ROK and Inter-Korean relations
July 2006
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Court rejects extradition to Vietnam
July 28, 2006 ? The Seoul High Court refused yesterday to extradite a Vietnamese citizen and U.S. resident being sought by the government of Vietnam on charges of terrorist activities.
The man, Nguyen Huu Chanh, was ordered freed by the court, which said the charges of terror activities were not sufficiently proven to allow his extradition under Korean law. In general, political offenses are not extraditable here, but there is an exception in cases involving violence or threats of violence.
Hanoi accuses Mr. Nguyen of being the mastermind of a failed bombing attempt at its diplomatic mission in Thailand in June 2001. He is also charged with plotting to bomb monuments in Vietnam in 1999, the ordering of a bomb attack on its embassy in Phnom Penh in 2001 and a failed bomb attack at its embassy in Manila.
In an interview with Time magazine in 2001, Mr. Nguyen boasted of his involvement in the 1999 attempts to bomb monuments.
[Terrorism] [Double standards]
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Executive ripped off, then booked
July 28, 2006 ? A South Korean executive with a firm operating in Kaesong paid a North Korean $2,000 for two bluish-green ceramic bowls and a dated roof tile that he believed were valuable antiques, prosecutors said.
But the items had little value. Now, the executive is being booked for smuggling North Korean artifacts across the border, Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office said.
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Seoul Won't Extradite Vietnamese Dissident
By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter
A South Korean court on Thursday rejected the Vietnamese government's request for extradition of Chanh Huu Nguyen, a Vietnamese dissident.
The Seoul High Court said that it decided not to accept the request, upholding the view that he is a pro-democracy leader.
Nguyen has been branded as terrorist by the Vietnamese government but hailed by supporters abroad as pro-democracy leader who has been dedicated to liberating Vietnam from communism.
Nguyen, 55, has been detained in Seoul since April when the Korean police arrested him here at the request of Vietnam.
Hanoi has claimed that Nguyen attempted to bomb the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2001 and a statue of Vietnam's national hero Ho Chi Minh between 1999 and 2000
[Terrorism] [Double standards]
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Red-Bait Allegations Hit Teachers
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Members of the New Right Union, a conservative civic group, hold a news conference yesterday in downtown Seoul criticizing the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTU) as a ``pro-North Korean'' organization and calling for the group's disbanding. KTU's Pusan bureau is currently under suspicions that it used content from a North Korean history book to educate its members.
A progressive teachers' union is facing criticism for allegedly promoting the ideas expressed in North Korean history books, written by Pyongyang's state-hired scholars, to its members through a series of seminars.
According to the New Right Union, a conservative civic group, the Pusan bureau of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTU) last year handed out booklets to its members that contained some articles copied from a North Korean history textbook, titled the ``Modern Chosun History.'' It was published by the country's institute of social science in 1983.
[Human rights]
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Korea to Develop Amphibious Attack Vehicles
SEOUL (Yonhap) ? South Korea will spend 149 billion won ($157 million) over the next five years to manufacture additional amphibious assault vehicles in a partnership with BAE Systems, the country's defense procurement agency said on Thursday.
Since 1998, South Korea has deployed 124 new amphibious landing vehicles to bolster its defenses against North Korea as well as replace its aging Marine Corps fleet.
[Military balance]
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Korea to Develop Blackout Bomb
Development will soon begin in Korea on a cutting-edge weapon that, while not killing or injuring people, can knock out an enemy's power grid thus dealing a huge blow to their battle capability.
Combining nickel and carbon fiber among other components under the advisement of the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the country will make bombs that render an enemy's power net ineffective -- so-called blackout bombs. A source with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Thursday, Develompment is to start this year.
[Military balance]
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Korean Cartoonist Censured in Tokyo as 'Inappropriate'
By Seo Dong-shin
Staff Reporter
The above cartoon, drawn by Ko Gyoung-il, shows former President Park Chung-hee riding on a tank, leaving behind a bloody trail over the word "Democracy."
The Korean Cultural Center in Tokyo, Japan has come under criticism for censoring artworks to be displayed in an exhibition hall at the center.
The center, which is affiliated under Seoul's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, removed six works of cartoonist Ko Gyoung-il Tuesday, just hours before the official opening of the exhibition, citing their inappropriateness for promoting national image.
[Human rights] [Hallyu] [Country image]
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JU Chairman Arrested Near Hideout
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
The police on Wednesday caught elusive JU Group chairman Joo Soo-do, who had been on the run for nearly 40 days after being charged by law enforcement authorities for fraud and embezzlement. JU Group, Korea's largest network marketing operator with more than 300,000 members, is facing suspicions that it used unlawful sales methods to strengthen its market position in recent years.
