통일부

1. Domestic Affairs
o Chairman Kim Jong-Il attended the performances given by the art squads of Ryu Kyung Su 105 Tank Brigade stationed in Seoul in 1950 , and the KPO Unit No. 762. The performances were given as part of the program for the 29^th KPA Servicemen Arts Festival. He also attended a friendship concert organized by the National Defence Commission to congratulate his successful Russia visit.
   - North Korea praised Chairman Kim Jong-Il's achievements on the 4^th anniversary of his second term in office as the Chairman of the National Defence Commission.

o Celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the publication of the Theses on Socialist Education, North Korea held seminars and conferences on September 5 to underline the superiority of the socialist system and held nation-wide commemorative events to report on the achievements in the field of education.
   - North Korea celebrated the following anniversaries: 30^th anniversary of Kim Jung-Suk Teacher's College on August 31; 30^th anniversary of Shinuiju Teacher's College on September 1; 20^th anniversary of Shinuiju Polytechnic on September 1; 1010^th anniversary of Koryo Sungkwunkwan Academy on September 2; and the 20^th anniversary of Changkwang Kindergarten on August 31.

o On the 10^th anniversary of the announcement of achievements from Kim Jung-Il's Program for the Improvement of City Management, commemorative events were held on September 3 under the objective of drastically improving urban infrastructure and the quality of urban life. These commemorative events included introduction of households in various parts of the nation and the reporting of current status of road construction works.

o North Korea reported that typhoon Rusa caused enormous damage in certain mountainous areas, with more than 700mm of rainfall reported in some of these regions.

o North Korea hosted the 8^th Pyongyang Nonaligned Film Festival and organized a variety of events in an effort to promote friendly relations with nonaligned nations.
   - North Korea held the following events: the opening ceremony of the Yellow Sea Irrigation Facilities Construction Workers' Cultural Center on September 5; the 3^rd Pyongyang Flower Exhibition from September 4; the Competition of National Students' Palace and Hall Science and Technology Society Members from August 30 to September 3; and the 39^th Athletic Meeting of the National Youth Physical Education School.

2. South Korean Relations
o Kwang-Keun Lee, the Chairman of the North Korean Football Association, visited South Korea on the occasion of the South-North friendly football matches, held on September 7. The visit provided an opportunity to reopen an array of inter-Korean football exchanges.

o The 4^th South-North Red Cross talks were held from September 6 to 8 at Mt. Geumkang. The talks were led by the top leaders of two national Red Cross societies for the first time since the Red Cross talks began in 1971. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, such as institutionalization of meetings between separated families and the opening of a reunion center for these families.
   - South and North Korea, on September 6, exchanged -- and confirmed -- the list of 100 people who would participate in the 5th temporary reunions of separated families, scheduled for September 13 to 18.

o North Korea criticized the Grand National Party for its opposition to South-North joint participation in the opening ceremony of the Asian Games under a single flag as promoting confrontation of the two separate states and stated that inter-Korean relations would be threatened if the Grand National Party becomes the ruling party.

3. External Affairs
o On the issue of nuclear inspection and weapons of mass destruction, such as missiles, North Korea maintained the position that the conditions for DPRK-U.S. dialogue still remains the U.S. government's renouncement of its adversarial policies toward North Korea. North Korea reiterated its position that it places highest priority on the compensation for the loss of military power as a result of implementation of the Geneva Agreement.
   - North Korea, in the Foreign Ministry spokesman's briefing, repeated its long-standing position that the American troops should retreat from South Korea. This is interpreted as a bid to spread anti-American sentiments.

o Hyung-Sup Yang, Vice-President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, speaking at the World Summit on Sustainable Development on September 3, criticized the Western-centric view of environment and human rights and called on developing nations to seek solidarity and collaboration among themselves.

o The national delegation of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference visited North Korea from September 1 to 5.