1. Domestic Affairs
o According to the Central Broadcasting and Pyongyang Broadcasting
stations, National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-Il stressed the
importance of the roles of schools in strengthening revolutionary armed forces
during an inspection of the Kosa Artillery Military Academy. (July 7)
-
Kim was accompanied by secretaries of the Korea Worker's Party Central
Committee, along with directors and senior secretaries of the provincial
parties. (July 7)
o To commemorate the
8th anniversary
of the death of Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, accompanied by top military
leadership, paid homage at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace (July 8). Also, a
variety of domestic and international events were held to mark the
occasion.
- On the occasion of the 108th anniversary of the birth of
Kim Il-Sung's father Kim Hyung-Jik, senior state and party officials and workers
from all levels laid wreaths at his tomb and statue in Mankyungdae (July 10).
o KCNA reported that Typhoon
No. 5, Rammasun, brought torrential rains across the nation, wreaking wide havoc
on the local economy. (July 8)
o North Korean Media reported
that Yon Hyung-Muk, Ri Thae-Nam and senior party officials in charge of central,
provincial, municipal and county factory complexes toured various factories in
downtown Kangye. (July 9, Central Television)
o North Korean media
propagandized the progress made in the most modern sectors, including the
development of Koryo 1.5 computer input equipment (July 3, Chosun Sinbo) and a
new artificial blood vessel (July 9, TV). 2. South Korean Relations
o North Korea continued to raise the
issue of the illegality of the Northern Limit Line in the wake of the Yellow
Sea naval clash.
- The North Korean Naval Command released two reports on
July 7 and 10 respectively, claiming that the incident was provoked by the
illegal incursion of South Korean warships into our territorial seas.
- A spokesperson for the Korea People's Army's
Representatives to Panmunjom gave a briefing on July 8 saying that the South
should give advance notification to the Korea People's Army on the concrete
schedule of the salvage operation for the sunken vessel, including the specific
time and dates, and vessels and equipment to be used.
o North Korean media reports
quoted the demands made in the South for greater transparency in dealing with
North Korea, commenting that if anyone is posing the risk of war, it is the
South, not the North, and if anyone is receiving the tax dollars of the South,
it is the United States, not the North. (July 10, Pyongyang Broadcasting
Station, etc.)
o In its Statement No. 819
issued on July 12, the Secretariat of the North Korean Committee for the
Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland promoted anti-American struggles
supporting the suggestion for the removal of the MacArthur statue in the South
(July 10, Rodong Sinmun) and condemned the fatal accident in which an American
armored vehicle ran over local schoolgirls. 3. External affairs
o
Kim Yong-Nam, President of the Supreme People's
Assembly Presidium embarked on a tour of Indonesia, Libya and Syria on July
10.
- Kim held a series of senior-level talks, including a summit meeting
with Indonesian President Megawati, which produced an Agreement on the
Prevention of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Incomes, and an Agreement on
Scientific and Technological Cooperation. (July 11)
o The U.K. delivered
meteorological communication equipment to the North Korean Meteorological
Observatory. (July 9) o A Rodong Sinmun commentary argued that the new strike first
doctrine of the United States is becoming the subject of international
condemnation and outcries. (July 7, Pyongyang Broadcasting Station)
- With
regards to the fatal crash of a U.S. armored vehicle into South Korean
schoolgirls and the Rimpac training exercise, North Korean media urged for the
pullout of U.S. troops from the Asian region, particularly in Korea and Japan.
o On the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the signing of
the DPRK-PRC Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance on July 11,
North Korea and China held commemorative events and banquets.
o President of the Supreme
People's Assembly Presidium Kim Yong-Nam sent a telegraph to the African Union
(AU) congratulating it on its inauguration. (July 10 Central Broadcasting
Station, July 12 Pyongyang Broadcasting Station)
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