InternalAffairs
Internal Affairs
o The Central Broadcast reported July 7 that Kim Jong-il was unanimously nominated from all electoral districts as a candidate to the seat of deputy for the 11th-term at the Supreme People's Assembly.
This was clearly intended to show off in and out of North Korea that Kim Jong-il received unflagging support as their supreme leader including the absolute support of the military and the masses.
o On the ninth anniversary (July 8, 1994) of the death of Kim Il-sung, North Korea named the day the "People's Greatest Day of Memory." The masses were mobilized to pledge single-minded allegiance to and solid unity under Kim Jong-il as well as pay eulogy to the elder Kim's greatness and achievements at various events in tribute to him.
- Kim Jong-il, accompanied by Army Chief of Staff Kim Young-choon and other military brass, paid tribute July 8 to Geumsusan Palace, where his father's body lies in state.
o Chairman Kim Jong-il visited July 6 revolutionary relics, industrial facilities, basic food factories and educational institutions in Ganggye, Jagang province, and showed a deep interest in the city from where the so-called figures of 'Ganggye Spirit' came. He also visited military unit 654, which was honored with the title of Oh Jung-hup's Seventh Regiment, and emphasized that the military spirit of revolutionary struggle and ways of living should spill over into the entire society.
o The Pyongyang College of Computer Technology recently produced a new ideological material for computer instruction, 'History and the Gun,' and distributed it to military units, government agencies, industrial establishments and schools for use in anti-American and anti-war ideological indoctrinations, the Rodong Sinmun reported on June 22.
Relations with South Korea
o The 11th inter-Korean ministerial meeting, held in Seoul July 9-12, issued a six-point joint press release after discussing the North Korean nuclear issue, economic cooperation projects and the problem of separated families living in the South and the North.
o The gist of the press release included a call for peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue through appropriate dialogue; the implementation of the eighth round of reunions of separated families and cooperation in holding a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of a reunion center for separated families; review of the necessary steps for a meeting of Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Promotion Committee and support of civilian organizations that are preparing for this year's August 15 Liberation Day activities.
o North and South Korea agreed on 12 points during the inter-Korean contact held in Mt. Geumgang July 4-6, to discuss Pyongyang's participation in the 2003 Daegu Summer Universiade, scheduled for August 21-31. The agreement will serve as a basis on which to promote exchanges and cooperation in the sports field between them. The agreed points define the size of the North Korean athletic and cheering teams and the details concerning the two Korean teams' joint entry into and exit from the main stadium.
o In a statement issued July 6 in the name of its spokesman, North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland reacted strongly, saying that the South Korean defense ministry's description of the North Korean regime, its armed forces and sympathizers as South Korea's 'main enemies' was a 'treacherous act against the Korean people, completely negating the June 15, 2000, South-North Joint Declaration. The South Korean defense ministry made the description in a teaching aid distributed to the military units for troop information.
External Affairs
o In a commentary July 7, the North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun renewed Pyongyang's opposition to the handling of its nuclear issue at the United Nations Security Council, saying "the U.S. attempt to adopt the UNSC president's statement on the issue is intended to justify an aggressive war."
o "Chosun Tourism," the North Korean Internet tourism website, reported on June 28 that the North Korean airline Koryo's Pyongyang-Shenyang flight service and the Pyongyang-Beijing service, suspended since May 3 because of the SARS epidemic, will be reopened July 2 and July 9, respectively.
o North Korea sharply criticized what it called Japan's move to establish a missile defense (MD) system, saying it was an indication of Japanese ambition to turn into a military power with designs for foreign aggrandizement.
o North Korea's conclusion on July 8 of a "protocol on light industry cooperation" with Russia's Far Eastern Littoral province brings hopes of brisk exchanges and cooperation in the field of light industry between them. The protocol provides for the establishment of venture businesses, exchanges in technologies and reciprocal exchanges of shopping booths at various locations.