The JU Group, founded in 1999, posted about 2 trillion won ($2.1 billion) in sales last year, accounting for about half of the total revenue of all network marketing companies in the country, distancing itself further from No.2 player Amway Korea.
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Debate Erupts Over Patriotic Tradition
25 Lawmakers Challenge Pledge of Allegiance
By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter
Second graders at the Toksu Elementary School in downtown Seoul turn to face the national flag during their pledge of allegiance. /Korea Times
For over forty years, Korean schools have been leading youngsters in words of allegiance to the country and its national flag every morning. A debate among politicians and educators who question the merit of the pledge of allegiance is now calling that practice into question.
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Hallyu Star Boosts LG Sales in Southeast Asia
By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter
The long-lasting popularity of the TV drama ``Jewel in the Palace'' is boosting sales of Korean-made electronics goods in Southeast Asia and China.
LG Electronics said on Monday that sales of digital appliances in the region have greatly improved this year since it started an Asian-wide promotional campaign featuring actress Lee Young-ae.
[Softpower] [Country image]
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Number of Fake Bills Doubles to 14,300
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
The number of counterfeit won bills that were found more than doubled in the first half from a year earlier due to a rise in the number of 10,000-won bills in circulation, the Bank of Korea said on Monday.
The bank said the number of fake bills found in the January-June period came to 14,311, up from 6,354 a year earlier. In 2005, 12,889 fake bills were found.
The number of fake 10,000-won notes rose six-fold to 9,872 from a year ago. At present, the 10,000-won note is the largest denomination in the country's currency.
[Counterfeiting]
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Korean War Dead to Be Entombed
South Korea will entomb the newly recovered remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War at a national cemetery on Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday.
In the first half of this year, the military retrieved 130 sets of remains and 1,824 belongings during its operations across the country.
However, the ceremony will honor only 64 sets of remains, excluding 66 believed to be North Koreans, Yonhap reported.
[Korean War events]
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Seoul's U-Turn on N.Korean Counterfeiting Could Be Fatal
The National Intelligence Service, in a 1998 report titled "A New Threat in the 21st Century: Realities of and Responses to International Crimes", said North Korea forges and circulates US$100 bank notes worth $15 million a year, and that the counterfeiting is carried out by a firm called February Silver Trading in the suburbs of Pyongyang.
The NIS said in reports to the National Assembly the same year and the next that the North operates three banknote forging agencies, and that more than $4.6 million in bogus dollar bills were uncovered in circulation on 13 occasions since 1994. "That North Korea is a dollar counterfeiting country was common knowledge among intelligence officials," said a former senior NIS official.
Yet suddenly, when the U.S. brings up the question of North Korea's counterfeiting activities, our government says there is insufficient evidence. That has prompted American officials to accuse our government of lying. The reason for the volte-face is that Seoul is afraid of antagonizing Pyongyang while six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea hang in the balance.
[Evidence] [Counterfeiting]
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Seoul Police Get Arrest Warrants for POSCO Unionists
Seoul police have won arrest warrants for 58 construction union leaders who led an illegal raid on the headquarters of the nation's leading steelmaker POSCO. About 1,500 unionized workers of POSCO subcontractors occupied the building for nine days, demanding higher wages and better working conditions
[human rights]
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Roh calls North 'wrong,' but urges calmness
July 20, 2006 ? In rare quoted remarks about the North Korean missile tests on July 5, President Roh Moo-hyun yesterday reportedly called the launches "bad behavior" on Pyongyang's part.
Mr. Roh was attending a meeting with his security advisers, and his comments were relayed to the press by Song Min-soon, his chief secretary for security policy.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss next steps after the United Nations Security Council condemned the missile tests last weekend. Mr. Roh reportedly warned of the dangers of overreacting to the launches.
Mr. Song said the president "stressed that an excessively sensitive reaction only leads to unnecessary tension and confrontation, which never helps in settling the issue."
According to Mr. Song, the president added, "The missile launch not only disturbs peace on the peninsula but also provoked an arms race in the region to no one's benefit."
Speaking somewhat elliptically, according to Mr. Song's rendition, Mr. Roh said it was time for "joint efforts" to "keep a proportional pace" in coping with the situation.
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North Korea suspends inter-Korean reunions
July 20, 2006 ? In a tit-for-tat reaction to Seoul's decision to suspend rice and fertilizer aid, Pyongyang yesterday canceled a separated family reunion and said future ones were in jeopardy.
