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04/28 Bush rejects direct dialogue with North Korea over nuclear question (AFP) -- US President George W. Bush will not enter into direct talks with North Korea to end its nuclear drive, his spokesman said amid seemingly new enthusiasm by Pyongyang to end the standoff.
04/28 Dr. Khan's Shady Nuclear Family (WorldPressReview) -- Covers have been drawn over the vintage cars that once sparkled in the driveway of Abdul Qadeer Khan’s Islamabad house. It seems overt wealth is not the image the “father” of the Islamic bomb would like to portray at the moment.
04/28 South Korea- No More “Kowtowing” to Uncle Sam (WorldPressReview) -- For the past 50 years, South Korea’s foreign policy had been in virtual lock step with the United States, through South Korea’s military dictatorships and first steps toward democracy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But President Roh Moo-hyun seems determined to keep the promises he made to his fervently nationalistic supporters during the 2002 election. The days of South Korea “kowtowing” to the United States are over, he has said.
04/27 Korea borders on ungrateful (NewsInteractive) -- NORTH Korea yesterday baulked at opening its heavily- armed border to relief from rival South Korea, despite rising international concern for thousands injured and left homeless by a massive train blast.
04/27 General- Failures in tests could mean trouble (KCAU) -- A top U-S military official says if two upcoming tests fail, it could mean "big problems" for the nation's controversial missile defense program. But Lieutenant General Ron Kadish (KAY'-dish) says he expects the tests to succeed. Kadish is the chief of the military's missile defense programs.
04/25 N. Korea Accuses U.S. of Preparing Attack (AP) -- North Korea accused the United States Sunday of preparing to attack it and said it would review parts of the armistice that ended the Korean War five decades ago. North Korea cited U.S. military plans to relinquish control of a key outpost along the tense border between the two Koreas.
04/25 North Korea blast prompts Japan aid pledge (Japan Times) -- The government decided Sunday to provide emergency aid to North Korea following last week's massive train yard explosion. Tokyo is planning to give Pyongyang medical relief supplies worth $100,000 through international organizations.
04/24 N.Korea Says to Push Ahead with Nuclear Deterrent (Reuters) -- North Korea will push ahead with its nuclear deterrent, saying time is not on President Bush's side in trying to resolve the atomic crisis, a U.S. expert on North Korea, Selig Harrison of the Center for International Policy in Washington, said on Saturday after meeting top officials in Pyongyang.
04/24 [Editorial] Park Geun Hye and National Security Law (hankyoreh) -- It is most welcome when Grand National Party (GNP) Chairwoman Park Geun Hye says "there's room for thinking about adjustments to the National Security Law (NSL)." The GNP has long been obstinate about the NSL issue, so her comments are very much an attitude conversion.
04/24 We Must Do All We Can to Help North’s Disaster Victims (Chosun Ilbo) -- For our government to reveal its intention to quickly send aid in connection with the catastrophic train explosion in North Korea was the proper attitude to take. Granted, the North has yet make any official announcements, nor has the cause of the accident or the scale or extent of the damage been confirmed, but one can guess from the news alone of thousand killed or injured and factories and homes demolished that this is a disaster too great for the North Koreans to handle alone.
04/24 What if Kim Jong-il had been killed (Asia Times) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il returned safely to Pyongyang from a brief visit to China, officially confirmed by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) only after he was back home. But Kim appears to have had a proximate brush with death or injury en route Thursday:
04/24 Apocalyptic Scenes in N.Korea, Death Toll at 154 (Reuters) -- The Red Cross described apocalyptic scenes around the site of a train explosion in North Korea (news - web sites) but said on Saturday the death toll stood at 154 -- far lower than first feared. North Korea blamed carelessness for Thursday's blast in the town of Ryongchon near the Chinese border, which sent debris flying for miles and caused damage 2.4 miles away.
04/22 Hundreds of Casualties Feared in North Korea Train Explosion (NYT) -- Hundreds of people were killed and injured when two trains loaded with fuel collided and exploded in a North Korean railroad station on Thursday, only hours after North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, had passed by, according to reports in South Korean news media.
04/22 [NEWS ANALYSIS]Former student activists now at political center stage (KoreaHerald) -- Former student activists, who led the democracy fight against a military regime in the 1980s, have made hefty inroads into the conservative dominated parliament, vowing to introduce clean and transparent politics. As many as 20 former liberal activists, who mostly ran on Uri Party tickets, are expected to spearhead reform measures in the new National Assembly and promote brisk inter-Korean relations
04/21 'Plan of Attack' Discusses North Korea (ChosunIlbo) -- Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack," which has won major popularity for recording the behind-the-scenes story of the American war in Iraq, contains information related to North Korea. Released on April 19, the Chosun Ilbo will transcribe excerpts from the book that deals with North Korea.
