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194936
Thu, 07/14/2011 - 05:52
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https://oananews.org//node/194936
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U.S. Plays down New Report on N. Korea-Pakistan Nuke Ties
NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER NO. 166 (July 14, 2011)
*** FOREIGN TIPS
U.S. Plays down New Report on N. Korea-Pakistan Nuke Ties
WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Following a fresh news report of alleged nuclear cooperation between North Korea and Pakistan, senior U.S. officials tried on July 7 to downplay the diplomatic impact on already shaky relations with Islamabad.
"I don't have anything to say beyond the fact that we take, obviously, North Korea's nuclear program, you know, very seriously," White House press secretary Jay Carney said, when asked about a Washington Post report.
In a front-page article earlier in the day, the newspaper carried a claim by A.K. Khan, the founder of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, that the North Korean regime paid US$3 million in bribes to Pakistani military officials for sensitive nuclear technology in the late 1990s.
Khan has been long suspected of having provided Pyongyang with nuclear know-how, including a program to produce highly enriched uranium. But the Post report indicates the involvement of Pakistani authorities in the black-market trade of nuclear arms technology.
The White House official stressed the importance of Washington's alliance, albeit "complicated," with Islamabad amid a war on terrorism.
"I think I've said on many occasions that our relationship with Pakistan is complicated," he said. "We don't always agree. It is not always perfect, but it is significant and important."
Pakistan is a key partner in the U.S. fight against al-Qaida. But their relations have apparently been strained recently. Some Pakistani regions bordering Afghanistan reportedly remain safe havens for terrorists. Pakistanis are split over ties with Washington.
And some U.S. officials question Pakistan's willingness to fight together against local terrorist groups.
Pakistan is, in particular, angry that it was not notified in advance about the May 2 hunt-down of Osama bin Laden, the long-time fugitive leader of al-Qaida.
Pointing out Pakistan's role in a drawn-out campaign to defeat the terrorist group, Carney said, "So that's why we continue to work on that relationship."
The State Department also played down North Korea's acquisition of nuclear skills as related with Khan's personal organization.
"Let me start by saying this is not a new story," department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a separate press briefing. "From the time that A.Q. Khan was first busted, we started expressing our deep concern about connections between his organization and North Korea and the role there in illicit proliferation activities."
She refused to answer a question on whether the U.S. has any evidence on the alleged involvement of senior Pakistani officials, saying it is a matter of intelligence evaluation.
"We've been engaged intensively with Pakistanis at all levels to ensure that Pakistan is taking as many steps as it can to stop proliferation, working with them on these issues. So those dialogues continue," she added.
------------------------
Defectors Say Foreign Food Aid Goes to Ruling Elite, Military
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korean defectors said on July 7 that they rarely received foreign food aid, the latest claim that could raise concerns on whether the planned aid by the European Union (EU) will reach intended recipients in the isolated country.
There was no immediate way to independently verify the claim, but there have been widespread allegations that the North has diverted outside food aid to its ruling elite and military, a key backbone of leader Kim Jong-il's iron-fisted rule.
"I ate South Korean rice in 2000, but most of the aid went to the military and high-ranking officials," a North Korean defector, who identified himself only by his family name Kim, told reporters.
Kim, who crossed the heavily fortified border into South Korea about a year ago, said most ordinary North Korean residents never saw foreign food aid, though they heard about it, as the outside aid was sent to a military warehouse.
He declined to give any further personal details, citing concerns about his family members left behind in the North.
North Korea reportedly metes out harsh punishments on family members and relatives of defectors.
A female defector from North Korea, who identified herself only by her family name Yang, claimed that South Korean food aid ended up being sold in markets.
The North Korean government "took all food aid so that ordinary people could not eat it," Yang said, adding that it would be better for the international community not to give aid to the North.
The North has relied on international handouts since the late 1990s when it suffered a massive famine that was estimated to have killed 2 million people.
The defectors' comments were not unusual, but they came days after the European Commission announced a decision to provide the North with aid worth 10 million euros to help feed 650,000 people.
The claims called into question whether the aid could reach malnourished children, pregnant women and other intended beneficiaries, though the executive body of the EU said North Korea has agreed to a strict monitoring system.
The defectors made the comments in a meeting with reporters after hundreds of South Korean officials and local residents broke ground for a new facility for North Korean defectors as colorful confetti fluttered down and fireworks exploded.
The ceremony underscores Seoul's commitment to better embrace the continued stream of North Koreans fleeing their homeland to avoid chronic food shortages and harsh political oppression.