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Pyongyang Not Ready for War
South Korea's Unification Ministry denied Wednesday a local press report that North Korea has begun emergency war preparations amid the international standoff over its recent missile launches, Yonhap News Agency Reported.
In its Wednesday edition, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il issued a wartime alert at midnight Sunday, hours before the U.N. Security Council unanimously voted to impose sanctions against his country.
"North Korea is believed to have issued an order bolstering military readiness around July 5, when it test-fired missiles.
However, an order for wartime mobilization wasn't issued," said a ministry official, on condition of anonymity.
[Disinformation]
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Spot the Odd One Out
President Roh Moo-hyun told a meeting of security-related ministers on Wednesday "excessively sensitive responses" to North Korea's missile tests would create unnecessary tension and confrontation and will not help settle the problem." He added it is more important for the South "to thoroughly analyze the essence of the current circumstances, share a common understanding with related countries and devise approaches to fundamental settlement."
From his own government there has been barely any response at all. The chief executive therefore seems to think anything short of complete apathy from the international community, or more precisely the U.S. and Japan, is excessive. [Collusion]
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137 strikers in custody as sit-in at Posco ends after 9-day siege
July 22, 2006 ? POHANG, North Gyeongsang province ? The sit-in at the Posco headquarters building here ended early yesterday when most of the striking construction workers slowly filed out of the 12-story building between 11 p.m. Thursday and 4 a.m. yesterday. After the strikers who left willingly had made their way out, police entered the upper floors of the building and removed about 30 leaders of the nine-day protest and others still in the building.
[human rights]
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[KOREA UNIVERSITY]Summer sessions luring more foreign students to Korea
July 22, 2006 ? Students from internationally-recognized universities are coming to Korea to take courses at international summer programs at such Korean schools as Kyung Hee, Yonsei, Ewha Womans and Korea universities; those schools have ties with many foreign colleges, allowing students to transfer their credits easily.
The program with the largest student body is the International Summer Campus at Korea University, a six-week program in which domestic and international students can take English lectures from international faculty members such as Paul Bloom, a psychology professor at Yale University, and Trevor Pinch, a sociology professor at Cornell University. The school pays the professors $10,000 in addition to travel expenses, and provides free accommodation at its new international house.
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Seoul gives its blessing to view North's festival
July 21, 2006 ? The Roh administration said yesterday it would allow a private delegation to participate in North Korea's celebration of Liberation Day, the August 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in 1945. It will also allow South Koreans to attend the annual Arirang Festival that begins the same day and runs for two months.
The festival is widely seen by critics as an extended paean of praise to Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder and leader until his death in 1994.
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Letter to President of South Korean Red Cross
Pyongyang, July 19 (KCNA) -- Jang Jae On, chairman of the Central Committee of the DPRK Red Cross Society, Wednesday sent a letter to Han Wan Sang, president of the Red Cross of south Korea. The letter said:
All the Koreans eagerly hope to see the humanitarian cooperation between the north and the south making steady progress in the idea of "By our nation itself" as clarified in the historic June 15 joint declaration. But the south side has laid a stumbling block in its way, contrary to such desire and expectation of the nation.
Your side sidestepped even the discussion of the sincere proposal our side made at the 19th north-south ministerial talks for arranging the direct reunion at Mt. Kumgang resort and video meetings between separated families and relatives on the occasion of the upcoming harvest moon day, prompted by its compatriotic and humanitarian stand.
At the talks your side even unilaterally refused to provide rice and fertilizers, an undertaking which has been underway between the north and the south as part of the humanitarian work on the principle of mutual help.
This is an act of treachery little short of sacrificing the humanitarian work between fellow countrymen to serve the U.S. and Japan keen on applying sanctions against DPRK with bitterness toward it.
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Seoul Reluctant to Put More Pressure on North
By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter
Seoul is opposed to the idea of putting only pressure on North Korea, even though Pyongyang's refusal to return to the negotiating table is imprudent, Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok said in Seoul on Thursday.
He also said Seoul's decision to suspend the provision of goods in humanitarian aid to North Korea was based on its own judgment and it should not be interpreted as participation in the international move to sanction North Korea.
[Friction] [Aid weapon]
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South Korea Says North May Spark Arms Race
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 19, 2006
Filed at 5:39 a.m. ET
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea's president on Wednesday condemned North Korea for potentially sparking an arms race with its recent missile launches, while the North said it was ending reunions between relatives separated by the Korean Peninsula divide.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said the missile launches increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula. But he also told a meeting of top security officials that excessive responses ''don't help solve the issue,'' according to presidential adviser Song Min-soon
[Military balance]
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Local Movies Thrive on Nationalism
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Korean movies thrive on nationalism as five of the 10 recent box-office local movies deal with nationalistic themes.
