ID :
208760
Thu, 09/22/2011 - 07:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/208760
The shortlink copeid
*** NEWS IN BRIEF
NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER NO. 176 (September 22, 2011)
*** NEWS IN BRIEF
N. Korea, Russia to Set up Working Group on Pipeline Project
MOSCOW (Yonhap) -- North Korean and Russian energy officials have agreed to set up a joint working group to build a gas pipeline that will link the two Koreas and Russia, a Russian energy firm said on Sept. 15.
Gazprom chief Alexei Miller and North Korea's Oil Industry Minister Kim Hui-Yong signed a memorandum following a Sept. 15 meeting to create a joint working group for implementing the project and developing other promising areas of cooperation, Russian energy giant Gazprom said in a statement.
The statement said the two sides discussed practical aspects related to the project and an agreement on the project was reached by the leaders of North Korea and Russia during their meeting in Ulan Ude last month.
Kim Hui-yong made his week-long visit to Russia starting Sept. 13, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). But the news agency did not provide any details on the agreement.
Meanwhile, the South's Korea Gas Corp. President Choo Kang-soo, who headed to Russia on Sept. 14, was expected to have talks with the Gazprom CEO, but no statement has been released about the meeting results.
A source said an anticipated trilateral meeting among the energy officials fell through. "Since there are agendas to be discussed between Russia and South Korea and Russia and North Korea, a trilateral meeting is likely to take place some time after the results of the bilateral meetings are realized," said the local source.
The ambitious project to build a transnational pipeline shipping Siberian natural gas to South Korea via the communist North has gained momentum in recent weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il discussed the project with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during his trip to Russia last month.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said last week that the project could move forward faster than expected as it would benefit all sides involved.
------------------------
N. Korea's Joint Venture with China Rolls out Buses, Trucks
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- A joint venture between North Korea and China began to roll out buses and trucks from a car plant, North Korea's official Web site said on Sept. 16.
Pyongunjongsong Corp. went into trial production of the vehicles in its plant at an undisclosed location, the North's government-run Web site Naenara said.
It also said 19-seat minibuses and 50-seaters as well as trucks that range from 0.5 tons to 15 tons would go through performance tests before reaching customers, the Web site said, without elaborating on their prices.
Separately, North Korea has set up Pyeonghwa Motors Corp., a joint venture with a South Korean automaker. The company said it sold 1,450 sport utility vehicles, sedans and minibuses assembled at its plant in Nampho, near the capital Pyongyang, last year.
North Korea's state-run companies are the main customers of Pyeonghwa's cars priced at between US$15,000 and $17,000, according to a Pyeonghwa official in Seoul. He asked not to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
------------------------
N. Korea Ready to Talk About Mt. Kumgang Tour with S. Korea
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea is ready to discuss issues regarding the inter-Korean tour program at the Mount Kumgang resort at any time if South Korea adopts a positive attitude, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper in Japan said on Sept. 16.
The comment came from Kim Kwang-yun, chief of the General Guidance Bureau for the Mount Kumgang International Tourist Special Zone, who briefed foreign media participating in a pilot program of the tour for foreigners.
The inter-Korean tour program started in November 1998 but has been suspended since July 2008 when a South Korean female tourist was shot dead at the resort located on the east coast of North Korea.
South Korea demanded Pyongyang make a formal apology for the incident and called for improved safety measures for tourists as a precondition for the resumption of the tour program.
In relation to the confiscation of South Korean companies' assets at the resort by North Korean authorities due to delays in resuming the tour program, Kim said, "The assets of South Korean civilians have been disposed of in a legal way. If South Korean companies accept our proposal, pending issues will be solved in a positive way," according to Choson Sinbo, an organ of the General Association of Korean Resident in Japan or Chongryon.
Pak Chol-su, head of the Taepung International Investment Group of North Korea, suggested having a meeting with Hyundai Asan Co., South Korea's main operator of the tour program, to discuss issues related to the disposal of the resort's assets, according to an interview with Yonhap News Agency held in Beijing on Sept. 6.
Meanwhile, Lee Chung-bok, vice chief of the General Guidance Bureau for the Mount Kumgang International Tourist Special Zone, told the Choson Sinbo also on Sept. 16, "There are some (foreign) investors who want to invest in the resort and (foreign) companies that want to operate tour facilities at the resort. While foreigners and Koreans abroad express much interest (in the tour), we are in talks with a lot of potential investors and have contracts with some of them."
------------------------
North Korea Still Seeks Improvement of Inter-Korean Ties
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea retains unchanged its stance to improve inter-Korean ties via exchanges and contacts, including the reunion of separated families, a North Korean official Web site said on Sept. 18.
Uriminzokkiri said if the South considers the families suffering from such separation, it should not pay only lip service to their reunion, but show its will to resolve the issue through action.
The Unification Ministry of South Korea had not attempted to contact or dialogue with the North, the Web site claimed, adding that the ministry hampered the North's efforts to mend fences with the South.
