InternalAffairs
Internal Affairs
o On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the death of leader Kim Il-sung on July 8, North Korea held various memorial events including presentation of an 'epic' praising the late man and gatherings for pledge of allegiance to the deceased and his son Kim Jong-il.
- Chairman Kim Jong-il, accompanied by key military leaders such as Jo Myung-rok, Kim Young-choon and Kim Il-cheol, paid a tribute at midnight July 8 to his father's corpse, lying in state at the Geumsusan Memorial Palace.
o On the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the July 4 South-North (Korea) Joint Communiqué, North Korea said it was a historic event that opened a bright prospect for the unification of the country and the Korean people.
- The Central Broadcasting Station and the Pyongyang Broadcasting Station said July 3-4 that the July 4 inter-Korean communiqué was a path for unification laid down by the late Kim Il-sung and that Kim Jong-il inherited it with the June 15, 2000, South-North Joint Declaration.
o A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Dae-An Goodwill Glass Factory, which is being funded by a grant of the Chinese government, was held at the construction site in Dae-An County, South Pyeong-An Province, on July 1, according to the Central Broadcasting Station.
o North Korea held its second People's Livelihood Bond Lottery in Sariwon City, North Hwanghae Province July 1, according to the Central TV Station the same day. The first bond lottery took place in Pyongyang December 25, 2003.
o The 28th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Suzhou, China, June 28-July 7, decided to list Goguryeo tumuli with murals on the World Heritage List.
- With the listing of the Goguryeo tumuli, North Korea has joined the World Heritage List for the first time since it adhered to the World Heritage Convention in 1998.
o North Korea intensively propagandized its efforts to reinforce protection of intellectual property rights recently, according to the July edition of monthly Joguk (Fatherland), an organ of Jocheongryeon, the pro-Pyongyang Korean residents' association based in Japan.
o North Korea entered "July-August Marine Sports Activity Months" by holding ceremonies to launch the event at every municipal, provincial and county level, according to the Pyongyang Broadcasting Station.
Relations with South Korea
o North Korea denounced the South Korean government for not allowing a visit to Pyongyang by a private-sector delegation to pay tribute to the late Kim Il-sung on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the deceased. The denunciation came from a statement July 8 by the spokesman of its Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland.
- North Korea would not deal with, nor allow the visit of those who deny its regime and have no intention to engage in dialogue, according to the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) July 8 and the Pyongyang Broadcasting Station the next day.
o South and North Korea held the 10th working-level contact for the connection of their railroads and roads in Mt. Geumgang June 30-July 2 and working-level contact of their general-grade military talks in Gaesong July 5.
External Relations
o Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov paid a visit to North Korea July 4-5 at the invitation of his North Korean counterpart Baik Nam-Soon.
- Lavrov expressed support for a package deal of the North Korean nuclear issue and for compensation in return for a nuclear freeze proposed by Pyongyang.
o North Korea indicated that it was not opposed to the returning home of the hijackers of the Yodo plane since the case was Japan's internal matter that should be solved through direct talks between the Japanese government and the members of the Japan Red Army, according to North Korean broadcasting services July 5.
o A Swiss foreign ministry delegation, led by Walter Fust, director-general of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, visited North Korea and conferred with Kim Young-nam, chairman of Presidium, the North Korean broadcasting services reported July 3 and July 6.
- North Korea and Switzerland established diplomatic ties in December 1974. The two countries recently set up their first pharmaceutical joint venture and held a ceremony marking the operations of the firm June 9.
o China's North Korea-China Corporation for Friendly Cultural Exchange will hold trade consultations for Chinese enterprises and individuals in Pyongyang July 26-30.