South Korea has already been running a key resettlement center known as Hanawon, near Seoul, to help the defectors better adjust to life in the capitalist South, home to more than 21,800 North Korean defectors.
------------------------
S. Korea Seeks Five-party Unity on Nuclear Talks on N. Korea
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry said on July 8 that it will continue diplomatic efforts to present a united front with four other nations involved in the stalled nuclear talks with North Korea, in a bid to convince the North to show its sincerity toward denuclearization through concrete actions.
After tensions sharply escalated following the North's two deadly attacks on the South last year, North Korea has been calling for a fresh round of the six-party nuclear disarmament talks that involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. The talks have been stalled since late 2008.
Regional powers have kept a wary eye on the North's intention to return to the talks, given its past pattern of raising tensions with provocations and then demanding dialogue to win concessions.
"Last year, our diplomacy on North Korea's nuclear issue was focused on working closely with the five parties to try to cease the North's past pattern of winning material gains without taking irreversible measures for denuclearization," the ministry said in its annual diplomatic paper.
"Also this year, we will continue to make diplomatic efforts to send a unified message from the five parties to North Korea, by securing cooperation from China and Russia and based on a concerted cooperation with the U.S. and Japan," it said.
North Korea, which conducted two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, is believed to have enough plutonium for at least a half-dozen bombs. In between the two attacks last year, the North also disclosed a uranium enrichment facility that could give it another source of building an atomic bomb.
South Korea and the U.S. have repeatedly called for China, the North's last remaining ally and biggest benefactor, to use its influence on the communist neighbor.
China didn't join a chorus of nations condemning North Korea for the sinking of a South Korean warship in March last year. It also failed to criticize the North for shelling an inhabited South Korean border island last November.
The two attacks killed a total of 50 South Koreans, including two civilians, but the North denies it sank the ship and claims the artillery attack was provoked by the South's firing drill.
The prospects for reopening the six-party talks dimmed as North Korea showed no signs of improving relations with the South. South Korean and U.S. officials said restarting dialogue between the two Koreas is the first step to returning to the multinational talks on ending the North's nuclear program.
------------------------
Reuters to Air News Video from North Korea
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Reuters, the London-based news agency, said on July 11 (local time) it will start distributing news video from North Korea under a new agreement with the socialist country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The announcement comes shortly after the U.S.-based Associated Press (AP) agreed with the KCNA to open a bureau in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang to produce text and photo journalism in addition to the video news it has already been providing since 2006.
Under the new deal, Reuters will set up a satellite dish with a full-time feed in North Korea to broadcast news video footage from the reclusive state, the company said in a press release. Reuters currently publishes text articles and photos from the country under a previous agreement.
"We know the world's broadcasters are seeking more news from North Korea, and this agreement will ensure our clients have a regular supply of up-to-the-minute video stories from Pyongyang and across the country," said Chris Ahearn, president of Reuters Media, according to the release.
The deal gives Reuters access to both breaking and feature news video, and facilitates regular visits to North Korea by the agency's senior journalists. The company will also provide editorial training, it said.
------------------------
U.S. Unfazed by N. Korea's Presidency of U.N. Disarmament Body
WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The United States has no plans to take Canada-like action against a U.N. disarmament body that has awarded North Korea its rotating presidency, a Washington official said on July 11.
Nuclear-armed North Korea assumed the chairmanship of the 65-member U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva late last month. A member country takes on the leadership role for four weeks.
The U.S. government does not see a big problem with North Korea's presidency itself in the multilateral group.
"It's a consensus-based organization, so nothing can be decided just because the chair is a country that we have issues with," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a press briefing. "So our plan is not to take any particular action with regard to that meeting."
She added Washington has chosen "not to make a big deal out of this, because it's a relatively low-level, inconsequential event."
Her comments came as Canada announced a decision to boycott the meeting in protest.
"North Korea is simply not a credible chair at this United Nations body. The regime is a major proliferator of nuclear weapons and its non-compliance with its disarmament obligations goes against the fundamental principle of this committee," Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said in a statement, adding the boycott will be effective until the North's presidency ends on Aug. 19.
"North Korea's chairmanship undermines the integrity of both the disarmament framework and of the United Nations, and Canada simply will not support that," he said.
Just like the U.S., South Korea dismissed North Korea's role in the U.N. body.
"We monitored the move of North Korea becoming the chair of the U.N. Conference on Disarmament but we have not considered any action with regard to it. North Korea is just a rotating chair," a South Korean government official said.
The U.N. has come under growing criticism from conservatives for selecting North Korea to lead the forum.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) said earlier that the case demonstrates an urgent need for U.N. reform.
