NORTH KOREA CHALLENGES AMERICA’S UNENDING WAR STRATEGY AT THE UNITED NATIONS

DPRK HUMAN RIGHTS BRIEFING AT UN

The briefing held at the United Nations by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday, October 7 was an opportunity to hear the DPRK’s response to US and EU initiatives targeting the DPRK. The US and the EU have been using the UN to try to demonize the DPRK as a perpetrator of grave human rights violations and to rally the UN Security Council to refer the DPRK to the International Criminal Court (ICC) (1)

In the past few months, the DPRK Mission to the UN has held several press conferences alerting journalists to threats to international peace and security taking place on the Korean Peninsula. This briefing, however, was not only open to the press covering the UN, but to UN member nations and also to NGO’s with access to UN Headquarters in NY.

At the briefing, the DPRK presented the “Report of the DPRK Association for Human Rights Studies” (Report) that it had published on September 13 about human rights in the DPRK.

DPRK’s Deputy Ambassador at the UN, Ri Tong Il, opened the briefing by introducing the Report. Also taking part in the presentation was Mr. Choe Myong Nam, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of the DPRK and Mr. Kim Song, Counselor at the DPRK Mission.

Ambassador Ri explained that there has been an increasing tendency to carry on a human rights campaign against the DPRK. He referred in particular to a meeting organized by US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss allegations of human rights abuse in the DPRK. The US sponsored meeting was held on September 23 at a hotel near the UN. The DPRK was not invited to the meeting, and it was denied the right to attend when it asked to participate.

Ambassador Ri said that the purpose of this briefing being held by the DPRK was to focus on correcting the misinformation being spread about human rights in the DPRK and to provide a more accurate understanding of the situation of human rights in countries with differing social and political systems. He pointed out that the UN with 193 member states is made up of nations with different political systems, different values and different ideologies.

Ambassador Ri listed the 5 chapters in the Report giving a brief introduction to each of the chapters. Then he welcomed questions or statements from those present. Diplomats from several missions at the UN, including the Cuban and Venezuelan Missions, responded, thanking the DPRK for the briefing. They referred to the criticism of some nations at the UN who sponsor country-specific human rights resolutions. Experience has demonstrated that such resolutions are most often politically motivated, and not geared toward improving conditions for people. Instead the purpose is an illegitimate political objective, such as regime change. The Human Rights Council had adopted the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) procedure, as an effort to counter such abuse and instead to treat all countries impartially. While many countries focus on the UPR procedure, a few nations continue to sponsor country-specific resolutions thus politically targeting other nations.

An example of such political motivation was provided by Choe Myong Nam in response to a question. He described how in 1993 after a breakdown in negotiations with the US led the DPRK to pull out of the IAEA, the US pressured the EU to bring a resolution against the DPRK for human rights violations.

A copy of the Report was distributed to those who attended the October 7 briefing.

Chapter I of the Report explores the general nature of human rights so that each nation can determine what the application will be in their situation. For the DPRK this entails making a critique of how the US and certain other nations are trying to impose their view of what the standards should be for other nations. “Nobody in the international community empowered them to establish the international ‘human rights standards’,” the Report notes. Instead, the Report maintains that human rights standards in a country are the prerogative of the people of that country. “In every country,” the Report explains, “those who demand the human rights and campaign (for) them are the people….”

The Report refers to the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (COI) recently sponsored by the Human Rights Council. The content and framework of the Report provides background that is helpful toward grasping the underlying fallacy of the COI. The Report maintains that the ‘COI’ is an attempt “to bring down the DPRK by collecting prejudiced ‘data’ without any scientific accuracy and objectivity in the content….”

All of Korea has experienced the kind of human rights claims of an occupying power, notes the Report. This was during the period of the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945). “Each and every law manufactured by Japan in Korea in the past were…anti–human rights laws aimed at depriving Korean people of all political freedoms and rights, and forcing colonial slavery upon them.”  The Report explains that these anti-Korean laws created by the Japanese colonial rule had to be abolished and a new foundations established legally and politically in order to provide protection and empowerment for the Korean people, thus demonstrating that the DPRK is concerned with the question of human rights.