Heavy on anti-Japanese sentiment or rather on anti-foreign forces sentiment, ``Hanbando (Korean Penisula)'' is the latest among the nationalism-tinged films that have become box office hits.
Among the 10 most viewed films of all time, five deal with nationalistic issues: ``Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood War'' (2004), ``Welcome to Dongmakgol'' (2005), ``Silmido'' (2004), ``Swiri'' (1999) and ``Joint Security Area (JSA)'' (2000).
Despite concerns over the film's controversial theme, ``Hanbando'' ranked top at the box office this week, dethroning hitherto Hollywood blockbusters such as ``Superman Returns," and ``Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' from local movie theaters.
According to KnJ Entertainment, the film's production company, ``Hanbando'' drew over 1.5 million moviegoers for five days since its release on July 13. It is currently shown at 500 screens, one-third of the 1,500 screens across the country. There are few competitors at the box office.
But the film's controversial theme has drawn mixed reviews from audiences. A flotilla of Japanese and Korean naval forces stand face to face on a calm East Sea. It's not over the Dokdo islets, but over Japan's claim to reconnected inter-Korean railway. Japan claims ownership to the railway, which is symbolic of Korea's turbulent modern history-built at the turn of the century by the then-colonial Japan, severed during the Korean War and then reconnected post-Cold War.
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North Korea Halts Family Reunion Project
By Ryu Jin & Park Song-wu
Staff Reporters
North Korea notified Seoul on Wednesday that it will stop inter-Korean family reunion programs, apparently in retaliation for South Korea's decision to suspend humanitarian aid following Pyongyang's recent test-firing of seven missiles.
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Regulations on Young Men's Overseas Trip Eased
By Lee Jin-woo
Staff Reporter
The government Wednesday decided to allow those under 24 who have not done mandatory military service to go on overseas trips without government permission.
All South Korean men aged 20 and over without physical problems are required to serve in the military for 24 to 28 months. South Korea maintains a 690,000-strong military under the compulsory conscription system.
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'Peace Island' in Dilemma Over Naval Base
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Amid much fanfare and celebrations, the country's southern resort island of Cheju became a ``special self-governing province'' on July 1. It laid the groundwork for the island to become an international hub for business and tourism.
But Cheju authorities now face their first daunting task of resolving a controversial issue around the possible establishment of a military base on the island, which could become a potential ``detonator'' for social discord.
The Navy plans to develop the envisaged naval base in the southern part of the island into a ``strategic mobile squadron'' by 2020 to harbor sophisticated navy ships, such as KDX-II ``stealth'' destroyers and KDX-III Aegis-equipped destroyers, with the investment of about 743 billion won (some $780 million). [Military balance]
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Law on Repatriation of Abductees Eyed
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South Korea's government on Tuesday said it would push for legislation that would call for government efforts to bring back hundreds of South Korean citizens kidnapped by North Korea and reparations for the abduction victims and their family members here.
The envisioned law comes amid Seoul's heightened efforts to win the release of South Korean abduction victims, or at least the acknowledgement of their existence, from the communist North.
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Unification Festival to Be Held
SEOUL (Yonhap) - South Korea and North Korea have agreed to hold a joint pro-unification festival in North Korea in mid-August, South Korean promoters said Sunday.
The two Koreas have sponsored pro-unification festivals alternately every year in their capitals since the historic inter-Korean summit in 2000. It's the North's turn to host the festival this year.
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N.Korea 'Spending Hand Over Fist While People Starve'
A Slap in the Face for Bumbling South Korea
A Grand National Party lawmaker and member of the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee on Friday said North Korea's budget structure means it can pour money into its missile program while its people are starving. The comments from Chung Hyung-keun came at a meeting of leading party members a day after the North slammed the South's refusal to continue food aid until it returns to disarmament talks.
"We understand that North Korea intends to build up to 17 more Taepodong-2 missiles," Jung said. "Some people say each Taepodong-2 costs W60 billion (US$1=W954), but the National Intelligence Service holds that per-unit cost is W25 billion. Additionally, they have about 450 US$400,000 Rodong missiles, and 400 $200,000 Scud missiles." Chung said this was reliable information from government agencies.
[Intelligence]
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S. Korea Plans Army Missile Defense Command
South Korea plans to create an Army missile defense command later this year as part of its efforts to counter threats from North Korea's missiles and long-range artillery, a government source said Sunday.
