KMS-3 to be Discussed at ASEAN

Senior ASEAN officials pose for a group photo session prior to the Preparatory Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials (Prep-SOM) at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh today under the chairmanship of H.E. Ms. Soeung Rathchavy, Secretary of State of Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. (Photo: Kan Sona/AKP)

The DPRK’s launch of the U’nha-3 rocket and its reported payload Kwangmyo’ngso’ng-3 [KMS-3] will be discussed during ASEAN meetings this week in Phnom Penh.  AFP reports:

Southeast Asian nations will discuss North Korea’s planned rocket launch at a summit this week, ASEAN chief Surin Pitsuwan said Sunday, after the Philippines lodged diplomatic protests over the matter.

“The foreign ministers are taking up that issue tomorrow and the day after tomorrow,” he told reporters in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, where officials are preparing for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“I think we are all very concerned that any instability in the peninsula will lead to further possibility potential for (an) arms race, for nuclearisation of the region, which will not be good for the region as a whole,” Surin told reporters when asked about ASEAN’s position on the launch.

“And it will certainly affect trade confidence, investment in the region, including in ASEAN,” he added.

Pyongyang announced last month it would launch a rocket between April 12-16 to place a satellite in orbit, sparking alarm in the region.

The United States and other nations say the planned launch is a disguised ballistic missile test, and would breach a UN ban on North Korean missile launches.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said earlier on Sunday his country had filed diplomatic protests about the launch to Pyongyang representatives at the UN, in China, and in fellow ASEAN member states.

Del Rosario also said he intends the raise his country’s stance on the launch at the annual ASEAN summit, a two-day meeting which starts in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, though foreign ministers will begin talks early on Monday.

A top US diplomat has previously said that debris from the launch are expected to land off the Philippines, an archipelago made up of thousands of islands.

Gone Diplorellin’

DPRK Ambassador to Germany Ri Si Hong (Photo: Welt)

Among the felonies, misdemeanors and minor trespasses committed by the DPRK’s diplomatic corps, this may rank as one of the most memorable.  On 15 January (Sunday) police in Berlin caught DPRK Ambassador to Germany, Ri Si Hong, fishing without a license.   Spiegel‘s online edition citing Berliner Morgenpost and other press reports:

According to reports in dailies Berliner Morgenpost and BZ, Berlin police discovered a man fishing on the Havel River in the city’s Spandau neighborhood on Sunday afternoon. When the officials asked to see the man’s fishing license, he apparently responded by saying he was the North Korean ambassador.

According to the reports, the angler did not have any proof of identity on him, nor did he have a fishing license. The police then asked their colleagues to bring them a current photograph of the ambassador and his personal details. When they arrived, the officers reportedly confirmed that the man was indeed the ambassador, Si Hong Ri, who took his current position in September 2011.

The officers then apparently told the ambassador to cease his illegal fishing activities. According to the police report quoted by the Berliner Morgenpost and the BZ, “the ambassador politely acknowledged (the request) with a smile and continued with the offense.” The police were unable to do anything, given the man’s diplomatic immunity.

When contacted by SPIEGEL ONLINE on Thursday, a Berlin police spokesman confirmed that a report had been filed on Sunday but declined to comment on the identity of the person involved. Fishing without a license is a crime in Germany punishable with up to two years in prison or a fine.

Meanwhile, recently appointed DPRK Ambassador to Cambodia, Hong Ki Chol, met with the Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs (and Deputy Prime Minister) Hor Namhong on 13 January (Friday).  During the meeting they discussed a potential visit to the DPRK by Hor Namhong, as well as Hong Ki Chol’s attendance at the ASEAN Regional Forum [ARF] which will be held in Phnom Penh in July.  The Cambodian press pointed out that Hong’s meeting with Hor Namhong occurred two days after ASEAN held a closed ministerial meeting to prepare for ARF.

DPRK Ambassador to Cambodia, Hong Ki Chol (L) meets with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong (R) in Phnom Penh on 13 January 2012 (Photo: Cambodia Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation)

Ri Yong Ho Appointed 6 Party Talk Rep

DPRK Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and representative to the Six Party Talks Ri Yong Ho speaks with reporters on 22 July (Photo: Xinhua)

Ri Yong Ho has succeeded Kim Kye Kwan as the country’s representative to the Six Party Talks.  Ri met with his ROK counterpart, Wi Sung-lac, on 22 July (Friday) in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of ASEAN’s Regional Security Forum [ARF].  As a result of the meeting, Ri and Wi both said their countries would “make joint efforts” to resume the dialogue over the DPRK’s nuclear weapons program which have not occurred since December 2008.  Ri Yong Ho said his meeting was “frank and constructive” while Wi Sung-lac said the meeting “was constructive and very useful.”

Meanwhile, the man Ri replaced, Kim Kye Kwan, will travel to New York this week for an exploratory interaction with US officials.  Bloomberg reports:

The invitation to First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan followed discussions between South and North Korean officials at a regional security forum in Bali, Indonesia, she said in a statement. The U.S. trip is as “an exploratory meeting” to determine if the North is willing to meet commitments made in earlier talks and make genuine efforts at scrapping its nuclear weapons program, she said.

