1. Domestic Affairs
o Chairman of the National Defense
Commission Kim Jong-Il inspected Korea Peoples Army Unit 744 that has been
awarded the honorable title of the 7th Regiment of Oh Jung-Hup. (July 6, Central
Radio)
-Kim was accompanied by Ri Myong-Su (Head of the Operation Department
of the Chief of Staff, Peoples Army General), Hyon Chol-Hae (Deputy Director of
the Organization Department of the General Political Bureau, Peoples Army
General), Pak Jae Kyong (Director General of the Propaganda Department of the
General Political Bureau, Peoples Army General), and others.
o A variety of memorial events were held to mark the 8th
anniversary of the death of Kim Il-Sung (July 8th)
- National Art Exhibition
opening (July 2); Womens Union's members remembrance meeting for Kim Il-Sung
(July 4); Kim Il-Sung Remembrance Committees organized in eight countries
including Austria and Uganda held various memorial events including forums,
lectures, photo exhibitions, film viewing, etc.
o Central TV propagandized that the Kanggye Basic Food
Plant and Moranbong Watch Plant are modernizing their facilities through
initiatives including computerization. (Central TV, July 1)
o Central Radio
reported that the northward move of typhoon No. 5 Ramasoon caused heavy rains in
the North and South Hwanghae Provinces as well as Kangwon Province. (July 6,
Central Radio) 2. South Korean Relations
o With regards to
the June 29th naval clash on the Yellow Sea, North Korea continued the spread
propaganda to avoid responsibility for the provocation. It asserted that their
action a legitimate self-defense against pre-emptive attacks by South Korean
naval forces. It also pointed to the illegality of the Northern Limit Line (NLL)
as the root of the problem.
- After the initial Central Radio report on the
June 29th naval clash, which characterized the incident as "deliberate
provocation by the South Korean forces," North Korea continued with its diatribe
against South Korea at a KCNA press briefing by a Naval Command spokesperson.
(June 30)
- On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the announcement of
the July 4th Joint Declaration, North Korea released for the first time a
statement by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland and
issued a government memorandum on July 3. On July 4, a mass rally was held at
Pyongyang to praise the unification contributions of the two Kims and
commemorate the July 4th Joint Declaration.
- While emphasizing thorough
implementation of the July 4th Joint Declaration and the June 15th Joint
Declaration, North Korea stated that it would strive to continue dialogue and
cooperation with South Korea.
o With regards to the Korea-Japan World Cup, the
Pyongyang Broadcasting Station reported on the content of a congratulatory
letter signed by the President of the Korea Football Association, Ri Kwang-Gun,
to his South Korean counterpart Jeong Mong-Joon. The letter said that the
accomplishment of the South Korean team was the joint victory of the Korean
nation. (June 30, Pyongyang Broadcasting) 3. External affairs
o
At KCNA press briefing, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson from North Korea claimed
that the naval clash on the Yellow Sea was an outcome of the United States'
scheme to drive a wedge between two Koreas and held U.S. jointly responsible for
the incident.
-Third countries asserted that proper attention should be paid
to the illegality of the Northern Limit Line'.
o North Korea continued its denouncement against the
United States concerning: the U.S. Senate's final approval of the 2003 Military
Appropriations Bill; Rimpack-2002 Multinational Joint Military Exercises; and
Korea-based U.S. soldiers' assault of Korean reporters during their coverage of
the fatal crash of Korean middle school girls by a U.S. armored vehicle (June
26).
Pyongyang is yet to make any official
response to the United State s' July 1st announcement to cancel its plan to
dispatch a special envoy.
o Taiwanese police authorities reported that North Korea
was involved in a drug smuggling case where a drug-dealer organization was
caught shipping 79 kilograms of heroine. (July 2)
o Pyongyang Radio reported
the appointment of Jang Chang-Chon as the new Ambassador to Indonesia. (June 29,
Pyongyang Radio) |