On Sept. 17, the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, urged the South to shift its hardline policy toward the North, stressing that the North regards the reunion of separated families as a top priority to facilitate the reconciliation and unity of the people of the two Koreas.
South Korean Vice Unification Minister Um Jong-sik said on Sept. 12, in a meeting with family members separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, that the government is making efforts to resolve the issue of reunions for family members.
------------------------
N. Korea Reiterates Unconditional Resumption of Six-way Talks
SEOUL (Yonhap)-- North Korean media repeated on Sept. 20 a call for the unconditional resumption of six-way talks aimed at scrapping the country's nuclear weapons program, quoting foreign media reports.
The KCNA reported a news story from The Chinese People's Daily on the six-way talks, which was published one day earlier under the title, "'With No Precondition' Is Main Precondition."
The news agency quoted the daily as saying: "The September 19 joint statement adopted at the fourth six-party talks six years ago is a document containing the most practical contents among the documents produced by the talks."
Participants in the six-way talks, which involve the United States, China, Russia, Japan and both South and North Korea, concluded a joint statement of principles to guide future negotiations at the second phase of the fourth round of the talks held from Sept. 13 to 19, 2005, in Beijing. The six-point statement focused on the North's renunciation of all nuclear weapons and its nuclear plans.
Qu Xing, president of the China Institute of International Studies, was also quoted by KCNA as saying that North Korea is fully ready for the resumption of the six-party talks for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The North's news outlet also cited part of a speech delivered by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at an international symposium held on Sept. 19 in Beijing to mark the sixth anniversary of the September 19 joint statement.
The Chinese foreign minister said, "If the parties concerned respect each other, negotiate in a candid way, reach mutual understanding and make concessions, firmly maintaining the spirit of the statement, the six-party talks will continue to be held and yield fruits."
On Sept. 19, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho stressed the importance of resuming the six-party talks during a visit to Beijing, saying attaching preconditions ahead of dialogue hurts each other's trust and belief.
------------------------
Laotian President Choummaly Visits Pyongyang
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Choummaly Sayasone, president of Laos, started his official goodwill visit to North Korea on Sept. 21, North Korean media said.
Choummaly arrived in Pyongyang on his official visit to North Korea at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the North's official news agency KCNA said.
The news agency, however, did not reveal Choummaly's itinerary.
The visit will help enhance cooperative and friendly relations between the people of the two countries, the KCNA said.
To welcome the Laotian president, the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of (North) Korea held a reception at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang with Kim Yong-nam, titular head of state, in attendance, the KCNA said.
Kim Yong-nam sent a congratulatory message in mid-June when Choummaly was reelected president of Laos, according to the North's news media.
(END)
*** NEWS IN BRIEF
N. Korea, Russia to Set up Working Group on Pipeline Project
MOSCOW (Yonhap) -- North Korean and Russian energy officials have agreed to set up a joint working group to build a gas pipeline that will link the two Koreas and Russia, a Russian energy firm said on Sept. 15.
Gazprom chief Alexei Miller and North Korea's Oil Industry Minister Kim Hui-Yong signed a memorandum following a Sept. 15 meeting to create a joint working group for implementing the project and developing other promising areas of cooperation, Russian energy giant Gazprom said in a statement.
The statement said the two sides discussed practical aspects related to the project and an agreement on the project was reached by the leaders of North Korea and Russia during their meeting in Ulan Ude last month.
Kim Hui-yong made his week-long visit to Russia starting Sept. 13, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). But the news agency did not provide any details on the agreement.
Meanwhile, the South's Korea Gas Corp. President Choo Kang-soo, who headed to Russia on Sept. 14, was expected to have talks with the Gazprom CEO, but no statement has been released about the meeting results.
A source said an anticipated trilateral meeting among the energy officials fell through. "Since there are agendas to be discussed between Russia and South Korea and Russia and North Korea, a trilateral meeting is likely to take place some time after the results of the bilateral meetings are realized," said the local source.
The ambitious project to build a transnational pipeline shipping Siberian natural gas to South Korea via the communist North has gained momentum in recent weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il discussed the project with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during his trip to Russia last month.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said last week that the project could move forward faster than expected as it would benefit all sides involved.
------------------------
N. Korea's Joint Venture with China Rolls out Buses, Trucks
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- A joint venture between North Korea and China began to roll out buses and trucks from a car plant, North Korea's official Web site said on Sept. 16.
Pyongunjongsong Corp. went into trial production of the vehicles in its plant at an undisclosed location, the North's government-run Web site Naenara said.
It also said 19-seat minibuses and 50-seaters as well as trucks that range from 0.5 tons to 15 tons would go through performance tests before reaching customers, the Web site said, without elaborating on their prices.
Separately, North Korea has set up Pyeonghwa Motors Corp., a joint venture with a South Korean automaker. The company said it sold 1,450 sport utility vehicles, sedans and minibuses assembled at its plant in Nampho, near the capital Pyongyang, last year.