------------------------
N.K.-Europe Joint Venture Firm Opens Luxury Restaurant in Pyongyang
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- A North Korean joint venture with a European company has opened a luxury restaurant in the capital of the isolated country, the company said on July 12.
Hana Electronics JVC opened "The Restaurant at Hana" and related leisure facilities such as a swimming pool, sauna, hairdresser and bar in its headquarters in Pyongyang, Europe-based Phoenix Commercial Ventures said on its Web site.
The restaurant and leisure facilities are open to North Koreans and foreigners, Phoenix Commercial Ventures said, without giving further details on the menu.
It also said there are about 150 bars and 350 restaurants as well as several 24-hour stores in the capital Pyongyang.
The joint company, which offers foreign investors business and investment opportunities in North Korea, set up Hana Electronics JVC with North Korea's Culture Ministry in 2003.
Hana Electronics JVC produces and sells a range of DVD players, and plans to move into other consumer electronics products, according to Phoenix Commercial Ventures.
In 2009, a company in Singapore set up North Korea's first fast food restaurant in Pyongyang, offering food like hamburgers, waffles and beer, according to the Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan.
------------------------
North Korea's Population Expected to Rise to 27 Mln by 2050
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea is expected to become larger and older in 40 years with its population growing at a slower pace, data showed on July 12.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, North Korea's population is estimated to rise 10 percent by 2050 to 26.96 million from this year's 24.45 million.
The census bureau also projected that South Korea's population will decrease 11 percent from 48.75 million last year to 43.37 million in 2050.
North Korea's population has been on a steady increase since 1995, when it totaled 22.11 million, and the trend is likely to continue into 2050, the bureau said.
The population growth rate, however, is forecast to dwindle from 0.5 percent this year to a negative growth of 0.1 percent in 40 years, the data showed.
The slower rate of population growth will bring down the North's ranking worldwide in 2050 to 64th among 228 countries. It ranked 48th this year, according to the bureau.
North Korea's birthrate is forecast to drop to 1.7 in 2050 from 2.0 in 2011, while its life expectancy is estimated to increase to 78 in 2050 from this year's 69, indicating North Korea will face an aging society.
The bureau did not mention what exactly would attribute to such changes in the country's demographics, but said on its Web site that the estimates were based on the census each country conducted while also taking into account political and social variables alongside specific factors such as natural disasters.
A separate U.N. report published last year found that North Korea's population is to increase by 600,000 to 24.6 million in 2050.
*** FOREIGN TIPS
U.S. Plays down New Report on N. Korea-Pakistan Nuke Ties
WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Following a fresh news report of alleged nuclear cooperation between North Korea and Pakistan, senior U.S. officials tried on July 7 to downplay the diplomatic impact on already shaky relations with Islamabad.
"I don't have anything to say beyond the fact that we take, obviously, North Korea's nuclear program, you know, very seriously," White House press secretary Jay Carney said, when asked about a Washington Post report.
In a front-page article earlier in the day, the newspaper carried a claim by A.K. Khan, the founder of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, that the North Korean regime paid US$3 million in bribes to Pakistani military officials for sensitive nuclear technology in the late 1990s.
Khan has been long suspected of having provided Pyongyang with nuclear know-how, including a program to produce highly enriched uranium. But the Post report indicates the involvement of Pakistani authorities in the black-market trade of nuclear arms technology.
The White House official stressed the importance of Washington's alliance, albeit "complicated," with Islamabad amid a war on terrorism.
"I think I've said on many occasions that our relationship with Pakistan is complicated," he said. "We don't always agree. It is not always perfect, but it is significant and important."
Pakistan is a key partner in the U.S. fight against al-Qaida. But their relations have apparently been strained recently. Some Pakistani regions bordering Afghanistan reportedly remain safe havens for terrorists. Pakistanis are split over ties with Washington.
And some U.S. officials question Pakistan's willingness to fight together against local terrorist groups.
Pakistan is, in particular, angry that it was not notified in advance about the May 2 hunt-down of Osama bin Laden, the long-time fugitive leader of al-Qaida.
Pointing out Pakistan's role in a drawn-out campaign to defeat the terrorist group, Carney said, "So that's why we continue to work on that relationship."
The State Department also played down North Korea's acquisition of nuclear skills as related with Khan's personal organization.
"Let me start by saying this is not a new story," department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a separate press briefing. "From the time that A.Q. Khan was first busted, we started expressing our deep concern about connections between his organization and North Korea and the role there in illicit proliferation activities."
She refused to answer a question on whether the U.S. has any evidence on the alleged involvement of senior Pakistani officials, saying it is a matter of intelligence evaluation.
