1. Domestic Affairs
Chairman of the National Defense Commission Kim Jong-il inspected
Unit 1200 of the Korea People's Army (KPA), accompanied by senior officials.
TV programs praised Chairman Kim on the upcoming occasion
of his Feb. 16 birthday. Such programs were included, "the Era of His Perpetual
Achievements and Honor" (aired from Jan. 18) and "the Great History of
Patriotism" (Pyongyang Broadcasting Station on Jan. 31). Central Broadcasting
Station reported an exhibition of "Kimjongil" flowers held in Pyongyang (Feb.
2). The opening ceremony of Paektusan Cup Sports Meet for central government
officials was held at a basketball court on Jan. 28. TV stations also reported
that an arts festival would be held in Pyongyang from February to April.
Exhibitions of arts, Korean traditional dress and souvenirs, and a computer
graphics contest were scheduled for his birthday.
Agricultural and environmental conventions were held at
the People's Palace of Culture from Jan. 29 to 30 and Jan. 31, respectively.
2. South Korean Relations
North Korean social organizations issued statements
supporting the petitions and propositions made at the joint meeting of the
government, political parties and major social organizations. They were the Kim
Il-sung Socialist Working Youth League (Jan. 26), the Union of Agricultural
Working People (Jan. 27), the Korean Democratic Women's Union (Jan. 28) and the
North headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the
National Reunification (Jan. 30). North Korean news reported that South Korean dissident
organizations, including regional alliances of student councils, adopted special
resolutions to back the petitions made at the North Korean joint meeting.
News media in Pyongyang also reported on Jan. 31 that the
South headquarters of the National Alliance for the Country's Reunification
(Pomminryon) and another pro-Pyongyang group denounced Lee Hoi-chang, leader of
the South Korean Grand National Party, for his criticism of Mt. Geumgang tourism
project.
3. External affairs
The North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Jan. 31,
attacking U.S. President Bush's State of the Union address. "U.S. Presidents
have never threatened to raid us, a self-reliant sovereign state, this boldly
and directly," a spokesman of the Ministry said in the statement. "His address
is equivalent to the declaration of war against us."
North Korea also denounced the CIA report that suggested
it had nuclear weapons. "It is an intentional and planned maneuver to brand our
republic as a nuclear criminal and isolate us from the international community,"
a North Korean news commentary said.
Rodong Sinmun ran a commentary, titled "the Japanese
Self-Defense Forces (SDF) are aggressors even if they wear U.N. helmets." It
denounced the recent Japanese steps to dispatch SDF to the U.N. peacekeeping
unit. |
