Choe Yong Rim Visits Iron and Steel Complex, Attends Trade Fair

DPRK Premier Choe Yong Rim (4th R) visits the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex in Songrim, North Hwanghae Province, on 15 May 2012 (Photo: KCNA)

DPRK state media reported on Wednesday (16 May) that DPRK Cabinet Premier Choe Yong Rim inspected the Hwanghae Iron and Steel Complex on Tuesday (15 May).  KCNA reports:

The workers of the complex are making achievements in updating it and producing heavy-duty rails true to the behests of leader Kim Jong Il.

Going round gas generation and high temperature air combustion heating process and various other places, the premier learned in detail about the progress made in updating the complex and held a consultative meeting.

The meeting discussed the issues of implementing the WPK’s policy on modernizing railways and replacing the existing rails with heavy-duty ones, pushing forward the updating of the complex and keeping rail production going at a high rate. It took measures to ensure that relevant units satisfactorily ensure the supply of raw and other materials needed for production.

The premier got familiar with the management and operation of the hostel and supply service.

Stressing the need for the officials to provide the workers with convenience on a priority basis and take good care of their living, by learning from the dear respected Kim Jong Un’s noble outlook on the people. He took measures to complete the construction of dwelling houses as early as possible.

DPRK Premier Choe Yong Rim (3rd L) talks to a vendor at the 15th Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair, during a 15 May 2012 tour (Photo: KCNA)

Later in the day, Choe visited the the 15th Spring International Trade Fair being held at the Three Revolutions’ Exhibition in Pyongyang.

The premier also visited the 15th Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair on the same day. He underlined the need to positively develop the bilateral and multilateral cooperation among countries and regions in the economic and trade fields.

View of opening ceremony of the 15th Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair. The ceremony was held on 14 May (Monday) (Photo: KCNA)

DPRK Vice Premier and KWP Political Bureau Member, Kang Sok Ju (2nd L) is briefed on products displayed at the spring trade fair on 14 May (Photo: KCNA)

Pyongyang’s 15th Spring International Trade Fair, scheduled from 14 thru 17 May, displays the products of companies from 14 different countries.  On Monday (14 May) the trade fair had its opening ceremony.  KCNA reports:

Present at the opening ceremony were Kang Sok Ju, vice-premier of the DPRK, Ri Ryong Nam, minister of Foreign Trade, and others, delegations of different countries and regions and diplomatic envoys of various countries and staff members of foreign embassies here.

A congratulatory speech by O Ryong Chol, vice-minister of Foreign Trade, followed an inaugural speech made by Kim Mun Jong, president of the Korean International Exhibition Corporation.

Speakers welcomed delegations of different countries and regions participating in the fair.

They said that the fair is a prestigious international economic gathering which reflects the desire and wish of mankind to establish a new international economic order based on independence and achieve the common prosperity and development.

He hoped that they would make good achievements through broad contacts and positive trade dealings.

They declared the DPRK would in the future, too, further expand and develop bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the fields of economy and trade with all countries and regions on the principle of equality and mutual benefit.

At the end of the ceremony, the participants looked round products from companies of the DPRK, Netherlands, Germany, Bulgaria, Switzerland, the UK, Austria, Italy, Finland, Poland, Australia, Malaysia, Mongolia, China and Taipei of China.

The fair will last till May 17.

Leaflets Floated on KWP Anniversary, Despite KPA Warning

Members from the Seoul-based civic Fighters for A Free North Korea fly a grand photo of Hwang Jang-yop by hanging it from balloons containing anti-Pyongyang leaflets and sending them toward North Korea at Imjingak in the South Korean border city of Paju on Oct. 10, 2011, when the communist nation celebrates the 66th anniversary of the founding of its Workers' Party. Hwang, the architect of North Korea's guiding "juche (self-reliance)" philosophy and a former secretary of the North's ruling Workers' Party, died in South Korea just a year ago after defecting to the South in 1997. The balloons contained 200,000 leaflets criticizing the dictatorial Kim Jong-il regime and Kim's power inheritance to his son Jong-un, 1,000 one-dollar notes and 100 radios. North Korean defectors and South Korean civic activists occasionally fly anti-Pyongyang leaflets despite Pyongyang's repeated retaliation threats. (Yonhap)

Defectors from the DPRK and other ROK-based activists floated 200,000 leaflets on Monday, 10 October, on the anniversary of the foundation of the Korean Workers’ Party.  The activists scattering the leaflets also commemorated the one year anniversary of the death of Hwang Chang-yop, one of the most senior DPRK elites who fled to ROK in 1997 where resided until his 2010 death.  The leaflet launch occurred in spite of a warning on Saturday from the KPA’s representative to inter-Korea military talks:

Public at home and abroad affirmatively appreciate the atmosphere of a series of dialogues created with much effort and hope to see the north-south relations improved and national reconciliation and unity attained on this occasion.