The Report proposes that the protection of human rights in the DPRK requires putting the political development of the DPRK into its historical context. Throughout the Report historical background is provided to put current developments into such a perspective. The Report documents various forms of hostile actions by the US showing the effect such actions have had on the DPRK development after the end of WWII and the end of Japanese colonial rule over Korea. One such example that the Report provides is explaining that “sanctions were imposed on Korea after Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule.” Even before the Korean War, the US imposed sanctions against the socialist countries including the DPRK as part of its Cold War politics.

The Report also documents recent hostile acts by the US against the DPRK. The DPRK puts the anti-human rights campaign by the “US and its followers” in the context of the effort to “defame the image of the DPRK in the international arena and dismantle the socialist system under the pretext of ‘protection of human rights’.”

A question was raised during the briefing about what was the relationship between the fact the US is unwilling to negotiate a peace treaty with the DPRK to end the Korean War and the US led allegations of human rights abuse against the DPRK. This question is at the heart of the ability to understand the nature of the US campaign against the DPRK.

A recent journal article by Professor Christine Hong offers a helpful analysis toward understanding this relationship. Her article, “The Mirror of North Korean Human Rights,” published inCritical Asian Studies, captures the intimate connection between the US government’s unending war against the DPRK, and the US claims of gross human rights violations in the DPRK.

The article explains that the US has been and is technically and in practice at war with the DPRK. There has been an unending set of economic, political and cultural sanctions imposed on the DPRK either by the US Congress or by the UN particularly the UNSC in the recent past. There have been massive military drills close to the DPRK by the US, Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan, and more recently including France, the UK, Canada and other US allies. Over 28,000 US troops are permanently stationed in the ROK.

In such a situation, the US claims of DPRK human rights violations provide a convenient and effective discourse to cloak the image of US war activities on the Korean Peninsula in a humanitarian sounding dress. Hong writes that the ‘axis of evil’ narrative introduced by the Bush administration against Iraq, Iran and the DPRK provided a means whereby “war politics proceeded under the mantle of rescue politics.”

Hong maintains that the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ (R2P) narrative provides the means by which “would-be rescuers lay claim to a monopoly on the virtuous use of violence….”

Similarly, a fallacious WMD narrative which was provided to the US government by defectors and politicized intelligence was used to camouflage the US regime change invasion of Iraq. A similar false narrative using unverifiable claims of defectors and politicized intelligence is once again being dusted off for use against the DPRK.

Keeping in mind such recent examples as Iraq and Libya, Hong observes that the claim of noble goals provides a level of protection to the perpetrators of invasions using the mantle of R2P. Instead of being “viewed as human rights violations in themselves” when they engage in acts of war like aerial bombardment, military invasion, or an embargo on essential goods, they are provided with the appearance of acting as saviors.

Taken in such a context one can understand the reluctance of nations like the DPRK to take the claims of those promoting R2P and human rights as exhibiting any but aggressive intentions.

Hong goes on to point out that any legitimate US concerns over human rights violations regarding the people of the DPRK would have to begin by addressing the massive destruction against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure of the DPRK carried out by the US and its allies during the Korean War and since by its sanctions.

The Report the DPRK has produced refers not only to the anti-human rights activities against the Korean people during the 35 years of Japanese occupation but also to the continuing saga of US hostile activities before and after the Korean War Armistice.

The US should welcome such reports and the airing of all views on every question at the UN.

Notes

(1)Such a strategy with Libya resulted in ICC cases against key Libyan officials weakening their fight against the NATO invasion that brought regime change and subsequently a state of serious instability to Libya.

Discussing the Libyan example of regime change, Joseph S. Nye, Jr explained that it is not the facts that matter in “the information age”. Instead soft power, which includes how the narrative describing a situation is framed, is as important as, or even more important than military action, in gaining one’s objectives. As he says in an online article, “In a global information age, success is not determined just by who has the biggest army, but also by who has the best story.” See the article On Libya, Soft Power, and the Protection of Civilians as Pretext.

 Hostile Forces’ Anti-DPRK “Human Rights” Racket Slammed

A spokesman for the DPRK Association for Human Rights Studies issued the following statement on October 17:

The Report of the DPRK Association for Human Rights Studies which most comprehensively and correctly reflects the human rights performance of the DPRK where the people have become masters of the country was distributed as an official document of the UN General Assembly, UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council.