The move comes after the North launched seven missiles, one presumed to be a longrange one, over the East Sea on July 5, raising tension over regional and global security.
"In line with a military overhaul plan, the command will be established between September and October," the source said, asking not to be named. "It will be based in the central part of the country and is expected to boost South Korea's antiartillery capabilities sharply."
[military balance]
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Dangerous View
Isn't North Korean Missile Launch Security Crisis?
A senior aide to President Roh Moo-hyun said, "North Korean missile launches were not targeted at anyone. So, it is just a political issue not a national security crisis." People are dumfounded at this remark, reflecting the president's opinion, made by the senior presidential secretary for public information. The remarks, posted Saturday on the Chong Wa Dae Web site, were part of the government's response to the outpouring of criticism in the media, accusing the government
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Aide defends his response to North
July 15, 2006 ? Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok urged calm yesterday in the wake of the breakdown of inter-Korean ministerial talks, saying the North Korean rhetoric before they left in a huff was not worth getting upset about.
In a radio interview with the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation yesterday, Mr. Lee said the angry words were more for internal consumption in the North Korean government than for anything else. "They said they were dissatisfied because we wouldn't talk about anything other than the missile launches and a return to the six-party talks," he said. "They needed that for domestic purposes."
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North Side Accuses South Side of Derailing Inter-Korean Ministerial Talks
Pusan, July 13 (KCNA correspondent) -- The south side rendered the 19th north-south ministerial talks fruitless by toeing the U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK in contravention of the spirit of the June 15 joint declaration despite the north side's sincerity and good faith. In this connection the delegation of the north side to the talks Thursday took the initiative of proposing the close of the talks and issued a statement clarifying its stand. The statement said:
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Roh Reaffirms Engagement Policy on North Korea
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
President Roh Moo-hyun said Friday that his government will continue engaging in dialogue with North Korea and persuading it not to go in the wrong direction, Chong Wa Dae said.
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Pyongyang Citicizes Seoul's Possible NATO Affiliation
SEOUL (Yonhap) - North Korea on Thursday disparaged a purported U.S. proposal that South Korea affiliate itself with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), calling it an attempt to quickly reinforce U.S.-led multinational forces to the Korean Peninsula in times of a conflict.
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19th Inter-Korean Ministerial Talks Open
Pusan, July 12 (KCNA Correspondent) -- The 19th north-south ministerial talks opened in Pusan, south Korea on July 12. Present at the talks from the north side were members of the delegation headed by Chief Councilor of the Cabinet Kwon Ho Ung and suite members and from the south side members of the delegation with Minister of Unification Ri Jong Sok as chief delegate and suite members
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South Regrets North Korea's Missile Test
By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter
South Korea expressed on Wednesday a strong complaint about North Korea's missile launches last week and urged Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks.
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North calls its military South's bulwark as well
July 13, 2006 ? BUSAN - North Korea's chief delegate to inter-Korean talks here said yesterday that the South should be grateful for North Korea's emphasis on military preparedness. He then asked for more rice and raw materials.
Briefing reporters after the day's meetings, Lee Gwan-se, the Unification Ministry's public relations chief, quoted North Korea's Kwon Ho-ung as saying North Korea's military first policy "makes South Korea safe, and a large number of South Korean people benefit from it."
Mr. Kwon also repeated two familiar demands, that Seoul end joint military drills with the United States and that it abolish its anti-communist National Security Law.
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Koreas Under Global Eye
South Should Draw Clear Line Between Confrontation, Cooperation
Unless Pyongyang repeats its trademark, eleventh-hour change of mind, the two Koreas will open another ministerial talks in Pusan today. Coming on the heels of the North's missile launch last week, the upcoming meeting will draw more international interest than any recent inter-Korean contacts, except probably for the historic summit in 2000. It is quite a burdensome event for Seoul for many reasons. Even if North Korea attends, it might use the occasion as a stage for propaganda.
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Seoul Lifts Ban on Use of East Sea Air Route
SEOUL (Yonhap) - South Korea on Wednesday lifted its ban on commercial airliners on the so-called Kamchatka route over the East Sea en route to the U.S that was imposed in the wake of North Korea's missile launches last week.
"The lifting of the advisory reflects the ending of North Korea's no-fly warnings for the area, and the fact that foreign flag carriers have continued to fly this route," said a spokesman for the Ministry of Construction and Transportation
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Billions to Be Spent on Military Upgrade
SEOUL (Yonhap) _ South Korea will spend 151 trillion won ($150 billion) over the next five years to boost its independent defense capacity and secure advanced capabilities to counter any military threats, the country's top defense official said Tuesday.