“We do not intend to reward the North just for returning to the table,” Clinton said. “We have no appetite for pursuing protracted negotiations that will only lead us right back to where we have already been.”

North Korea and South Korea two days ago agreed to try to revive the six-party forum on the North’s nuclear-weapons program, with the first formal discussions in months signaling a thawing in relations between the two civil war foes after more than a year of rising tension. The U.S., China, Russia and Japan are also participants in the group.

North Korea’s uranium enrichment activities violate its commitments under a 2005 joint statement by the parties involved in the talks as well as United Nations Security Council resolutions, Clinton said in Bali yesterday. The U.S. won’t back a resumption of six-party talks until North Korea changes its behavior, she said.

The Koreas’ interactions was a publicity triumph for host nation Indonesia, whose foreign minister Marty Natalegawa said, “The fact that the two Koreas met at the officials level and at the senior officials level should not be underestimated. It is important because…if we do it right, we can create fresh momentum for peaceful resolution in addressing the matter in the Korean Peninsula.”

Generation after Generation Appointment

Ri Yong Ho is a career diplomat and 3rd generation (also called 3rd revolutionary generation) member of the DPRK leadership.  He was born in 1954 and attended Namsan Senior Middle School and the Pyongyang University of Foreign Languages.  He served outside the DPRK as a diplomatic secretary in Zimbabwe (1979-1984) and Sweden (1985-1988).  He returned to the DPRK in 1988 and became a manager in MOFA’s international organizations’ bureau.  In 1995 he was appointed councilor at MOFA, a position he held until 2000.  From 2000 to 2007 Ri was a DPRK ambassador-at-large.  From 2007 to 2010 he was once against identified as a MOFA councilor.

On 23 September 2010 Ri was appointed Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.  He replaced Kim Kye Kwan, who was promoted to Senior Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs after incumbent Kang Sok Ju (Kang So’k-chu) was appointed Vice Premier.  Ri was elected an alternate or candidate member of the Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee (CC KWP) during the 3rd Party Conference held 28 September 2010.

Ri has attended numerous meetings, negotiations and interactions over the country’s strategic weapons’ programs, going back to 1995.  Ri traveled to the United States in October 2000 with the late NDC 1st Vice Chairman Jo Myong Rok (Cho Myo’ng-nok).  He also traveled with Pak U’i-ch’un to last year’s ARF in Hanoi.  Ri appeared several times during the April 2011 trip to the DPRK made by the Elders, led by former US President Jimmy Carter.

Ri Yong Ho is the son of Ri Myo’ng-che, a former KCNA editor and propaganda official.  Ri Myo’ng-che was also a deputy director of the CC KWP Organization Guidance Department who managed Kim Jong Il’s residences and domestic life.

North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun (L front) is welcomed by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa (R) ahead of their talks in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian island of Bali on July 22, 2011. They met on the sidelines of meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (Kyodo)

Pak Ui Chun Visits Bali

DPRK Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun arrived in Bali for the ASEAN Regional Forum on Thursday, 21 July.  Pak confirmed Ri Yong Ho’s appointment as representative to the 6PT.  Pak also facilitated a Friday announcement (via KCNA) from Pyongyang that the DPRK will appoint an ambassador to ASEAN, although it is not clear who will take on that job.   On 22 July (Friday) he met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (R) shakes hands with Pak Ui Chun, foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), during a meeting in Bali, Indonesia, July 22, 2011. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

Saturday was a full day for Pak, as it included several brief meetings with ROK Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan.  Pak also engaged with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto over the abduction of Japanese nationals to the DPRK, according to Mainichi Shimbun:

At an annual ministerial meeting of the 27-member ASEAN Regional Forum in Bali, Indonesia, North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun said the abduction issue has been raised repeatedly by Japan, but Pyongyang believes the matter has been settled, according to conference sources.

Matsumoto said he insisted the abduction issue is yet to be settled and urged the North to implement its 2008 accord with Japan by establishing a commission to reinvestigate the whereabouts of abducted Japanese nationals who North Korea says are already dead or never entered the country.

Matsumoto said he did not have one-on-one talks with Pak on the Indonesian resort island.

The exchange of words between Japanese and North Korean foreign ministers is believed to be the first since July 2008, when ministers of the six countries involved in talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea gathered on the sidelines of an ARF meeting in Singapore.

Matsumoto said even though Tokyo does not intend to hold talks with Pyongyang “for the sake of talking,” Japan “keeps open its door for dialogue” with the North.

He said Tokyo will seek cooperation from South Korea, the United States and other concerned parties to resolve the abduction issue.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan (L) and his counterpart from the North Pak Ui-chun hold a brief informal meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Bali, Indonesia after the divided countries reach an agreement in the previous day to make joint efforts to resume multilateral talks over the North's nuclear program as soon as possible. (Yonhap)

Pak Ui Chun Visits Mongolia

DPRK Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun (Pak U'i-ch'un), L, meets Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold (R) in Ulan Bator on 18 July 2011 (Photo: Office of the Prime Minister, Mongolia)

DPRK Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun (Pak U’i-ch’un) met the Mongolian Prime Minister and Mongolia’s Foreign Minister on 18 July (Monday) during a brief visit.  Xinhua reports:

Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold on Monday met Pak Ui Chun, foreign minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), to boost bilateral ties, a Mongolian official statement said.