North Korea's state-run companies are the main customers of Pyeonghwa's cars priced at between US$15,000 and $17,000, according to a Pyeonghwa official in Seoul. He asked not to be identified as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
------------------------
N. Korea Ready to Talk About Mt. Kumgang Tour with S. Korea
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea is ready to discuss issues regarding the inter-Korean tour program at the Mount Kumgang resort at any time if South Korea adopts a positive attitude, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper in Japan said on Sept. 16.
The comment came from Kim Kwang-yun, chief of the General Guidance Bureau for the Mount Kumgang International Tourist Special Zone, who briefed foreign media participating in a pilot program of the tour for foreigners.
The inter-Korean tour program started in November 1998 but has been suspended since July 2008 when a South Korean female tourist was shot dead at the resort located on the east coast of North Korea.
South Korea demanded Pyongyang make a formal apology for the incident and called for improved safety measures for tourists as a precondition for the resumption of the tour program.
In relation to the confiscation of South Korean companies' assets at the resort by North Korean authorities due to delays in resuming the tour program, Kim said, "The assets of South Korean civilians have been disposed of in a legal way. If South Korean companies accept our proposal, pending issues will be solved in a positive way," according to Choson Sinbo, an organ of the General Association of Korean Resident in Japan or Chongryon.
Pak Chol-su, head of the Taepung International Investment Group of North Korea, suggested having a meeting with Hyundai Asan Co., South Korea's main operator of the tour program, to discuss issues related to the disposal of the resort's assets, according to an interview with Yonhap News Agency held in Beijing on Sept. 6.
Meanwhile, Lee Chung-bok, vice chief of the General Guidance Bureau for the Mount Kumgang International Tourist Special Zone, told the Choson Sinbo also on Sept. 16, "There are some (foreign) investors who want to invest in the resort and (foreign) companies that want to operate tour facilities at the resort. While foreigners and Koreans abroad express much interest (in the tour), we are in talks with a lot of potential investors and have contracts with some of them."
------------------------
North Korea Still Seeks Improvement of Inter-Korean Ties
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- North Korea retains unchanged its stance to improve inter-Korean ties via exchanges and contacts, including the reunion of separated families, a North Korean official Web site said on Sept. 18.
Uriminzokkiri said if the South considers the families suffering from such separation, it should not pay only lip service to their reunion, but show its will to resolve the issue through action.
The Unification Ministry of South Korea had not attempted to contact or dialogue with the North, the Web site claimed, adding that the ministry hampered the North's efforts to mend fences with the South.
On Sept. 17, the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, urged the South to shift its hardline policy toward the North, stressing that the North regards the reunion of separated families as a top priority to facilitate the reconciliation and unity of the people of the two Koreas.
South Korean Vice Unification Minister Um Jong-sik said on Sept. 12, in a meeting with family members separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, that the government is making efforts to resolve the issue of reunions for family members.
------------------------
N. Korea Reiterates Unconditional Resumption of Six-way Talks
SEOUL (Yonhap)-- North Korean media repeated on Sept. 20 a call for the unconditional resumption of six-way talks aimed at scrapping the country's nuclear weapons program, quoting foreign media reports.
The KCNA reported a news story from The Chinese People's Daily on the six-way talks, which was published one day earlier under the title, "'With No Precondition' Is Main Precondition."
The news agency quoted the daily as saying: "The September 19 joint statement adopted at the fourth six-party talks six years ago is a document containing the most practical contents among the documents produced by the talks."
Participants in the six-way talks, which involve the United States, China, Russia, Japan and both South and North Korea, concluded a joint statement of principles to guide future negotiations at the second phase of the fourth round of the talks held from Sept. 13 to 19, 2005, in Beijing. The six-point statement focused on the North's renunciation of all nuclear weapons and its nuclear plans.
Qu Xing, president of the China Institute of International Studies, was also quoted by KCNA as saying that North Korea is fully ready for the resumption of the six-party talks for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The North's news outlet also cited part of a speech delivered by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at an international symposium held on Sept. 19 in Beijing to mark the sixth anniversary of the September 19 joint statement.
The Chinese foreign minister said, "If the parties concerned respect each other, negotiate in a candid way, reach mutual understanding and make concessions, firmly maintaining the spirit of the statement, the six-party talks will continue to be held and yield fruits."
On Sept. 19, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho stressed the importance of resuming the six-party talks during a visit to Beijing, saying attaching preconditions ahead of dialogue hurts each other's trust and belief.
------------------------
Laotian President Choummaly Visits Pyongyang
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- Choummaly Sayasone, president of Laos, started his official goodwill visit to North Korea on Sept. 21, North Korean media said.
Choummaly arrived in Pyongyang on his official visit to North Korea at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the North's official news agency KCNA said.
The news agency, however, did not reveal Choummaly's itinerary.
The visit will help enhance cooperative and friendly relations between the people of the two countries, the KCNA said.
To welcome the Laotian president, the Central Committee of the Worker's Party of (North) Korea held a reception at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang with Kim Yong-nam, titular head of state, in attendance, the KCNA said.
Kim Yong-nam sent a congratulatory message in mid-June when Choummaly was reelected president of Laos, according to the North's news media.
(END)
