Weekly Report on North Korea from August 20 to 26, 2016 (No. 1323)
【Internal Affairs】
From August 20 to 26, the North Korean media reported Kim Jong Un’s public activities that he provided field guidance on the underwater test-firing of a strategic submarine-launched ballistic missile.
On August 20, the North Korean media reported that 80% of the plastering work for the interior and exterior of houses on Ryomyong Street was completed.
【Inter-Korean Affairs】
On August 20, the North Korean media reported that the KCNA news agency, in a commentary, criticized the ROK and British governments regarding the defection of North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the UK, Thae Yong Ho.
On August 21, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, in a statement, condemned and threatened the ROK government for carrying out the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian (UFG) military exercises.
On August 21, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the DPRK Emergency Measure Committee for Rescuing Abducted Persons, in a statement, denounced the ROK government regarding the defected North Korean restaurant workers’ settlement in the South.
On August 22, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the Department of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), in a statement, condemned and threatened the ROK government for conducting the UFG military exercises.
On August 23, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, in a statement, praised the August 25 Agreement as one of Kim Jong Un’s achievements and shifted the responsibility for the current inter-Korean relations and the political situation on the Korean Peninsula to the ROK government.
On August 25, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, in a statement, criticized the ROK government’s position on U.S. President Obama’s “No First Use” nuclear policy.
On August 26, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, in a statement, lauded the successful test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and criticized the ROK President by name.
【Foreign Affairs】
On August 22, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, condemned the UFG military exercises.
On August 26, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, denounced moves to adopt a U.N. Security Council press statement condemning North Korea’s SLBM launch.
