North Koreans carrying torches march as they mark the 80th anniversary of the Down with Imperialism Union, a group purportedly founded by the late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, in Pyongyang on Tuesday night, October 17, 2006. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il made his first known public appearance since the country conducted its first nuclear test, attending a performance filled with songs praising him, the North's official media reported Wednesday. The exact date of the performance was not specified in the report by the media, but Kim would most likely have attended the event on Tuesday evening.
Photo: AP
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North Korean Counter-Resolution
// North Korea Prepares for New Nuclear Blasts
North Korea reacted officially for the first time this week to sanctions imposed on it by the United Nations Security Council, calling them "a declaration of war." Reports simultaneously appeared concerning North Korea's intentions to carry out a second nuclear test, about which, according to data from American sources, the North Korean leadership has supposedly already informed China. If the information is confirmed, even those countries who are most loyal in their relations with North Korea will not continue to argue against the application of sanctions against Pyongyang.
"The resolution cannot be interpreted as anything other than a declaration of war," said a statement released Tuesday by the North Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry. "We will unhesitatingly strike a merciless blow at anyone who, under the guise of fulfilling a UN Security Council resolution, attempts to destroy our sovereignty and our right to live." Such was Pyongyang's first official reaction to resolution #1718, which was adopted last Saturday and which stipulates the introduction of a raft of political and economic sanctions against North Korea for the nuclear test it carried out on October 9 of this year.
Almost simultaneously with the saber-rattling statement issued by the North Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry, the American and South Korean media reported that Pyongyang intends to carry out another underground nuclear test. According to journalists, American spy satellites have detected increased activity at a test site in North Korea, which was immediately interpreted as preparations for another nuclear blast. White House press secretary Tony Snow stated that the execution of a second test would surprise no one in the United States, since such an action is entirely in the spirit of "Kim Jong-il's provocative behavior." "It is fair to say that the North Korean government is doing everything possible to test the will, decisiveness, and unity of the UN. But if they think that the international community will put on the brakes, then they will very quickly come to understand that they are mistaken," reiterated Mr. Snow.
The information that North Korea is preparing for another test was confirmed in Tokyo, where it was stressed that the blast will probably occur without any official warning. On October 9, Pyongyang informed Moscow of the test two hours in advance; Beijing received word only 20 minutes before the test. However, according to the American television station NBC, this time the North Korean leadership has decided to inform China of its plans for new tests well in advance. As such, North Korea has supposedly informed the Chinese authorities of its intention to carry out not one but a whole series of nuclear explosions. Chinese officials, including a source in the Chinese embassy in North Korea, have not confirmed that information, but they have also not denied it.
The rumors about preparations for new nuclear tests coincide with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's first public appearance in two weeks. On Tuesday the country celebrated the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Down with Imperialism Union, a group purportedly founded by the late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, the father of Kim Jong-il and the first leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The younger Comrade Kim marked the festival day by attending a celebratory concert at which choirs and dance troupes delighted the beloved leader's ears with songs such as "Always Emulating the Leader" and "The Love of Comrades." Before that, the most recent appearance of Kim Jong-il was on October 6, when the North Korean media reported his meeting with the country's military leaders in Pyongyang. Three days after that, Pyongyang announced the success of its nuclear test. The leader's current public appearance is considered by many to be a bad omen.
Meanwhile, the rumors of North Korea's preparations for new nuclear tests will undoubtedly be put in the hands of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who began an official tour of Northeast Asia yesterday with the goal of discussing the question of the application of sanctions against Pyongyang in detail with Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, and Moscow. If Ms. Rice succeeds in proving the reality of Pyongyang's execution of more tests, the protectors of the North Korean regime – Russian and China – will run out of arguments and will not drag their feet any longer in the implementation of punishing measures. Incidentally, this week China, which is becoming ever more irritated by the actions of its neighbor, even suspended monetary transfers to North Korea from the majority of the branches of Bank of China, one of its largest banks.
Natalya Portyakova
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 19, 2006
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