InternalAffairs
Internal Affairs
o Chairman Kim Jong-il reopened his public activities on April 3 by visiting military units, apparently to underscore combat readiness and military morale.
o North Korea held a central "report session" on April 9 and various festive events on the occasion of the "April's Spring Goodwill Arts Festival," which is designed to mark the late Kim il-sung's birthday (April 15) and the 10th anniversary of Kim Jong-il's installation as the chairman of the National Defense Commission.
- In connection with Kim Jong-il's installation as the defense commission chairman, there were report sessions at every provincial, municipal and county level. The Union of Agricultural Workers, the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces, and youth-students in Pyongyang held congratulatory meetings, respectively. In addition, the Medalists Choir of the People's Army gave a performance and the Democratic Women's Union held a speech contest, respectively.
o North Korea held an enthusiasts' meeting of its arts education workers April 7, urged the necessity of bringing up personnel who could buttress "military-first politics" in the arts propaganda sector, and emphasized the importance of the ideology program amid the recent international tension.
o North Korea guarded against the inflow of the SARS disease, citing in detail foreign reports on the infection routes of the disease, symptoms and tips to stay away from the rapidly spreading illness.
o North Korea, through newspaper Joseon Sinbo, reported April 7 that PDA's (personal digital assistant), loaded with a Hangul-operating system, will be in the market at the end of April, indicating some advancement, if rudimentary, has been made in the hardware sector under its software-based IT industry development strategy.
o The Pyongyang Times reported March 22 that North Korea plans to complete a mobile network between regional cities and key highways by 2007.
Relations with South Korea
o North Korea's exceptional reticence about the cancellation of the 10th inter-Korean ministerial talks is drawing attention.
- In addition to denouncing the South Korean authorities for the decision to dispatch non-combat troops to Iraq last week, North Korea again denounced the phrase, "sanctions against North Korea," contained in the National Assembly's "policy recommendations to the government in connection with the North Korean nuclear issue," was tantamount to "a declaration of war." The statement came from the secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland April 6.
o In a Pyongyang city report session April 5 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the announcement of the Ten Point Programs of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation, North Korea mentioned the necessity of dialogue and cooperation between the two Koreas for the sake of "mutual assistance between the fellow Koreans" and insisted that South Korea must create an environment for this cause.
External Affairs
o With regard to the convocation of the United Nations Security Council to deal with its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, North Korea, through its foreign ministry spokesman's statement April 6, reacted angrily against the nuclear issue going international. It said, "we would not recognize any decision made by the Security Council."
- It also stressed the necessity of a strong military deterrence, maintaining that even a nonaggression treaty with the United States would not prevent a war.
- Through the Rodong Sinmun commentary on the war in Iraq April 7, North Korea emphasized that the war gave a lesson that it was useless to yield and compromise with imperialists. It said that guerrilla war would continue in Iraq, without mentioning the fall of Baghdad.
o North Korea warned Japan not to make rash and thoughtless acts as the latter lies within its striking range. It warned in a KCNA report on April 9 that Japan's allusion to possible measures against North Korea in the event of an emergency on the Korean peninsula could invite self-destruction.