04/21 Kim Jong Il pays unofficial visit to China (NewChina) -- Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), paid an unofficial visit to China from April 19 to 21 at the invitation of Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president.
04/21 South Korea welcomes Kim Jong Il's China trip on nuclear issue (CBC) -- South Korea said Wednesday it hoped North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's trip to China would contribute to a peaceful resolution of the crisis over his country's nuclear weapons programs. In its first reaction to Kim's trip, the South Korean Foreign Ministry issued a one-sentence statement saying it hoped that talks between Kim and Chinese leaders also would lead to increased exchanges between the two Koreas.
04/21 History won't ignore Pentagon's role in Iraq (aljazeera) -- These little birds are headed to the sandbox" runs the caption under pictures of helicopters on Blackwater's website. Blackwater is just one of a large number of private military contractors operating in Iraq, and is currently in the spotlight as the employer of the four American 'civilians' killed in Fallujah
04/18 Who's Afraid of the Libyian Model- Real reason behind U.S' opposition to applying the Libyan model to N.K. (OhMyNews) -- As the dispute between the United States and North Korea on the nuclear issue is being drawn out, an argument that North Korea should follow the Libyan path is gaining strength inside as well as outside the Bush administration. However, this argument may not be based on a careful analysis of Libya's internal situation and the three party negotiations among the US, UK, and Libya that served as an effective catalyst for Muammar Gadhafi's disarmament pledge.
04/18 What the UN Envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi Actually Said And Was Unreported By the Major U.S. Media (aljazeera) -- Dr. Lakhdar Brahimi, made very clear in his statements after meetings with Iraqi and American leaders in Iraq that Mr. Bremer and U.S. Military officers had inflamed the situation in Iraq and they had best change their ways. He pointed out that Iraqis were tired of the American arrests of people without charges, holding them without trials, torturing and brutalizing people who were under arrest, and often killing those they arrested.
04/18 [Editorial] No Co-existence Without Canceling Impeachment (Hankyoreh) -- From start to finish the 17th National Assembly election was about the impeachment situation. In opinion polls taken immediately after the impeachment bill was passed, close to 80 percent of the people expressed their opposition to its approval. Later, other issues such as Assemblywoman Park Geun Hye's selection as the head of the Grand National Party (GNP) and Uri Party chairman Chung Dong Young's comments "disrespectful" of elder members of society would gain attention, but neither ever became a decisive influence.
04/18 Uri seeks to revamp Assembly (Korea Herald) -- The pro-government party, which supports the reform ideas of impeached President Roh Moo-hyun, also said it would submit bills that would allow the public to recall lawmakers considered "unfit" to continue their tenure.
04/18 North Korea's Kim Due in Beijing on Monday (Yonhap) -- North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il is expected to arrive in Beijing Monday afternoon for talks on the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and economic aid, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. Kim had crossed into China by train Sunday and would hold talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao during a four-day visit.
04/17 GNP leader, Park Kun-hye, refuses to discuss issue, awaits court ruling (Korea Herald) -- Calls are growing for parliament to withdraw its impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun after the pro-government Uri Party trounced the opposition forces, which led the move, when it clinched a majority in Thursday's crucial general elections.
04/17 'Sea of Japan' Marked 'East Sea' on Marco Polo’s Travel Map (Chosun Ilbo) -- An 18th century English map was discovered which marks the East Sea (Sea of Japan) as the "Eastern Sea." This map suggests that Westerners back in the 13th century during Marco Polo’s times addressed today’s East Sea as the Eastern Sea
04/17 S. Korea's ties to U.S. at risk after election (Mecury) -- A stunning victory by a new liberal party in South Korea is threatening to strain the country's relations with the United States, casting doubt on Seoul's support for key U.S. policies in Iraq and North Korea. The fledgling Uri Party, created just five months ago, swept to a majority win in South Korea's parliamentary election Thursday, capturing 152 of the 299 seats. It marks the first time in 43 years that a left-leaning party has won a parliamentary majority in South Korea, and it signals a sharp left turn in the country's politics.
04/15 Uri to Take Majority in S. Korea Vote (AP) -- Voters dealt a blow to the lawmakers who impeached President Roh Moo-hyun, swinging behind the liberal Uri Party in a parliamentary election Thursday that could reshape relations with the United States and rival North Korea.
