1. Domestic Affairs
The 10th Supreme People's Assembly convened its fifth session
(Mansudae Assembly Hall, March 27). Deputies discussed the 2001 and 2002 party
projects (Prime Minister Hong Song-nam reported). They also reviewed the 2001
and 2002 budgets (Finance Minister Moon Il-bong reported). The assembly approved
a bill on land planning. Central and Pyongyang broadcasting stations and Central
TV reported on March 27 that the assembly discussed its 'organizational issues,'
but touched on only the three agenda items alone on March 28.
Chairman of the National Defense Commission Kim Jong-il
met members of the visiting Russian Presidential Orchestra and watched their
concert (March 27).
News media reported preparation for the upcoming Fourth
Exhibition of Kim Jong-il Flowers. This year's show expects an increased number
of participants, including the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, the Kim
Il-sung Socialist Working Youth League, and the Academy of Sciences (Central
Broadcasting Station, March 27). Kim Il-sung flowers are tropical perennial
plants of orchid family, which the late leader Kim Il-sung received from then
Indonesian president in April, 1965.
Hong Chang-soo, a member of the Tokyo-based pro-North
Korean association of Korean Japanese, called Chongryon, defended his World
Super-flyweight Championship for the fourth time (Central Broadcasting Station,
March 24).
2. South Korean Relations
A South Korean special
envoy is scheduled to visit North Korea. (Pyongyang Broadcasting Station
reported on March 25). "Both sides will discuss inter-Korean issues of mutual
interest as well as grave situation facing Korea."A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful
Reunification of the Fatherland denounced the North Korea policy of the major
South Korean opposition party, the Grand National Party (March 29). "Their basic
stance on North Korea negates the basic North-South Agreements and the June 15
Summit Declaration. It amounts to an act of declaring war on North Korea and
poses an obstacle to the national reunification," the official said in a
statement.
3. External affairs
Indonesian President Megawati visited Pyongyang (March 28 to 30).
She met Kim Yong-nam, president of the Supreme People's Assembly (March 28) and
Chairman of the National Defense Commission Kim Jong-il (March 29).
North Korea expressed its will to implement its Geneva
framework agreement with the United States (Central Broadcasting Station
reported, March 29). "Despite the electricity loss and negative effect on the
national economy due to the freeze on our nuclear reactor, we have not broken
and will not break the agreement we made with the United States," the station
said in a news commentary.
The Academy of Sciences concluded an agreement on
scientific research cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences (March
22).
A delegateg North Korean diplomat gave an address in the
58th U.N. meeting on human rights (March 22). "Japan occupied Korea militarily
and committed inhumane crimes on the Korean people. All countries, including
Japan, which had a record of racial discrimination, should take responsibility
for their wrongdoing," he said in the speech.
A group of German physicists and engineers visited North
Korea (March 23). They discussed possible joint researches, exchanges of
information and researchers, and other cooperation issues in science and
technology with North Korean scientists and
engineers. |
