InternalAffairs
- Internal Affairs
o Accompanied by Lee Myeong-su, Hyeon Cheol-hae, Park Jae-gyeong and others, Chairman Kim Jeong-il visited the military bases of the Three Major Revolutionary Flag company under the 5848th battalion, the 854th battalion of the Air Force, and the 153rd battalion of the Navy (Dec. 11-13, Central Broadcasting Station).
- Meanwhile, Chairman Kim Jeong-il visited construction sites at the Eurang-cheon (River) Power Plant (located in Eurang-gun, North Hamgyeong Province) and the Seongjin Steel Union Company, where he offered guidance encouragement. (Dec. 16, Central Broadcasting Station). The Chairman has also been recently engaged in other active external activities.
o The North Korean authority recently built a large mosaic mural to commemorate the revolution, depicting Kim Il-seong and Kim Jeong-il at four historic sites, including Junghwa-gun, Pyeongyang. Additionally, it constructed Revolution Memorial Monuments at seven sites such as the Yonggyo cooperative farm in Gangnam-gun, Pyeongyang (Dec. 9-10, Central Broadcasting Station).
o North Korea estimates that supplies of electricity and other energy sources have improved compared to last year as a result of efforts to increase production of electricity, coal and other energy resources (Dec. 9, Nodong Shinmun, etc.).
o In an interview with the Joseon Shinbo on December 11, Kim Yong-sul, the vice minister at the Trade Ministry, explained changes in North Korea's economic policies and other matters since the July 1 Economic Initiative, which include the following goals: i) expanding external trade; ii) adopting policies to attract investment; iii) implementing a pilot project for individual vegetable gardens to enable laborers to work in their own fields.
o Recently emphasizing the role of songs in terms of human studies, North Korea urged that more songs describing everyday life should be composed.
- North Korea launched a major propaganda campaign to popularize the classic, Blue Skies of My Motherland as the song that praises the motherland in the military-first era as well as a classic song of that era (Nov. 30, Nodong Shinmun, etc.)
o At its 48th general assembly (Dec. 10), the Central Committee of the Joseon Agricultural Laborer's Union elected Gang Chang-uk as its new Chairperson (Dec. 11, Central Broadcasting Station).
- Gang Chang-uk held various positions such as Secretary in charge of the Labor Party at Wonsan City (1995) and Hwangju-gun (2000), etc.
2. Inter-Korean Relations
o A ceremony to mark the first product off the assembly line in Gaeseong Industrial Park took place on December 15 at the Living Art's factory in North Korea.
- In his congratulatory remarks, Joo Dong-chan, Chief Director of the Central Special Zone Development Supervisory Agency, commented that we should honor the spirit of the June 15 Joint Declaration so as to further accelerate inter-Korean economic cooperation projects and the construction of the Gaeseong Industrial Park (Dec. 15, Pyeongyang Broadcasting Service).
o North Korea made the odd assertion that South Korea's nuclear test was obviously aimed at nuclear armament and urged the South to clearly disclose all matters relating to the acts of the nuclear crime. Additionally, it insisted that South Korean nuclear arms development was unacceptable, and should be ceased. (Dec. 12, Pyeongyang Broadcasting Service).
3. External Affairs
o Stating that the US, in an attempt to overthrow the North Korean regime, had recently issued insidious propaganda that around 130 servicemen had escaped from their posts, North Korea asserted that under the circumstances, it was forced to reconsider its participation in the six-party talks. (Dec. 13, Pyeongyang Broadcasting Service).
o Regarding DNA test results of the remains of Japanese abductees to North Korea, a Foreign Ministry spokesman condemned Japanese public opinion, which called for embargoes against North Korea. The Ministry asserts that it was a plot by Japanese extreme right-wingers and the US (Dec. 14, Central Broadcasting Station).
o The North Korean economic trade delegation (head of delegation: Lim Gyeong-man, minister of Trade Ministry) visited China on December 11 for talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai on December 13 (Dec. 11, Pyeongyang Broadcasting Service & Central News Agency).
o At the DPRK-China Science & Technology Cooperation Committee held on December 10 at Beijing, both parties signed the 40th protocol (Dec. 10, Central News Agency).
