Vol 2, No 2 May 2000
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The summit was ostensibly welcomed around the world though there was an American report that the US and Japan were privately less pleased by N-S rapprochement. The US blocked ROK's attempt to get DPRK admitted to the Asian Development Bank. Kim Dae-Jung has pressed for DPRK membership of IMF and APEC and for third countries to establish links with DPRK. Australia did so in May and the Philippines is expected to do so shortly. Britain and Belgium have sent delegations to Pyongyang and the DPRK will attend the ASEAN Regional Forum in July.
Rapprochement is seen as bringing much-needed investment and trade to the DPRK and presenting great economic opportunities to ROK business. Foreign business is also taking a growing interest in the DPRK.
At press time preparatory talks between North and South are continuing as are talks with US and Japan. A webpage, updated daily, is at http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~caplabtb/summit2000.html
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2. At the invitation of National Defense Committee Chairman Kim Jong-il, President Kim Dae-jung will visit Pyongyang from the 12th to the 14th of June, 2000.
3. During the visit to Pyongyang, the historic meeting between President Kim Dae-jung and Chairman Kim Jong-il will take place for a South-North summit meeting.
4. The two sides have agreed to hold preparatory talks in April for consultations on the procedural matters.
Source: Korea Times website 10 April 2000
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The agreement says: At the request of President Kim Dae Jung, he will visit Pyongyang from June 12 to 14, 2000. In Pyongyang a historic meeting between Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission, and President Kim Dae Jung will take place and inter-Korean summit talks will be held.
Both sides decided to have a preliminary contact to discuss procedural matters in the near day of April. The agreement was signed by Song Ho Gyong, Vice-chairman of the Korean Asian and Pacific Peace Committee of the north side on behalf of the will of the highest authority and Pak Ji Won, Minister of Culture and Tourism of the south side on behalf of the will of the highest authority.
Source: KCNA via People's Korea website 10 April 2000
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``The summit conference table must be round, not rectangular so that the two leaders would come out with successful results.
``The summit agenda must include Tangun, founding father of the Kojoson (the oldest state on the Korean peninsula).''
These are among hundreds of innovative and novel suggestions netizens have sent to President Kim Dae-jung ahead of the historic June inter-Korean summit. .......
Out of concern over high public expectations for the summit, Kim has been striving to moderate public interest in the historic gathering.
In a series of recent speeches, Kim said the summit itself is more important than any agreement.
Source: Korea Times website 14 May 2000
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The Thai government, which is set to host the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on July 26-27, notified all ARF members, including South Korea, that North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun sent a letter to his Thai counterpart Surin Pitsuwan to convey his government's intention to join the organization, they said.
Now that North Korea has normalized ties with Italy and Australia in January and this month respectively, its projected accession to the regional body is interpreted as an example of North Korea's new diplomacy aimed at stepping up its presence in multilateral dialogue bodies.
At present, the Kim Dae-jung administration is seeking to create a favorable international atmosphere to open the way for North Korea to join as many international organizations as possible, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the Asian Development Bank. .....
``If the accession process makes smooth progress, North Korean Foreign Minister Paek is set to take part at the ARF meeting from this July,'' the official said. .....
Beginning several months ago, North Korea repeatedly showed indications that it would join the ARF after it normalized ties with the Philippines.
Now that Manila is expected to establish diplomatic ties with Pyongyang in July, there is almost no hurdle blocking North Korea's accession to the regional organization.
Minister Paek reportedly wishes to visit the Philippines in July to sign an agreement on diplomatic normalization prior to his trip to Bangkok. .....
The ministry is also seeking to invite a North Korean official to the Seoul meeting of the ARF's intersessional support group on confidence building measures, set for November.
Source Korea Times website 11 May 2000
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In a poll ... only 27.7 percent consider North Korea the enemy.
A total of 54.8 percent considered the North a partner for co-existence and cooperation, with 69.6 percent saying it will open its doors to other countries.
On the Korean War, 76.3 percent called for concluding a peace treaty in a future-oriented manner, as opposed to 21.5 percent who favored light on the war's cause to find the people responsible for the war.
On the June summit's influence on inter-Korean relations, 73.7 percent gave a positive influence, with 18.7 percent seeing ``an epochal influence'' and 55 percent ``considerable influence.''