"President Roh Moo-hyun encouraged the ministry to carry out its plan as scheduled," Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung said in a press conference.
Earlier in the day, Yoon reported a five-year military reform plan to Roh at the presidential office Chong Wa Dae, and the president gave orders to use it to strengthen self-defense posture and military forces.
South Korea's aggregate defense spending over the period is estimated at 2.76 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and up to 20 percent will be spent on military research and development.
[Military balance]
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N.Korea Demands Rice for 'Protecting' South
North Korea on Wednesday demanded the South provide it with promised rice aid, apparently oblivious to the international diplomatic tensions it caused by test-firing several missiles only a week ago. The demand came at an inter-Korean ministerial meeting in Busan.
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Paying North Korea to Laugh at Us
North Korean Senior Cabinet Counselor Kwon Ho-ung on Wednesday told a stunned South Korean delegation at ministerial talks in Busan that his country's Songun or military-first policy "helps the security of South Korea too, and a vast majority of South Korean citizens have benefited from it." North Korea's missile launches and nuclear weapons program are apparently a boon to us. The least we can do in return, Kwon indicated, is let our delegations visit "sacred places" in the North like Kim Il-sung's embalmed cadaver, suspend Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, and abolish the National Security Law. Oh, and deliver the 500,000 tons of rice and light industry raw materials we promised.
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South Koreans Insensible to Missile Tests
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Citizens watch news related to North Korea's missile test launches on television at an electric appliances store in Seoul. /Korea Times File
In contrast with the 1994 nuclear crisis or the 1998 missile crisis few hoarded food and water or made a fuss after North Korea launched not one but several missiles last week.
This contrast is even more relevant given South Koreans still have vivid memories of what happened after Pak Yong-su, a ranking North Korean official, warned in March 1994: ``Seoul is not very far from here. We can turn Seoul into a sea of fire.''
Right after South Koreans heard the phrase ``a sea of fire'' through media reporting, many stocked up food like ramyon _ instant noodle _ and heating oil in fear of a possible war.
This time, however, many South Koreans, especially young people, seem indifferent to the missile launchings, feeling no actual threat to life.
``Missile test? Actually, I am neither interested in it nor worried about it,'' said Kim Dae-ju, 26, an MBC scriptwriter. ``I think we feel like North Koreans are not an enemy any more.''
Kim Seon-ju, a student at Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, also said she could not sense a definite menace.
``I doubt the North would attack us,'' the 24-year-old said. ``We have seen a peaceful progression between the two Koreas over the past decades. For example, the sunshine policy of (former President) Kim Dae-jung and the rounds of family reunions have changed the security situation a lot.'' [SK attitude NK]
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Seoul Has No Clout in Ministerial Talks
By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter
The inter-Korean ministerial talks, scheduled to begin in South Korea's port city of Pusan on Tuesday, will not address traditional topics, such as the Kaesong industrial project or measures to operate the cross-border railways.
Instead, Pusan will become the venue to deliver Seoul's strong protest against Pyongyang's recent missile launches.
But the four-day talks will not likely produce a meaningful result as the North is expected to argue that the launching of seven missiles on Wednesday was part of a regular military drill.
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K-Pop Concerts Go International
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Shinhwa, 6-member K-pop boy band, perform Saturday before thousands of Chinese fans during their sold-out concert at the Shanghai Grand Stage in Shanghai, China, the first stop in their "State of the Art 2006" Asian tour.
This summer, K-pop stars are escaping the heat by going abroad. But, instead of relaxing on a beach or traveling, they will be working hard to entertain foreign fans with spectacular concerts in Asia and the United States
[Hallyu]
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South Rejects North Korea's Military Talks
By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter
A further setback is expected in the soured inter-Korean relations as North Korea was found to have employed a ``two-faced'' tactic by proposing military talks to the South just before its missile provocation last Wednesday.
According to the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul Friday, North Korea proposed on July 3 to hold a liaison officers' meeting for a new round of general-level military talks between the two Koreas.
But South Korea decided to reject the proposal and sent a telegram to the North on July 6, ministry officials said, since Pyongyang launched a series of missiles including a long-range Taepodong-2 on July 5 (KST).
the latest revelation has added more fuel to the heated controversy in the South over the propriety of the government's response to the North's provocation.
