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204696
Thu, 09/01/2011 - 12:54
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NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER NO. 173 (September 1, 2011)
NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER NO. 173 (September 1, 2011)
*** TOPIC OF THE WEEK (Part 2)
North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il Visits China on Way Home from Russia
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il made a three-day visit to China, his country's closest ally, on his way back home from his trip to Russia during which he discussed the resumption of the stalled six-party talks and economic cooperation projects.
In China, the North Korean leader toured industrial facilities in northeastern region and also held talks with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo in Daqing.
Kim "returned home on Aug. 27, accompanied by the suite members, after successfully winding up his visit" to Russia and China, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Aug. 28.
Kim "was warmly greeted at the border railway station by Kim Jong-un," the 69-year-old North Korean leader's youngest son and leader-in-waiting, the KCNA said.
The report confirmed that the heir apparent was absent from the entourage on Kim's trip.
Kim began the two-nation trip by train on Aug. 20. Making his first visit to Russia in nearly a decade, he held a summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and reportedly expressed his willingness to rejoin the six-party talks.
On his way home from Russia, Kim entered China on Aug. 25 and toured industrial facilities in Qiqihar, a hub of automobile industries, and Daqing, home to China's largest oilfield.
Kim's special train crossed into North Korea via the Chinese border city of Jian around 5 p.m., local time (6 p.m. Korean time). The train had left the northeastern Chinese city of Daqing on Aug. 26 evening and made a stop in the city of Tonghua on the morning of Aug. 27.
On his way home, Kim sent a message to Chinese President Hu Jintao, expressing his gratitude for China's hospitality and saying he believes the friendship between the two countries will continue to strengthen in the future, according to the North's KCNA.
On Aug. 26, during Kim's meeting with councilor Dai, Kim said the North is ready to re-start the six-party talks on its nuclear programs without preconditions, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.
The remark is in line with the overtures that he made during talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier last week in a Siberian city. In that meeting, Kim said his country is willing to return to the nuclear talks and impose a moratorium on tests and the production of nuclear weapons if the multilateral forum re-opens.
The KCNA reported earlier that Kim had met with Dai, but that dispatch made no mention of the nuclear talks that involve the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. The forum has been stalled since its last session in late 2008.
During his first trip to Russia since 2002, and the ensuing visit to China, Kim did call for returning to the six-party talks before next year as it has targeted 2012 as the year in which it will become powerful and prosperous, the KCNA said.
China's state media also reported that Kim confirmed to Dai that he was now ready to put a moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, as Russia had claimed he said days earlier.
In Daqing, he was observed on a tour of a new residential district and an oilfield museum in the city's downtown area, said the source who requested anonymity.
The meeting between Kim and Dai is believed to have been held at a state guest house in the city where the leader was expected to spend the night, but Xinhua gave no further information except that the meeting took place in the Heilongjiang Province, where the two cities are located.
The previous day, on Aug. 25, Kim's special train stopped in the Chinese border city of Manzhouli, where he was greeted by senior Chinese Communist Party envoy Wang Jiarui.
Initially, Kim's armored train was expected to retrace its steps and head for the Russian port city of Vladivostok. There was speculation that Kim could meet Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the city before crossing the border back to North Korea.
The decision to cross through Chinese territory may be a move to shorten Kim's train ride back to his country after his summit meeting with Medvedev.
Crossing through China can reduce the train ride by roughly 1,500 kilometers and 20 hours.
Kim's arrival in China marks the fourth time in the last 15 months that the North Korean leader has traversed Chinese soil, with his last trip taking place in May.
Sources said that because of the railway line in China, although Kim did not, he might have stopped at Harbin and Changchun, which are major cities in China's northeastern region, for a meeting between Kim and President Hu.
This might have been in the form of a debriefing on his summit with the Russian leader.
Such a move could emphasize the close ties between North Korea and China.
Kim could have touched on the need for development of the Rason special economic zone on the North's eastern coast near the Chinese and Russian border. The talks could also have concerned the building up of areas along the Tumen River region.
But the summit meeting between North Korea and China never took place.
Analysts said China did not give Kim the highest treatment, but others said China showed its maximum hospitality to the North Korean leader by sending State Councilor Dai to greet Kim.
On his return, Kim praised China's economic development after touring an industrial complex in the northeastern part of the country.
This was interpreted as a calculated move to mollify Beijing after his bridge-building trip to Russia.
But it was also taken as a signal to the North Korean people that their leadership is committed to economic prosperity.
"While passing through China's northeastern area, where unforgettable memories dwell, we got to observe the enormous vitality of the policies of the Communist Party of China, and could sense the value of the traditional DPRK-China friendship more," Kim said in a note to Chinese leader Hu Jintao, the KCNA reported.