04/13 Regime investmentWhat is it like to do business in North Korea (BBC)- The country's admission to a nuclear weapons programme and its listing on George W Bush's "axis of evil" means most people are staying well away. But Mr Barrett, 49, a former troop commander in the British army who has 10 years experience of doing business in North Korea, recently opened a branch of his consultancy firm, Korea Business Consultants, in Pyongyang.
04/10 Conde Rice Betrayed and Betrays America By Sam Hamod (aljazeerah) - Conde Rice in her testimony, on April 8, 2004, before the 9/11 Commission showed that she cares less for America and its safety than defending herself and President Bush. Her duty is to the American people. Because of her dodging of questions, the filibustering rather than answering questions shows that she has, and continues to betray America.
04/07 New command renews Navy focus on hunting submarines (Fredericks) -- The Navy is creating a command to strengthen its ability to hunt submarines, including quiet diesel-electric subs that patrol shallow waters and could pose a threat to U.S. forces in areas of conflict.
04/07 U.S. Military Moves in S. Korea Assailed (KCNA) -- The U.S. plan to deploy an Aegis destroyer in the East Sea of Korea can not be construed otherwise than a military step prompted by its strategy to mount a preemptive nuclear attack on the DPRK, says Minju Joson today. The news analyst goes on: The U.S. seeks to justify the deployment of the destroyer in the waters off the Korean peninsula with the ridiculous pretext of "missile threat from the north" but this is a vain attempt.
04/07 US can deter any North Korean attack, says US military commander in SKorea (Space War) -- The United States is capable of repulsing any swift attack from nuclear-armed North Korea in the Korean peninsula, the US military commander in South Korea confidently told a congressional hearing Wednesday. General Leon Laporte said 70 percent of North Korea's ground force of almost one million active duty soldiers were currently deployed south of Pyongyang, capable of attacking its southern neighbor with "little tactical warning."
04/03 Last communist rebel dies in South Korea, amid North's demand for her return (Yahoo) -- Chung Soon-duk, whose bloody capture in 1963 marked the end of South Korea's prolonged battles against communist guerrillas, died this week. She was 71.
04/02 US presence in the Pacific deterring PRC, US Navy says (China Post) -- The U.S. military presence in the Western Pacific continues to deter mainland China from launching an attack against Taiwan, according to the Pentagon's most senior naval officer responsible for U.S. forces in the region. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Adm. Thomas Fargo, commander U.S. Pacific Command, noted that the U.S. "ability to dissuade and deter China ... is really very good."
04/02 Kang Song- Sanctions on N. Korea would hurt the weakest (Asahi). -- Japanese society lacks the imagination to understand who would suffer the most by the sanctions it imposes.... To ethnic Koreans like us who depend on both Japan and the Korean Peninsula for survival, sanctions appear like a knife that would rip us apart.
04/02 [NEWS ANALYSIS]Internet revolutionizes campaign (KoreaHerald) -- For 22-year old office worker Yoon Jung-wook, the day before President Roh Moo-hyun's election was unforgettable. About midnight, she received a mobile text message from her friend saying that Chung Mong-jun had ripped up his party alliance with Roh. Chung was the president of the National Alliance 21, which was linked to the pro-government Millennium Democratic Party and its candidate Roh.
04/02 North Korea's Nuclear Test in Pakistan (KWW) - On June 10, 1998, an Air Koryo chartered plane took off the runway of the Islamabad International Airport of Pakistan. No one had anticipated the significance of this Pyongyang-bound flight in the affairs of the Korean peninsula. On board the plane were the 20 North Korean nuclear scientists who had conducted an underground nuclear test at Pakistan's Balochistan nuclear test site. In addition, the plane was loaded with the nuclear test equipment and test data.
04/02 Park Kun-hye - The New Leader of the Grand National Party (KWW) -- The Grand National Party (GNP), the dominant opposition party of Korea, elected Park Kun-hye its new leader. Park is the eldest daughter of Park Jung-hee, the military dictator of South Korea for nearly two decades, the chief military officer of the Communist Party of South Korea, and the loyal soldier of Emperor Hirohito. GNP's fortune began to decline when its former chief and presidential candidate, Lee Hoe-chang, lost out to a young upstart Roh Moo-hyun in a close election last year. After a series of unpopular moves, GNP committed a major blunder last month when it engineered Roh's impeachment, which was a wrong move at a wrong time.
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