As already reported, no sooner had the report which historically, systematically and comprehensively deals with the nature of the socialist system of the DPRK centered on the popular masses, its policy of ensuring human rights and the people’s enjoyment of human rights been published than it commanded strong support and deep sympathy of the international community.

Many media of the world gave wide publicity to the full text or main contents of the report and widely reported about the briefings clarifying the human rights performance and stand of the DPRK held in New York and various other places.

Many countries are appreciating the report as a document which comprehensively deals with the advantageous human rights performance in the DPRK and responding with keen interest to its efforts to further promote its people’s enjoyment of human rights and boost international cooperation.

Meanwhile, they are ridiculing and accusing the “report of the Commission of Inquiry” on the human rights situation in the DPRK worked out with its speculation and hostility plus the individual “testimonies” made by such swindlers as “defectors from the north” without any mention of the policies and social system of the DPRK and its will and efforts for international cooperation to protect and promote genuine human rights.

The anti-DPRK “human rights resolution” EU, Japan and other hostile forces are trying to bring up for discussion at the UN General Assembly is a typical politicization, selectivity and double standards. So, there are voices expressing views that those countries desirous of protection and promotion of genuine human rights should oppose this and will do so.

But, the US-led forces hostile to the DPRK are persistently working to deliberately downplay the report of the DPRK Association for Human Rights Studies and draw attention to the bankrupt “report of the Commission of Inquiry.”

This proves that their moves were prompted by their black-hearted intention to prevent the reality of the DPRK and its just assertions from being known to the world, tarnish the image of the DPRK and, furthermore, bring down its social system. It once again proves the truth that human rights precisely mean sovereignty.

If the popular masses are to enjoy genuine human rights, they must firmly defend the sovereignty of the country before anything else, and it is necessary to strongly react to the hostile forces attempting to meddle in the internal affairs of other countries under the signboard of “human rights.” This is the conclusion drawn by the DPRK.

The politicization, selectivity, and double standards to abuse human rights, the universal value of mankind, for a sinister political purpose should never be tolerated.

The vicious and base human rights racket of the hostile forces against the DPRK is lashing the Korean people into great fury.

The DPRK will decisively frustrate the persistent anti-DPRK “human rights” campaign of the hostile forces and continue to make utmost efforts to firmly defend the best Korean-style socialist system and provide better conditions for the people’s enjoyment of human rights.

                                                                                                       Compiled from KCNA

 Kim Jong Un Meets with Gold Medalists and Their Coaches

Pyongyang, October 19 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, met together with Ri Sol Ju players who bagged gold medals at the 17th Asian Games and recent world championships and their coaches.

They were women footballers, weightlifters Kim Un Guk, Om Yun Chol, Ri Jong Hwa and Kim Un Ju, boxer Jang Un Hui, wrestler Jong Hak Jin, shooter Kim Ji Song, heavy gymnastics player Kim Un Hyang and table tennis player Kim Hyok Bong, gold medalists at the 17th Asian Games, Hong Un Jong who grabbed gold medals at the 17th Asian Games and the 45th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Yang Kyong Il, gold medalist at the 2014 World Wrestling Championships, Ri Se Gwang, gold medalist at the 45th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, chief coach Kim Kwang Min and other coaches.

Kim Jong Un shook hands with the players and coaches one by one, congratulated them on their successes and had a warm talk with them.

He, on behalf of the Workers' Party of Korea, the DPRK government and all the Korean people, once again warmly congratulated and heartily thanked them for winning gold medals at the 17th Asian Games and world championships and thereby devotedly exalting the dignity of the DPRK and flying the flags of the DPRK.

He said the spectacular successes achieved recently were the great victories they won by waging struggles to protect the high dignity of the Korean people and the persevering fighting spirit they displayed at each match represented the stamina of the fighting service personnel and people of the country.

He noted that the players and coaches proved the validity and vitality of the party's plan for building a sports powerhouse through the 17th Asian Games and world championships, adding that the news of the victories won at the games instilled confidence in sure victory and optimism into all the service personnel and people and encouraged them to perform unprecedented miracles and innovations at the work sites for building a rich and powerful nation.