Some critics argue that, at a time when the missile tests have been expected for more than a month, the government should have accepted the North's proposal for a meeting. Others question why the government had concealed it so far.
military contact _ though its background cannot be exactly understood at the moment _ might have been linked either directly or indirectly to the missile tests two days later.
``If there was such an offer at such a sensitive time, the government should have tried to verify what the North's main concerns were and get prepared,'' Rep. Hwang Jin-ha, a three-star general-turned-lawmaker of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP), said.
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Koreas to Hold Ministerial Talks
South Korea decided to hold the inter-Korean ministerial talks as scheduled despite North Korea's latest missile tests in order to utilize the event as an opportunity to persuade Pyongyang to return to the negotiation table, officials here said Friday.
``North Korea's missile tests and its return to the six-party nuclear talks would be the key agendas for the next week's ministerial talks,'' Lee Kwan-sei, an assistant minister of the Unification Ministry in Seoul, said in a press briefing.
Scheduled for July 11-14 in the southeastern port city of Pusan, the Cabinet-level talks would be the first cross-border meeting between the two Koreas since North Korea's missile provocation last Wednesday.
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Disputes Intensify Over Seoul's Reaction
By Lee Jin-woo
Staff Reporter
Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung, left, answers questions about North Korea's missile launches during a meeting at the governing Uri Party's head office in Seoul, Friday. Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok, center, and Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myunghwan also attended the meeting. /Yonhap
The South Korean government was still struggling Friday with the aftershock of North Korea's provocative missile launches on Wednesday. National security-related ministers and the governing Uri Party had a hard time refuting opposition parties' criticism and media reports, which claimed the reaction to the missile threat was delayed and thick-skinned.
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Son of First President Sues TV Drama 'Seoul 1945'
By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter
Rhee In-soo, an adopted son of South Korea's first president Syngman Rhee, and Jang Byung-hye, a daughter of former prime minister Jang Taek-sang Thursday filed a lawsuit against producers of ``Seoul 1945,'' a popular KBS weekly historical soap opera.
They claim that the drama distorts history and belittles the achievements of their late fathers.
``The drama seriously defames both the former president and Jang as it portrays them as collaborators with the Japanese and the United States, hence abandoning a unified Korea. Also the drama says that the two tacitly approved the assassination of the center-left leader Yeo Un-hyong,'' claimed Rhee.
However, others say that the drama makes the viewers reconsider history and sheds light on leftists after the country's liberation as their contributions to the nation have been much neglected under the banner of anti-communism in South Korea.
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Seoul to Continue Dialogue With North Korea
By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok indicated Thursday that South Korea will not stop planned talks with North Korea even though the Stalinist country fired a number of missiles the day before, which seriously provoked Japan and the United States.
``It is the common position of the countries involved in the six-party talks to urge North Korea to return to the talks,'' he told lawmakers of the National Assembly Committee on Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade. ``The South Korean government wonders `what it would mean if we refuse to talk' with North Korea.''
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South Koreans Unruffled by N.Korean Missile Launch
Not otherwise famous for the easygoing nature of its people, South Korea seems to be developing a carefree attitude to security. Wednesday's missile launch by North Korea put countries from Japan onwards on high alert, but just across the armistice line, people not only carried on about their business but seemed determined to kick back and enjoy themselves.
The number of tourists going overseas or heading for domestic beaches in fact went up on Wednesday. A large domestic travel agency saw the number of customers booking overseas trips rise by almost 500 from the previous day to 8,572 even as missiles capable of hitting anywhere in the South dropped into the East Sea. "Bookings are rising steadily after going down due to the World Cup," a staffer said. "It seems the trend was unaffected by the missile issue." The same was true for holiday destinations here. Sokcho Beach on the East Coast, which opened Friday, saw some 3,000 visitors on the day, up from last year's 2,700 on opening day.
Word on the street confirmed the trend. "War doesn't break out that easily," said Kim (20), a college student, who was at the COEX mall in Samseong-dong, Seoul on Friday afternoon. "There are people who say we're being insensitive about the missile launches, but I think they view the situation from a perspective that is too tilted toward the U.S.'" Cho
{SK attitude NK] [SK attitude US]
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Questions About North Korea's Offer of Military Contact
Several questions remain unresolved about North Korea's request on Monday for a meeting of military liaison officers from the two Koreas, two days before it test-fired its missiles. The meeting was to happen Friday. Seoul did not respond until Thursday, the day after the launches, saying it would name a date "at an appropriate time." What did Pyongyang have in mind? Why did the South wait so long, and why did it only make the request public on Friday?
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The Road to Unification
29 June 2006
'The Road to Unification' was published by the [ROK] Ministry of Unification in order to enhance foreigners' understanding of the concept and process of unification as well as on guidelines for unification .
