【Internal Affairs】
On March 5-6, the North Korean media reported
that Kim Jong Un met with the South Korean special envoys sent by
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and posed for a photo with them;
held a dinner for the South Korean delegation; and delivered birthday
meals to elderly persons celebrating their 100th birthdays.
On March 5, the North Korean media reported that Premier Pak Pong Ju
provided field guidance at metal industrial establishments in North
Hamgyong Province.
On March 6, the North Korean media emphasized the establishment of
the revolutionary spirit of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
On March 6, the North Korean media reported on the progress in the
establishment of the “carbon one” chemical industry.
On March 8, the North Korean media reported that a meeting was held
to mark the 107th anniversary of International Women’s Day.
On March 9, the North Korean media reported that a meeting was held
to mark the 90th anniversary of the formation of the Peasants’
Union.
【Inter-Korean Affairs】
On March 5-7, the North
Korean media reported that the South Korean special envoys visited the
North and that North Korean athletes participated in the PyeongChang
Paralympic Games.
On March 4, the North Korean media published a contribution by a
female member of the cheerleading squad who participated in the
PyeongChang Olympics, Unforgettable shouts of the day – We are one!
On March 9, the North Korean media emphasized the North’s
determination to improve inter-Korean relations and further
cooperation between the two Koreas.
【Foreign Affairs】
On March 3, the North Korean media
reported that a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a
Q&A session with KCNA reporters, said that the North will refuse
talks with “any preconditions, and the US should not misjudge our
intention for dialogue.”
On March 3, the North Korean media reported that North Korea’s
ambassador to the UN in Geneva, in a speech, asserted the legitimacy
of North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons at the Conference on
Disarmament held in Geneva on February 27.
On March 5, the North Korean media denounced the US’s additional
sanctions on North Korea and asserted that North Korea would respond
strongly to any infringement upon its sovereignty.
On March 7, the North Korean media evaluated an exchange of special
envoys between South and North Korea and called on the US to change
its policy toward North Korea.
On March 8, the North Korean media reported that a spokesperson for
the DPRK Measure Committee for Demanding Compensation to Comfort Women
for the Japanese Army and the Victims of Forcible Drafting, in a
statement, condemned Japan in response to the video provided by the
city of Seoul and the Seoul National University (SNU) Human Rights
Center showing massacres of Korean “comfort women” by the Japanese military.