Learning that player Kim Jong was not able to have the honor to be present on this occasion as she was away from the country for an international competition, he promised to surely meet her when she was back home.

Expressing the expectation and conviction that they would fully demonstrate the dignity and might of Kim Il Sung's nation and Kim Jong Il's Korea at each international game for Asian and world titles, he had a photo session with them.

He hosted a banquet in honor of the players and coaches on the same day.

Also present there were Hwang Pyong So, Choe Ryong Hae, O Il Jong, Han Kwang Sang, Pak Myong Chol, Kim Yong Hun, O Kum Chol, Ri Jong Mu and other senior officials of the party, state and army.

Kim Jong Un Guides Fighter Pilots' Takeoff and Landing Drill

on Highway- Airfield

Pyongyang, October 19 (KCNA) -- Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, guided the takeoff and landing drill on a highway-airfield conducted by fighter pilots of KPA Air and Anti-Air Force Units 1017 and 458 honored with the title of O Jung Hup-led 7th Regiment.

After learning on the spot about the weather condition and the condition of the highway-airfield, he personally defined a flight duty and issued a sudden order to various type pursuit fighters to fly from the relevant operational airfields.

Watching the brave fighter pilots skillfully apply the combat flight method in the sky above the strange highway-airfield and admirably conduct landing with their independent judgment and decision, he praised them for their excellent piloting and displaying a high level of the art of aviation as intended by him.

Watching a pursuit fighter performing buzzing and wingover after making a zero-feet flight over the highway-airfield, he said: "I didn't give such task. Probably, he seems to boast his art of aviation before the Supreme Commander. How brave he is. That clearly shows he has steadily improved his art of aviation through his day-to-day intensive flight training." He showed such profound love and trust in him as telling the commanding officers accompanying him to highly praise the pilot and convey his salute to him.

The territorial air of the country should be protected irrespective of weather and time and a modern warfare is conducted under the worst conditions, he said, underscoring the need for the airmen to undergo a lot of trainings under the simulated conditions of an actual war despite the unfavorable situation with high ideological awareness so that they may successfully perform their combat duty under whatever situation and conditions anytime.

He called for fully preparing the airmen as members of a death-defying corps in the sky and able combat pilots capable of successfully fighting a modern warfare through intensive flight drills in the future.

He was accompanied by KPA Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So, director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, Choe Ryong Hae, secretary of the C.C., the WPK, and O Il Jong and Han Kwang Sang, department directors of the C.C., the WPK.

Kim Jong Un Sends Gifts to Scientists of State Academy of Sciences

Pyongyang, October 19 (KCNA) -- Supreme leader Kim Jong Un provided the scientists of the State Academy of Sciences with new flats in the Wisong Scientists Residential Quarter and sent them color TV sets, quilts and household utensils as gifts.

The meeting of conveying the gifts was held at the State Academy of Sciences on Sunday.

Present at the meeting were Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, officials of the State Academy of Sciences, scientists, technicians and teachers.

Kim Jong Un Provides Field Guidance to Apartment Houses for Educators of Kim Chaek University of Technology

Pyongyang, October 17 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, first chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, provided field guidance to the completed apartment houses for educators of Kim Chaek University of Technology.

Watching with satisfaction the twin 46-storyed apartment houses, he noted with pleasure that they look like sailing ships on the River Taedong and they are attractive as their outer walls are covered with heat ray reflection glass.

He expressed great satisfaction, saying that the apartment houses for educators of Kim Chaek University of Technology are the structures which reflect the WPK's idea of attaching importance to education and talents and splendid edifices which have a perfect harmony of the Juche character and national identity, originality, convenience and formative art and a great icon demonstrating before the world the daily developing architecture of Songun Korea.

He acquainted himself in detail with their construction, going round flat No.1 on the fourth floor at the entrance No. 1 of the apartment houses and flat No. 1 on the 45th floor of the apartment houses and shops, restaurants, etc. built on the ground floor.

He said with pleasure that flats have good and convenient cupboards, bookshelves, sofas, beds and other quality furniture and fixtures provided by the party and if color TV sets are added to them, not only educators but their wives and children will like them very much.

He was pleased that a geothermal cooling and heating system has been introduced into the apartment houses so that settlers can live in cool rooms in summer and in warm rooms in winter.