*** TOPIC OF THE WEEK (Part 2)
North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il Visits China on Way Home from Russia
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il made a three-day visit to China, his country's closest ally, on his way back home from his trip to Russia during which he discussed the resumption of the stalled six-party talks and economic cooperation projects.
In China, the North Korean leader toured industrial facilities in northeastern region and also held talks with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo in Daqing.
Kim "returned home on Aug. 27, accompanied by the suite members, after successfully winding up his visit" to Russia and China, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Aug. 28.
Kim "was warmly greeted at the border railway station by Kim Jong-un," the 69-year-old North Korean leader's youngest son and leader-in-waiting, the KCNA said.
The report confirmed that the heir apparent was absent from the entourage on Kim's trip.
Kim began the two-nation trip by train on Aug. 20. Making his first visit to Russia in nearly a decade, he held a summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and reportedly expressed his willingness to rejoin the six-party talks.
On his way home from Russia, Kim entered China on Aug. 25 and toured industrial facilities in Qiqihar, a hub of automobile industries, and Daqing, home to China's largest oilfield.
Kim's special train crossed into North Korea via the Chinese border city of Jian around 5 p.m., local time (6 p.m. Korean time). The train had left the northeastern Chinese city of Daqing on Aug. 26 evening and made a stop in the city of Tonghua on the morning of Aug. 27.
On his way home, Kim sent a message to Chinese President Hu Jintao, expressing his gratitude for China's hospitality and saying he believes the friendship between the two countries will continue to strengthen in the future, according to the North's KCNA.
On Aug. 26, during Kim's meeting with councilor Dai, Kim said the North is ready to re-start the six-party talks on its nuclear programs without preconditions, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.
The remark is in line with the overtures that he made during talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier last week in a Siberian city. In that meeting, Kim said his country is willing to return to the nuclear talks and impose a moratorium on tests and the production of nuclear weapons if the multilateral forum re-opens.
The KCNA reported earlier that Kim had met with Dai, but that dispatch made no mention of the nuclear talks that involve the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. The forum has been stalled since its last session in late 2008.
During his first trip to Russia since 2002, and the ensuing visit to China, Kim did call for returning to the six-party talks before next year as it has targeted 2012 as the year in which it will become powerful and prosperous, the KCNA said.
China's state media also reported that Kim confirmed to Dai that he was now ready to put a moratorium on testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, as Russia had claimed he said days earlier.
In Daqing, he was observed on a tour of a new residential district and an oilfield museum in the city's downtown area, said the source who requested anonymity.
The meeting between Kim and Dai is believed to have been held at a state guest house in the city where the leader was expected to spend the night, but Xinhua gave no further information except that the meeting took place in the Heilongjiang Province, where the two cities are located.
The previous day, on Aug. 25, Kim's special train stopped in the Chinese border city of Manzhouli, where he was greeted by senior Chinese Communist Party envoy Wang Jiarui.
Initially, Kim's armored train was expected to retrace its steps and head for the Russian port city of Vladivostok. There was speculation that Kim could meet Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the city before crossing the border back to North Korea.
The decision to cross through Chinese territory may be a move to shorten Kim's train ride back to his country after his summit meeting with Medvedev.
Crossing through China can reduce the train ride by roughly 1,500 kilometers and 20 hours.
Kim's arrival in China marks the fourth time in the last 15 months that the North Korean leader has traversed Chinese soil, with his last trip taking place in May.
Sources said that because of the railway line in China, although Kim did not, he might have stopped at Harbin and Changchun, which are major cities in China's northeastern region, for a meeting between Kim and President Hu.
This might have been in the form of a debriefing on his summit with the Russian leader.
Such a move could emphasize the close ties between North Korea and China.
Kim could have touched on the need for development of the Rason special economic zone on the North's eastern coast near the Chinese and Russian border. The talks could also have concerned the building up of areas along the Tumen River region.
But the summit meeting between North Korea and China never took place.
Analysts said China did not give Kim the highest treatment, but others said China showed its maximum hospitality to the North Korean leader by sending State Councilor Dai to greet Kim.
On his return, Kim praised China's economic development after touring an industrial complex in the northeastern part of the country.
This was interpreted as a calculated move to mollify Beijing after his bridge-building trip to Russia.
But it was also taken as a signal to the North Korean people that their leadership is committed to economic prosperity.
"While passing through China's northeastern area, where unforgettable memories dwell, we got to observe the enormous vitality of the policies of the Communist Party of China, and could sense the value of the traditional DPRK-China friendship more," Kim said in a note to Chinese leader Hu Jintao, the KCNA reported.