On the agenda of the summit, the reunion of separated families was given the highest priority with 42.1 percent, followed by war renunciation and a peace treaty with 24.1 percent, economic cooperation 17.4 percent and socio-educational exchanges 9.6 percent.
Regarding a desirable policy towards North Korea, 54.8 percent pointed to a policy of inducing it to open itself with considerable aid and 25.7 percent reciprocity in inter-Korean relations.
Source: Korea Times website 12 May 2000
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For starters, South Korea and the United States are slated to open consultations on their North Korea policies next week. ...Sherman's visit to Seoul will be followed by her participation in a three-way conference attended by South Korea, the United States and Japan, in which the nations will fine-tune their North Korea policies......
North Korea is also set to engage in a high-profile diplomatic campaign this month to improve its relations with major foreign nations.
The Communist North plans to announce the re-establishment of diplomatic ties with Australia in the near future. Officials from Belgium and Britain are also scheduled to visit North Korea May 13-16 and May 16-20, respectively, to discuss improving relations.
In addition, the 10th round of rapprochement talks between North Korea and Japan will be held May 22-26 in Tokyo.
The United States and North Korea will also meet in Rome May 24 to resume the talks that adjourned in March in New York.......
"The North feels the need to improve relations with foreign countries and South Korea to attract foreign investment and technology," said Huh Moon-young, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a government think tank.
He added that the North's agreement to hold a summit with the South was proof that it was changing its policy of focusing on normalizing relations with the United States.
Source: Korea Herald website 5 May 2000
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However, despite the positive effects, the unification of Korea would drastically alter the balance of power in East Asia. No longer divided, Korea would discontinue hosting US forces on the peninsula. With China remaining a concern, these would need to be relocated elsewhere in Asia or along the Pacific. Further, the justification for the US troops in Japan, which has shifted from a Soviet threat to a North Korea threat, is weakened.
The US position in regards to China, once weakened, will be further exacerbated in that the reunified Korea will likely soften its military ties with the United States and may instead lean toward its more traditional regional partner - China - which shares with Korea a historical antagonism toward Japan. .....
US concerns are already having an effect on the inter-Korean negotiations. On April 15, the United States warned that sanctions, softened last year in return for North Korean promises to stop missile testing, may be reinstated. Further, in the annual State Department Patterns of Global Terrorism report, released May 1, North Korea was again listed as a terrorist state, despite intense negotiations by Pyongyang and Seoul for North Korea's removal from the list
Japan too is affecting North Korea's mood upon entering the summit negotiations. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said in late April that Japan's acts in World War II might not have been aggression, as history was subject to interpretation. ..... With the summit just one month away, Tokyo and Washington will continue to press Seoul and Pyongyang to address their concerns. As well, they will take subtle steps to slow or undermine the talks, diverting the focus from general economic and social ties and refocusing instead on contentious issues of US forces, missiles and nuclear issues. While peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula may be a long-term desire of all parties involved, with North Korea in the driver's seat, the United States and Japan are not prepared to let things proceed smoothly.
Source: STRATFOR.COM's Global Intelligence Update May 9, 2000
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Top managers of major business concerns are seeking to make the visits with the aim of expanding their businesses and exploring new investment projects. ...
Earlier, business people belonging to the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea (EUCCK) and other foreign economic organizations active here announced they would form a delegation to visit the North to explore investment opportunities. ..
Samsung Electronic recently reached a broad agreement with the North to begin manufacturing home appliances like audio and telephone equipment, in addition to color television sets.
Daewoo Corporation's Director Oh Kwang-sung plans to visit North Korea to look at ways to normalize the company's businesses in the North .....
The American Chamber of Commerce and Industry has embarked on consultations with North Korean officials on details regarding an envisioned
Source: Korea Times 13 April 2000
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Source: KCNA Website 8 May 2000
Seoul welcomes restoration of ties between North Korea, Australia
"We expect the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between North Korea and Australia to positively contribute to the improvement of inter-Korean relations,"......
Other analysts said the North's rapprochement with Australia demonstrated its efforts to secure a bridgehead in the in Asia-Pacific region for the improvement of relations with other Asian countries like Japan and the Philippines......