He repeatedly and highly praised the soldier-builders of a guards unit and hero unit for successfully completing the apartment houses. He extended the KPA supreme commander's thanks to KPA unit 267 for performing new miracles and feats as pace-setters of the times.

Enjoying a bird's-eye view of Pyongyang City taking on more magnificent and modern looks as the days go by on the 45th floor, he set forth tasks and ways of turning the Mirae Scientists Street being built along the bank of the River Taedong into a world-class scientists street.

He told officials to let educators quickly move into new flats as they were completed as intended by the party, asking them to convey without fail his best wishes to teachers and researchers for their pleasant and happy life in their new flats. He promised to visit their families in the future.

He was accompanied by Choe Ryong Hae, secretary of the C. C., the WPK, and Han Kwang Sang, department director of the C. C., the WPK

Hostile Forces' Anti-DPRK "Human Rights" Racket Slammed

Pyongyang, October 17 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the DPRK Association for Human Rights Studies issued the following statement on Friday:

The report of the DPRK Association for Human Rights Studies which most comprehensively and correctly reflects the human rights performance of the DPRK where the people have become masters of the country was distributed as an official document of the UN General Assembly, UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council.

As already reported, no sooner had the report which historically, systematically and comprehensively deals with the nature of the socialist system of the DPRK centered on the popular masses, its policy of ensuring human rights and the people's enjoyment of human rights been published than it commanded strong support and deep sympathy of the international community.

Many media of the world gave wide publicity to the full text or main contents of the report and widely reported about the briefings clarifying the human rights performance and stand of the DPRK held in New York and various other places.

Many countries are appreciating the report as a document which comprehensively deals with the advantageous human rights performance in the DPRK and responding with keen interest to its efforts to further promote its people's enjoyment of human rights and boost international cooperation.

Meanwhile, they are ridiculing and accusing the "report of the Commission of Inquiry" on the human rights situation in the DPRK worked out with its speculation and hostility plus the individual "testimonies" made by such swindlers as "defectors from the north" without any mention of the policies and social system of the DPRK and its will and efforts for international cooperation to protect and promote genuine human rights.

The anti-DPRK "human rights resolution" EU, Japan and other hostile forces are trying to bring up for discussion at the UN General Assembly is a typical politicization, selectivity and double standards. So, there are voices expressing views that those countries desirous of protection and promotion of genuine human rights should oppose this and will do so.

But, the U.S.-led forces hostile to the DPRK are persistently working to deliberately downplay the report of the DPRK Association for Human Rights Studies and draw attention to the bankrupt "report of the Commission of Inquiry."

This proves that their moves were prompted by their black-hearted intention to prevent the reality of the DPRK and its just assertions from being known to the world, tarnish the image of the DPRK and, furthermore, bring down its social system. It once again proves the truth that human rights precisely mean sovereignty.

If the popular masses are to enjoy genuine human rights, they must firmly defend the sovereignty of the country before anything else, and it is necessary to strongly react to the hostile forces attempting to meddle in the internal affairs of other countries under the signboard of "human rights." This is the conclusion drawn by the DPRK.

The politicization, selectivity, and double standards to abuse human rights, the universal value of mankind, for a sinister political purpose should never be tolerated.

The vicious and base human rights racket of the hostile forces against the DPRK is lashing the Korean people into great fury.

The DPRK will decisively frustrate the persistent anti-DPRK "human rights" campaign of the hostile forces and continue to make utmost efforts to firmly defend the best Korean-style socialist system and provide better conditions for the people's enjoyment of human rights.

CPRK Blasts Park Geun Hye's Reckless Remarks against DPRK

Pyongyang, October 17 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA Friday lashing out at the chief executive of south Korea for letting loose a spate of invectives against the DPRK at the Asia-Europe summit:

Park Geun Hye again made reckless remarks against the DPRK during her recent foreign trip.

At the Asia-Europe summit held in Milano, Italy she blustered that "the north should make a true change, dismantle nukes and open the closed door." Ballyhooing about "human rights and hard living of inhabitants of the north," she jabbered that "the north should approach dialogue with sincerity away from double-dealing tactics."

This is another unpardonable politically-motivated provocation to the DPRK and grave outbursts chilling the atmosphere of the hard-won north-south dialogue.

