in return for massive economic aid, diplomatic recognition and establishment of a permanent peace regime to replace the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

   "I was skeptical," Bush said. "Kim Jong-il had violated his commitments in the past. If he did so again, he would be breaking his word not just to the United States, but to all his neighbors, including China."

   North Korea "fired a barrage of missiles" into the East Sea in July 2006, Bush said.

   "The test was a military failure, but the provocation was real," he said. "My theory was that Kim saw the world focused on Iran and was craving attention. He also wanted to test the coalition to see how much he could get away with."

   Bush said he called Chinese President Hu to ask for public condemnation, but Hu's statement was "mild," just "reiterating his commitment to 'peace and stability' and opposing 'any actions that might intensify the situation.'"

   Three months later, North Korea carried out "its first full-fledged nuclear test," Bush said.

   Hu's response was that he "strongly opposed this," said Bush. "We engaged in conversations to appeal to the North Koreans for restraint. However, our neighbor turned a deaf ear to our advice."

   Bush said he believes China holds the key to North Korea's denuclearization.

  (END)