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Seoul to Continue Dialogue With North Korea
By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok indicated Thursday that South Korea will not stop planned talks with North Korea even though the Stalinist country fired a number of missiles the day before, which seriously provoked Japan and the United States
Lee is scheduled to meet with Kwon Ho-ung, chief councilor of the North's Cabinet, at four days of Cabinet talks which begin in Pusan next Tuesday.
The minister also said it will take one or two weeks to come to a conclusion about the result of the missile firing by the North. ``We are analyzing what kind of missiles were fired and whether the firing was successful or not.''
[Evidence]
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Two Koreas Discuss Setting Up Weather Center at Mt. Kumgang
By Lee Jin-woo
Staff Reporter
Tourists visiting North Korea's scenic Mt. Kumgang resort are likely to be presented with more accurate weather forecasts as early as this fall, officials at South Korea's Unification Ministry said Wednesday.
South and North Korea are in negotiations to open a weather forecasting center at the mountain to provide tourists with more accurate meteorological information in the region, notorious for its unpredictable weather, said a ministry official, who asked not to be identified. [Joint Korean]
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Two Civic Groups Urge North Korea to Repatriate Abductees
By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter
Two civic groups in Seoul demanded on Tuesday that Pyongyang repatriate those it kidnapped in the past, arguing that what Kim Young-nam, a South Korean who was allegedly abducted by the North in 1978, told reporters in North Korea last week was not true.
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Time and tide defied in the travel of Kim Yong-nam to North Korea
July 03, 2006 ?
GUNSAN ? People who live in the area near here where Kim Yong-nam's life was changed dramatically in 1978 are scratching their heads about the story of his disappearance.
Mr. Kim, believed to have been kidnapped as a teenager, appeared before the South Korean press at Mount Kumgang last week to say he had not been abducted, nor did he defect. He was plucked from a drifting raft in the ocean, he said, by a North Korean ship heading for Nampo and later decided to stay in North Korea.
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Two Koreas to Excavate Ancient Site
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Scholars from the two Koreas will begin a joint excavation of a historical site in Kaesong, North Korea starting early next month.
A group of historians from the two Koreas will jointly research a historical site of the ancient Koryo Kingdom, the Cultural Heritage Administration, a South Korean governmental body that leads the project, said Thursday.
Located beneath Mt. Songak, the royal palace was built in 919 but was destroyed in 1361 when China invaded Korea.
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Sister Hopes for Another Reunion
By Seo Dong-shin
Staff Reporter
Kim Young-ja, who was reunited with her younger brother living in North Korea last week after 28 years of separation, said Sunday that she is hoping for another reunion with him within two months.
``When the North invites us to the Arirang Festival in August, our entire family would like to visit Pyongyang and have a reunion again,'' Kim told a press conference, held at the provincial office in Chonju, North Cholla Province.
Asked whether the family would seek the return of Young-nam to the South, Young-ja said that while it is natural to want to live together as a family, the ``decision is up to him,'' and they need to confront the reality of the national division.
The South Korean government has considered Young-nam as an abduction victim by North Korean agents. But after the first emotional reunion session on Thursday, Young-nam claimed in an exclusive press conference given to the South Korean journalists Friday, that his entering the North 28 years ago was neither a case of kidnapping nor a voluntary decision on his part.
Conservative media in the South rapped the claims as given by Pyongyang's script. But Young-ja said that she understands her brother's stance and did not want to comment on the explanation.
A ranking Seoul government official, meanwhile, on Friday spoke positively of the fact that Kim did not claim his border-crossing was a voluntary one.
While South Korea considers some 490 its citizens have been abducted to the North after the Korean War (1950-1953), Pyongyang has maintained its stance that it has not abducted any South Koreans. So Seoul officials had anticipated that Kim would argue his defection to the North was a voluntary one in line with Pyongyang's usual claim.
It proved the North's ``changing attitude'' that Kim did not claim to have crossed the border voluntarily, the official at the Unification Ministry said.
He also reaffirmed Seoul's stance that there would be no cooperation with Tokyo on the abductee issue.
``We need calm, quiet and serious consultation (with Pyongyang) to practically resolve the abductee issue,'' he said.
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Chosun Ilbo President Convicted of Tax Evasion
The Supreme Court Thursday found Bang Sang-hoon, president of Chosun Ilbo, one of the nation's widely circulated newspapers, guilty of tax evasion and embezzlement, and gave him a four-year suspended prison sentence.
[Corruption]
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