As the reality proves, it is the U.S. which poses substantial nuclear threat to the DPRK and it is again the U.S. and south Korean puppet forces which are making desperate efforts to isolate and close the DPRK while talking about "sanctions".

The U.S. plan for using nuclear weapons disclosed in a memoir of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Panetta clearly proves who poses a nuclear threat and evidently tells the nuclear threat from whom should be defused, first of all, to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Nevertheless, she feigned ignorance of the nuclear threat of her U.S. master and talked about "nuclear threat" of fellow countrymen, shameless sophism.

Moreover, she turned south Korea into the world's worst tundra of human rights and drove people's living into dire destitution and caused all sorts of tragedies such as the ferry Sewol disaster, becoming the target of all people's condemnation. She has, therefore, no face to talk about "human rights" of someone and "pain of inhabitants."

She is talking about dialogue while slandering the other side behind the scene. This is a height of double-dealing attitude.

If she is to have dialogue with the north and improve relations with it, she should know how to observe elementary etiquette toward the other side, first of all.

If Park sincerely wants north-south dialogue and improve relations, she should refrain from making remarks obstructive to them, to begin with.

She had better clearly know that she may bring inter-Korean relations to total collapse due to her bad habit of wrongly waging her tongue.

KCNA Discloses S. Korean Authorities' Acts of

Chilling Atmosphere for Improving Ties

Pyongyang, October 16 (KCNA) -- The Korean Central News Agency released an open report Thursday to let the public know about the whole story of how the north-south emergency contact in Panmunjom on Wednesday ended without any fruit.

The report said:

The talks between north-south high-ranking officials in Inchon on October 4 made a great contribution to creating an atmosphere favorable for improving the north-south relations.

But there occurred an undesirable incident at 10 a.m. on October 7 in which both sides opened fire at the warships of the other side in the hotspot waters in the West Sea of Korea.

Out of the sincere mind that we can no longer tolerate the repetition of such a case as chilling the hard-won atmosphere, the north side immediately sent a notice to the chief of the "security office" of Chongwadae proposing holding an emergency one-to-one contact.

But the south Korean authorities in the reply message declined the offer for the emergency contact, being keen on shifting the blame onto the north side while claiming the recent case was an unavoidable counteraction against the act of "trespassing on the line" by someone.

Despite its irrepressible disappointment at the uncouth and insincere attitude of the south side to the good faith and magnanimity, the north side, by exercising utmost patience and magnanimity, sent another notice advising the south side to think twice and respond to the proposal for the emergency contact at 1:23 a.m. on October 8.

The south Korean authorities, however, began to take an extremely insolent attitude, while keeping mum about the DPRK's sincere offer.

Although the situation developed beyond imagination, the north side, still holding out the hope, sent the third notice at around 7:10 a.m. on October 10 in order to settle the situation through an emergency contact.

In the notice the north side urged the south side to clarify its stand on choosing between the two options: Whether it is willing to keep the atmosphere for improving the north-south ties alive by responding to the north side's request for emergency contact or it will see the content of the notice sent by the north side opened to public to arouse nationwide response. The north side declared that it would be compelled to disclose before the world all the measures it has taken with sincerity so far including the content of the notices unless the south side clarifies its stand till 10 a.m. on Oct. 11.

Much upset by this, the chief of the "security office" of Chongwadae hurriedly sent a reply message to the effect that he complies with the north side's request for an emergency contact at 8:25 a.m., just one hour after the notice was sent.

The "security office" asserted that the south Korean authorities have called for paving a road for closer cooperation. While clarifying the stand to hold the second round of the high-level contact as agreed upon between the north and the south in Inchon, it didn't forget to stress the need to defend the "northern limit line".

While responding to the proposed contact, it noted that the south side would send to the contact the chief of the policy room of the "Ministry of Defense" who has no mandate, instead of the chief of the "security office" expected by the north side. Lurking behind this was a sly ulterior design to delay the emergency contact or completely abort it by forcing the north side to lower the level of its special envoy and find fault with the south side over the "level" or "status" of its special envoy.

However, the north side made a bold decision.

As a result, the north-south emergency contact was finally possible 9 days later.

The contact began in Panmunjom at 10:00 on Wednesday.