"We've been engaged intensively with Pakistanis at all levels to ensure that Pakistan is taking as many steps as it can to stop proliferation, working with them on these issues. So those dialogues continue," she added.
------------------------
Defectors Say Foreign Food Aid Goes to Ruling Elite, Military
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korean defectors said on July 7 that they rarely received foreign food aid, the latest claim that could raise concerns on whether the planned aid by the European Union (EU) will reach intended recipients in the isolated country.
There was no immediate way to independently verify the claim, but there have been widespread allegations that the North has diverted outside food aid to its ruling elite and military, a key backbone of leader Kim Jong-il's iron-fisted rule.
"I ate South Korean rice in 2000, but most of the aid went to the military and high-ranking officials," a North Korean defector, who identified himself only by his family name Kim, told reporters.
Kim, who crossed the heavily fortified border into South Korea about a year ago, said most ordinary North Korean residents never saw foreign food aid, though they heard about it, as the outside aid was sent to a military warehouse.
He declined to give any further personal details, citing concerns about his family members left behind in the North.
North Korea reportedly metes out harsh punishments on family members and relatives of defectors.
A female defector from North Korea, who identified herself only by her family name Yang, claimed that South Korean food aid ended up being sold in markets.
The North Korean government "took all food aid so that ordinary people could not eat it," Yang said, adding that it would be better for the international community not to give aid to the North.
The North has relied on international handouts since the late 1990s when it suffered a massive famine that was estimated to have killed 2 million people.
The defectors' comments were not unusual, but they came days after the European Commission announced a decision to provide the North with aid worth 10 million euros to help feed 650,000 people.
The claims called into question whether the aid could reach malnourished children, pregnant women and other intended beneficiaries, though the executive body of the EU said North Korea has agreed to a strict monitoring system.
The defectors made the comments in a meeting with reporters after hundreds of South Korean officials and local residents broke ground for a new facility for North Korean defectors as colorful confetti fluttered down and fireworks exploded.
The ceremony underscores Seoul's commitment to better embrace the continued stream of North Koreans fleeing their homeland to avoid chronic food shortages and harsh political oppression.
South Korea has already been running a key resettlement center known as Hanawon, near Seoul, to help the defectors better adjust to life in the capitalist South, home to more than 21,800 North Korean defectors.
------------------------
S. Korea Seeks Five-party Unity on Nuclear Talks on N. Korea
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South Korea's foreign ministry said on July 8 that it will continue diplomatic efforts to present a united front with four other nations involved in the stalled nuclear talks with North Korea, in a bid to convince the North to show its sincerity toward denuclearization through concrete actions.
After tensions sharply escalated following the North's two deadly attacks on the South last year, North Korea has been calling for a fresh round of the six-party nuclear disarmament talks that involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. The talks have been stalled since late 2008.
Regional powers have kept a wary eye on the North's intention to return to the talks, given its past pattern of raising tensions with provocations and then demanding dialogue to win concessions.
"Last year, our diplomacy on North Korea's nuclear issue was focused on working closely with the five parties to try to cease the North's past pattern of winning material gains without taking irreversible measures for denuclearization," the ministry said in its annual diplomatic paper.
"Also this year, we will continue to make diplomatic efforts to send a unified message from the five parties to North Korea, by securing cooperation from China and Russia and based on a concerted cooperation with the U.S. and Japan," it said.
North Korea, which conducted two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, is believed to have enough plutonium for at least a half-dozen bombs. In between the two attacks last year, the North also disclosed a uranium enrichment facility that could give it another source of building an atomic bomb.
South Korea and the U.S. have repeatedly called for China, the North's last remaining ally and biggest benefactor, to use its influence on the communist neighbor.
China didn't join a chorus of nations condemning North Korea for the sinking of a South Korean warship in March last year. It also failed to criticize the North for shelling an inhabited South Korean border island last November.
The two attacks killed a total of 50 South Koreans, including two civilians, but the North denies it sank the ship and claims the artillery attack was provoked by the South's firing drill.
The prospects for reopening the six-party talks dimmed as North Korea showed no signs of improving relations with the South. South Korean and U.S. officials said restarting dialogue between the two Koreas is the first step to returning to the multinational talks on ending the North's nuclear program.
------------------------
Reuters to Air News Video from North Korea
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Reuters, the London-based news agency, said on July 11 (local time) it will start distributing news video from North Korea under a new agreement with the socialist country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The announcement comes shortly after the U.S.-based Associated Press (AP) agreed with the KCNA to open a bureau in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang to produce text and photo journalism in addition to the video news it has already been providing since 2006.