"The Australian ambassador to China will likely represent his country in Pyongyang while the North Korean ambassador to Indonesia will do likewise in Canberra," said an observer.
Source: Korea Herald website 9 May
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Associate Foreign Affairs Minister Matt Robson says New Zealand should follow Australia's example and establish diplomatic ties with communist North Korea. ....
Mr Robson said he would suggest to Mr Goff, on the Labour minister's return, that New Zealand follow suit.
"As a general principle, I think we should normalise relations as much as possible so that we can have an influence on what will inevitably be changes both in North Korea and eventually in South Korea as well.
"If the Australians are doing it, they would have their concurrence, I would think, with the United States because their present foreign policy seems to be to march in line with the United States. .....
Mr Goff's spokesman said Australia was re-establishing diplomatic ties with North Korea, whereas New Zealand had never had them.
"There are no immediate plans to follow the Australians but we are watching it quite closely."
Source: Victoria Main, The Press, 10 May 2000.
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The Inter-Korean Summit
Overview
On 10 April there was a surprise announcement that DPRK and ROK would hold a summit 12-14 June. The previous attempt, in 1994, had been aborted by Kim Il-Sung's death. The two versions had a significant difference; The ROK statement says the meeting will take place 'At the invitation of ....Kim Jong-il', whereas the DPRK says that the visit is 'at the request of President Kim Dae Jung'. Coming a few days before the ROK election the agreement was attacked by the opposition as 'an election gimmick'. In the event Kim Dae-jung's party lost, but was helped by the news of the summit, which has the support of most south Koreans.
ROK version
1. The South and the North, affirming the three principles of national unification as proclaimed in the historic July 4 South-North Joint Communiqué, with a view to advancing the reconciliation and unity, exchange and cooperation, and peace and unification of the people, have agreed to the following:
DPRK version
The north and the south of Korea, reaffirming the three principles of National Reunification clarified in the historic July 4 North-South Joint Statement, reached an agreement aimed at accelerating national reconciliation and unity, exchange and cooperation, peace and reunification
Netizens Send Ideas to Kim For Summit
``Leaders of the two Koreas must wear traditional `hanbok' during the summit in Pyongyang to symbolize the fact that they are of the same root.
NK to Step Up Presence in Int'l Bodies Via ARF Entry
North Korea's application to join a regional security forum signals the reclusive regime's determination to end its isolation and join the international community, officials here said yesterday.
Majority of S. Koreans Sees NK as Partner of Cooperation
A majority of the South Korean people sees North Korea as a partner for co-existence and cooperation and believes that the North will move towards opening its doors to the world, a vernacular daily reported yesterday.
May to bring about rapid political changes on Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula will soon be swept by a series of political changes, as many important diplomatic events involving the two Koreas and their neighbors are scheduled for May, officials and analysts said.
Summit success could be too much for US, Japan
...A stabilized Korea, in lessening security concerns, may also boost regional economic growth.
Entrepreneurs Rush to Visit N. Korea
Riding on thawing inter-Korean relations following the scheduled summit between President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, an increasing number of entrepreneurs are poised to visit the North starting next month.
AUSTRALIA-DPRK RE-ESTABLISH RELATIONS
DPRK Communiqué
Pyongyang, May 8 (KCNA) -- A communique on reopening diplomatic relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Commonwealth of Australia was released here today. It said: The DPRK and the Australian governments agreed to reopen the temporarily suspended diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level to develop the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries on the principle of mutual respect for sovereignty, non-interference in other's internal affairs, equality and reciprocity. Both sides will soon appoint their ambassadors, the communique said.
The government welcomed yesterday the restoration of diplomatic ties between North Korea and Australia, which officials said would help create a cooperative atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula ahead of the historic June inter-Korean summit.
MINISTER URGES NZ LINK WITH N KOREA
NZ Journal of Asian Studies is running a special supplement on the Summit and DPRK in its next issue. Further details available from the Editor, Assoc Prof Ken Henshall, Department of East Asian Studies, Waikato University ph +64 07 07 838 4210, email: kenh@mailserv.waikato.ac.nz
Pyongyang Report Vol 2, No. 2 Mary 2000
Pyongyang Report is compiled as a contribution towards greater knowledge and understanding of North Korea. Information is culled from a variety of sources and does not present any specific ideological perspective.