Batbold said Pak’s visit would strengthen bilateral traditional cooperation and friendship, adding the two sides could boost cooperation in agriculture, mining, sea port, infrastructure, construction, and other sectors.

Pak said: “We feel that we came to home of our relatives.”

Pak also met with Mongolian Foreign Minister Gombojav Zandanshatar during the visit.

Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold (R side, 2nd from top) meeting with DPRK Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun (L side, 2nd from top) in Ulan Bator (Photo: Office of Prime Minister, Mongolia)

Pak stopped in Mongolia as he wended his way to Bali, where he will attend the 18th ASEAN Regional Forum.  Kyodo reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto said Friday (15 July) would not refuse a sideline meeting with a DPRK official, but wishes “to avoid a meeting which will not yield any progress.”

On 16 July (Saturday), DPRK media reported that Pak and his delegation departed Pyongyang.  In addition to Mongolia and Indonesia, Pak will also visit Malaysia and Singapore.  Pak and his delegation were seen off at the airport by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pak Kil Yon (Pak Kil-yo’n), and the ambassadors of Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia and the PRC.

Pak Ui Chun to Attend ASEAN Regional Forum

Pak Ui Chun (Pak U'i-ch'un)

DPRK Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pak Ui Chun (Pak U’i-ch’un) will attend ASEAN’s Regional Form in Bali, Indonesia, which will be held from 21 to 23 July.  Pak attended last year’s meetings in Hanoi.  Several DPRK allies will attend ARF and it is likely Pak will meet with representatives from those countries.  On the sidelines of ARF in Bali, a tripartite meeting between the US, Japan and ROK will also be convened.  Yonhap reports:

“It has been understood that about 10 North Korean officials, led by Pak, plan to attend the forum,” the source said on the condition of anonymity.

However, Ri Yong-ho, North Korea’s vice foreign minister who played a leading role in discussing the North’s nuclear issue at last year’s ARF, is expected to skip this year’s forum, according to the source.

Late last month, South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan told reporters that he was willing to meet with his North Korean counterpart on the sidelines of the forum.

“If the North’s Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun wants to talk with me, there is no reason for me to refuse,” Kim said. “Whether it be me who proposes a meeting first or Minister Pak, I am willing to sit with him through any channel available.”

Since 2000, when inter-Korean relations warmed, foreign ministers from the two Koreas had occasionally met during the annual forum.

However, no such meetings have taken place since 2008, as tensions have grown over the North’s long-range missile launch, nuclear defiance and Seoul’s get-tough policy toward Pyongyang.

The 27 ARF members are Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, East Timor, the U.S., Vietnam and the European Union.

As Pak arrives in Bali, the city is dealing with a change in its own leadership.  According to Bali Times :

Bali’s police chief has been replaced as part of a nationwide reshuffle in the upper echelons of the Indonesian Police.

Hadiatmoko has been replaced by Inspector-General Totoy Herawan Indra.

The reshuffle was ordered by national police chief General Timur Pradopo. As well as the change in Bali, the heads of East Java, Central Java and South Sumatra provinces will also be replaced.

Hadiatmoko, who announced a controversial “shoot on sight policy” earlier this year, in which he instructed officers to shoot fleeing criminals who had targeted foreigners, will move to East Java, where he will replace Untung Suharsono, who has been appointed head of Jakarta Police.

New top officer in Bali Totoy Herawan Indra was formerly assistant to National Police Operations in Jakarta.

The new appointments were officially made at National Police Headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday. As part of their swearing in, the incoming chiefs had to recite a new oath promising to avoid corruption and dishonesty.

“There is a new procedure in today’s ceremony, which is an oath for new officers who are exposed to the influences of corruption. This procedure will be undertaken at all ceremonies to inaugurate both high and low-ranking officers,” said Pradopo, who devised the pledge.

For all the nitty gritty of the ARF in Bali, the Japanese media has formed a consortium which will offer coverage of the proceedings.  Mainichi reports:

The Japan Times, The Mainichi Daily News, NHK WORLD, NIKKEI and Kyodo News said July 15 they will jointly launch an English portal website on July 16 to provide news reports, transcripts, official documents and other information on a series of ASEAN-related meetings later this month in Bali, Indonesia, including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

The five major Japanese news organizations will also provide their respective top stories about Japan, along with information related to the ASEAN meetings, on the Japan Press Pool Service site through July 24.

It will be the first time for the five news organizations to team up and offer such a service.

Items available on the website will include news alerts and reports on the ASEAN meetings and related events; news photos and videos; provisional transcripts of press conferences, comments by Japan’s foreign minister and Japanese press briefings; and top stories about Japan from each news organization.

Official transcripts and documents released by the Japanese government will also be available.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, forms the ARF together with Australia, Canada, China, Japan, India, North Korea, South Korea, Russia, the United States, the European Union and other countries, to discuss regional security issues.

The site’s URL is http://www.47news.jp/international/mediapool/