The military warmongers and other puppet conservative forces of south Korea, however, are getting frantic with the moves to escalate the confrontation with the DPRK as evidenced by intrusions into the north side’s waters in the West Sea of Korea and the scattering of leaflets over areas along the front, a blatant challenge to the national aspiration and the demand of the times.

In September alone, more than 80 warships of the South Korean navy intruded into the waters of the north side in the sea while anti-communist rightwing conservative organizations scattered a lot of leaflets and undesirable USBs and pamphlets into areas of the north side.

A particular mention should be made of the fact that anti-communist elements under the Federation of the Movement for Freedom in the North unhesitatingly opened to public their plan to scatter anti-DPRK leaflets from the Rimjin Pavilion on the anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

The reckless actions of the anti-DPRK confrontation elements to slander the headquarters of our revolution and the socialist system have reached an intolerable phase.

One of the activists scattering leaflets into the DPRK, Park Sang-hak, has been targeted by the country for assassination by poison.  The alleged assassin, a 22-year member of the KPA named An (Ahn) who fled to ROK in 1995, planned to spike Park’s drink or utilize a poison dart.  An was initially recruited during a March 2010 business trip by DPRK officials who asked An to target Kim Tok-hong (who arrived in ROK with Hwang Chang-yop in 1997), but was pater switched to Pak.  JoongAng Ilbo reports:

According to prosecutors, An escaped the North in 1995, and ran a kimchi manufacturing factory in China. The business was not successful and then he worked as an executive of a South Korean company doing trade with North Korea from third countries.

In March 2010, An was in Mongolia researching new business opportunities and met a senior official of the North Korean Embassy there. The two met several times and he was introduced to another North Korean official, supposedly named Kim, at the embassy last November.

Kim worked for the North Korean agency handling spying activities overseas. After he learning that An had defected to the South after 22 years of military service in the North, he asked An to kill Kim Deok-hong, who defected with Hwang Jang-yop, former secretary of the Workers’ Party of the North, in 1997. Hwang was the highest ranking North Korean to ever defect.

An returned to the South and reported the assassination order to the NIS. He said he would gather more information for the NIS on additional trips to Mongolia.

The NIS warned him that further trips to Mongolia were dangerous, but An returned in March in fear of losing business opportunities. During that trip, An received additional prods from Kim to kill Kim Deok-hong in South Korea.

“If you succeed in assassinating him, we will let your mother, who is currently living in a controlled district [with limited freedoms], to move to Pyongyang and live a comfortable life,” Kim was quoted as saying by An, prosecutors said. “We will also provide much assistance for your businesses.”

An agreed, and returned to the South with the intention of killing Kim Deok-hong. He couldn’t locate him, however, and the target was changed by his handlers in the North to Park Sang-hak.

An tried to lure Park to see him saying that someone from Japan was willing to help Park spread anti-North leaflets and they could discuss it at a Japanese restaurant in Gangnam.

Photo: KBS World

Meanwhile, ROK is rejecting a DPRK request to repatriate two brothers who arrived south on a small boat on 4 October (Tuesday) via the East Sea (Sea of Japan), after the brothers expressed that they wanted to remain in ROK.  It was the second waterborne defection to occur in the last several weeks.  Also, on 4 October, nine DPRK defectors arrived in Seoul, after spending nearly 3 weeks in Japan.

On 13 September a small DPRK fishing boat carrying six adults and three children was found drifting off the coast of the Noto Peninsula.  The leader of the group told Japanese authorities, “We wish to go to South Korea.”  The group’s leader was a member of the KPA who worked as a fisherman.  A report in Sankei Shimbun speculated that they decided to leave the DPRK because of corruption within the KPA-owned fishing companies.  Security organizations in the DPRK increased the amount of money fishermen are required to pay to fish, and their lives became untenable.  The group’s leader said, “We had to pay a huge amount of money to the military and life became more difficult each year.”

KBS World reports that a DPRK migrant currently incarcerated in China, but who holds ROK citizenship, will be released.  Another migrant with dual citizenship was “paroled” and was expected to travel south.  The two dual citizens are part of a group estimated between 20 and 30 migrants who were arrested in late September.  They are under investigation by Chinese authorities and are being held in a facility near Yanbian.  Last week, a ROK national and DPRK defector were arrested near Shenyang and are also being detained.

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.