First, the north side proposed the south side to open the contact to public as it was arranged, true to the noble intention of Marshal Kim Jong Un to turn the narrow path for the improvement of the north-south relations into a wide avenue and to make a new history of north-south relations.

However, those from the south side hesitated to respond to this proposal but whispered to each other for a while before calling for keeping the contact under wraps.

As the north side appreciated that any substantial result was more important than the modality of the contact, it agreed to the south side's proposal.

The north side, to begin with, said it is the present situation that the hard-won atmosphere for the improvement of the north-south relations has been chilled by the frequent exchange of fire in the hotspot waters of the West Sea of Korea, such dishonest behavior as spreading false rumors about it and uninterrupted leaflet-scattering operations conducted against the DPRK.

It solemnly stated that the south Korean authorities are obliged to clarify its responsible attitude towards the issues of whether they seek to keep the present north-south relations frozen or to rev up the atmosphere of their improvement.

First of all, it made the following proposals to defuse the tension in southwestern waters to keep the atmosphere for improving the inter-Korean relations:

First, both sides shall take measures not to trespass on the sensitive waters and line in the southwestern part of the West Sea of Korea under any circumstances.

Second, they shall not preempt firing unless the other side perpetrates a deliberate hostile act.

Third, to do so, they shall modify their present belligerency rules which may trigger off a clash.

Fourth, both sides shall settle unexpected and complicated situation through dialogue and contact.

And the north side proposed that warships of both sides sailing to "intercept illegal fishing boats" should display promised markings to prevent accidental firing beforehand.

If the issue of reckless anti-DPRK leaflet-scattering is not strictly checked at the authorities, unexpected happenings may occur, the north side said, strongly urging the south side authorities to take necessary steps.

Contrary to such efforts of the north side to settle the issue raised, the south side behaved arrogantly from the outset of the contact.

Far from understanding the sincerity of the north side's proposal in the long run, the south side refused to discuss the proposal for no reason, misjudging it as the north side's intention to ignore the "northern limit line" like a psychopath seized with persecution mania.

The north side held that there should be an official stand on the part of the south side in order to hold the second round of high-level contact without fail by keeping the atmosphere for improving the north-south relations. Unable to reject such just assertion of the north side, the south side proposed recess to examine the north side's proposal and receive the instruction from the superior at 11:05.

At 12:00 the south side proposed resuming the contact at 2 p.m., saying that its internal discussion had not yet ended.

At the afternoon contact the south side proposed opening to media that both sides dealt with the exchange of fire in the West Sea and the issue of "scattering leaflets", claiming that the north-south emergency contact being held in camera today had already been opened to some media.

This was a volte-face in the attitude of the south side which called for holding the north-south emergency contact in camera in opposition to the north side's proposal for totally opening it to public.

The north side said that the issue of report should be decided after the contact, and urged the south side to specify its stand on the proposals made by the north side at the morning contact.

The south side's attitude discouraged the north side and lashed it into fury.

Very insolent was the attitude of the south side toward the north side's call for stopping at once the anti-DPRK leaflet-scattering.

It can be said that it is a sort of mockery and insult to the north-south dialogue that the south side sent the chief of the policy room of the "Ministry of Defense" without any right to conclude to the emergency contact.

The north side solemnly clarified that all efforts for keeping the atmosphere for improving the north-south relations alive and holding the 2nd round of high-ranking contact should be open to public to put the prevailing situation under control amid the response of all Koreans.

The south side, however, did not hide its uneasiness about the north side's intention to open the contents of the emergency contact to public, repeating such words as "crucial case" and "serious concern".

The south Korean authorities' attitude made people have serious suspicion that they intend to spend with ease the remaining tenure of their office with their hypocritical talk about dialogue and call for unification, the report said, and went on:

The south Korean authorities should give a clear-cut answer to the question put by the Koreans as to whether they would make positive efforts for the improvement of the inter-Korean relations with sincerity or while away time with farces for alluring and deceiving the nation.

They should not misjudge the sincere efforts of the DPRK to make a new history of improving the north-south relations.

It is the undeniable reality that the prospect for holding the north-south high-level contact high on agenda is gloomy.

The south Korean authorities should bear in mind that all Koreans are watching their future movement with vigilance.