Under the new deal, Reuters will set up a satellite dish with a full-time feed in North Korea to broadcast news video footage from the reclusive state, the company said in a press release. Reuters currently publishes text articles and photos from the country under a previous agreement.
"We know the world's broadcasters are seeking more news from North Korea, and this agreement will ensure our clients have a regular supply of up-to-the-minute video stories from Pyongyang and across the country," said Chris Ahearn, president of Reuters Media, according to the release.
The deal gives Reuters access to both breaking and feature news video, and facilitates regular visits to North Korea by the agency's senior journalists. The company will also provide editorial training, it said.
------------------------
U.S. Unfazed by N. Korea's Presidency of U.N. Disarmament Body
WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- The United States has no plans to take Canada-like action against a U.N. disarmament body that has awarded North Korea its rotating presidency, a Washington official said on July 11.
Nuclear-armed North Korea assumed the chairmanship of the 65-member U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva late last month. A member country takes on the leadership role for four weeks.
The U.S. government does not see a big problem with North Korea's presidency itself in the multilateral group.
"It's a consensus-based organization, so nothing can be decided just because the chair is a country that we have issues with," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a press briefing. "So our plan is not to take any particular action with regard to that meeting."
She added Washington has chosen "not to make a big deal out of this, because it's a relatively low-level, inconsequential event."
Her comments came as Canada announced a decision to boycott the meeting in protest.
"North Korea is simply not a credible chair at this United Nations body. The regime is a major proliferator of nuclear weapons and its non-compliance with its disarmament obligations goes against the fundamental principle of this committee," Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said in a statement, adding the boycott will be effective until the North's presidency ends on Aug. 19.
"North Korea's chairmanship undermines the integrity of both the disarmament framework and of the United Nations, and Canada simply will not support that," he said.
Just like the U.S., South Korea dismissed North Korea's role in the U.N. body.
"We monitored the move of North Korea becoming the chair of the U.N. Conference on Disarmament but we have not considered any action with regard to it. North Korea is just a rotating chair," a South Korean government official said.
The U.N. has come under growing criticism from conservatives for selecting North Korea to lead the forum.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) said earlier that the case demonstrates an urgent need for U.N. reform.
------------------------
N.K.-Europe Joint Venture Firm Opens Luxury Restaurant in Pyongyang
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- A North Korean joint venture with a European company has opened a luxury restaurant in the capital of the isolated country, the company said on July 12.
Hana Electronics JVC opened "The Restaurant at Hana" and related leisure facilities such as a swimming pool, sauna, hairdresser and bar in its headquarters in Pyongyang, Europe-based Phoenix Commercial Ventures said on its Web site.
The restaurant and leisure facilities are open to North Koreans and foreigners, Phoenix Commercial Ventures said, without giving further details on the menu.
It also said there are about 150 bars and 350 restaurants as well as several 24-hour stores in the capital Pyongyang.
The joint company, which offers foreign investors business and investment opportunities in North Korea, set up Hana Electronics JVC with North Korea's Culture Ministry in 2003.
Hana Electronics JVC produces and sells a range of DVD players, and plans to move into other consumer electronics products, according to Phoenix Commercial Ventures.
In 2009, a company in Singapore set up North Korea's first fast food restaurant in Pyongyang, offering food like hamburgers, waffles and beer, according to the Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan.
------------------------
North Korea's Population Expected to Rise to 27 Mln by 2050
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea is expected to become larger and older in 40 years with its population growing at a slower pace, data showed on July 12.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, North Korea's population is estimated to rise 10 percent by 2050 to 26.96 million from this year's 24.45 million.
The census bureau also projected that South Korea's population will decrease 11 percent from 48.75 million last year to 43.37 million in 2050.
North Korea's population has been on a steady increase since 1995, when it totaled 22.11 million, and the trend is likely to continue into 2050, the bureau said.
The population growth rate, however, is forecast to dwindle from 0.5 percent this year to a negative growth of 0.1 percent in 40 years, the data showed.
The slower rate of population growth will bring down the North's ranking worldwide in 2050 to 64th among 228 countries. It ranked 48th this year, according to the bureau.
North Korea's birthrate is forecast to drop to 1.7 in 2050 from 2.0 in 2011, while its life expectancy is estimated to increase to 78 in 2050 from this year's 69, indicating North Korea will face an aging society.
The bureau did not mention what exactly would attribute to such changes in the country's demographics, but said on its Web site that the estimates were based on the census each country conducted while also taking into account political and social variables alongside specific factors such as natural disasters.
A separate U.N. report published last year found that North Korea's population is to increase by 600,000 to 24.6 million in 2050.
