| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| 'Iran, N Korea share common goals' |
| 2010-07-22 |
| Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says Iran and North Korea are both revolutionary and independent nations trying to resist the world's "greedy" powers. Meeting with his North Korean counterpart on the sidelines of an Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Geneva on Wednesday, Larijani hailed staunch bilateral ties between the two nations and thanked the North for its contributions to Iran under late Korean leader Kim Il-sung, ISNA reported. For his part, North Korean speaker Choe Thae Bok highlighted his country's full support for the Islamic Republic and the common goal of fighting US imperialism. The Korean official condemned US "accusations" concerning Iran's nuclear program and denounced its move to send Tehran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council as aimed at "troubling" the Islamic Republic. He also went on to criticize the international community's double standard regarding Iran's peaceful nuclear program. "It is not fair that the Security Council cast doubts on Iran's nuclear activity while it turns a blind eye to Israel's nuclear weapons." Choe further accused the United States of bullying other nations and charged US President Barack Obama with following in track of his predecessor George W. Bush to engage in plots against the world's sovereign nations. He described the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, which has widely been blamed in the North, as a plot by Washington to widen the gap between the two Koreas, saying the Americans most of all benefit from the tensions in the Korean peninsula. Choe referred to US opposition to the formation of a joint fact-finding commission comprising of Korean experts as a sign that further proves Pyongyang was not involved in the incident. The North Korean parliament speaker invited Larijani to visit his country, which was welcomed by his Iranian counterpart. |
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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| N. Korea threatens merciless blows on S. Korea over sunken ship |
| 2010-06-19 |
| [Kyodo: Korea] North Korea warned Friday it will rain ""merciless blows"" on South Korea, the United States and Japan if they lead the U.N. Security Council to sanctions or other punitive measures on the North over the sinking of a South Korean warship Seoul has blamed on Pyongyang. Choe Thae Bok, a secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers" Party of Korea, issued the warning at a national meeting in Pyongyang to mark the 46th anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il"s start of work at the party"s Central Committee, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. |
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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Chinas Hu meets with senior N. Korean official in Beijing |
| 2009-10-29 |
| [Kyodo: Korea] Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday met with Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Beijing. It is the first time for Hu to meet with a senior North Korean official since the North conducted its second nuclear test in May. In his opening remarks at the meeting held at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Hu referred to Choe as an ''old friend of China'' and referred to his visit as yet another significant meeting between both countries. ''Your visit in leading a delegation from the DPRK's Workers' Party of Korea is another important interaction between both parties after Premier Wen Jiabao's successful visit to your country,'' Hu said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Wen made a high-profile visit to Pyongyang earlier this month, during which he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who is also the general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. Shortly after that visit, Wen told his Japanese and South Korean counterparts at a meeting in Beijing that Kim had said he hoped to hold multilateral talks, including the stalled six-party talks on its nuclear program, while watching developments related to a proposed direct dialogue between the United States and North Korea. The official Xinhua News Agency reported late Tuesday that the North Korean delegation led by Choe is in China as part of a visit to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. China is North Korea's closest ally and is also its largest trading partner and the main source of food and fuel aid for the impoverished nation. |
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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| N. Korea warns it will fight back if provoked by U.S., S. Korea |
| 2009-02-20 |
 A senior official of North Korea's ruling party warned on Wednesday the country will fight back against any provocation by the United States or South Korea. Choe Thae Bok, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, made the remark in a speech at a national meeting in Pyongyang, according to a broadcast of the event on state-run television. |
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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| N. Korean media reports leader's appearance for 2nd day in a row |
| 2008-11-06 |
 (Kyodo)--North Korean media said Thursday the country's leader Kim Jong Il watched a music performance, reporting his public appearance for the second day in a row. The Korean Central News Agency said in a report dated Wednesday but moved early Thursday that Kim attended the event together with senior officials of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and the Korean People's Army. There was no mention of the date or place of the event. The report came a day after the country's media released a series of pictures of Kim inspecting two military units, and marked the fifth report of his public appearance since the surfacing in September of foreign reports that he may have suffered a stroke. Performers from different national art troupes put on the event, Thursday's KCNA report said. "At the end of the performance he waved back to the cheering performers and audience and congratulated them on their successful presentation," KCNA said of the leader. In the audience together with the leader were senior officials including Choe Thae Bok and Kim Ki Nam, secretaries of the ruling party's Central Committee, the KCNA report said. Jang Song Thaek, a department director at the party and Kim's brother- in-law, was also there, the news agency said. Generals of the North Korean military Hyon Chol Hae and Ri Myong Su, who were also reported to have accompanied Kim in the inspection of military units, also attended, the report said. Speculation surrounding Kim's health intensified after the leader stayed away from celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the country's founding on Sept. 9. North Korea has denied suggestions he has suffered a health setback. |
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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| NORK high official to visit Syria | |
| 2007-10-14 | |
| A high-level North Korean official left on Saturday for an overseas trip including a visit to Syria, the North's state media reported, amid suspicions the two countries might be cooperating on a secret nuclear program. Choe Thae Bok, speaker of the North's rubber-stamp parliament, will also visit Italy during the trip, the North's Korean Central News Agency said in a brief one-sentence dispatch that gave no further details. The trip comes amid lingering suspicions that North Korea may be providing nuclear assistance to Syria. North Korea provides missile technology to Syria, but has strongly denied accusations that it spreads its nuclear expertise beyond its borders. Syria also has denied receiving any North Korean nuclear help. The two countries accused U.S. officials of spreading the allegations for political reasons. Andrew Semmel, acting U.S. deputy assistant secretary for nuclear nonproliferation policy, said in September that North Korean personnel were in Syria, and that the Syrian government may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to obtain nuclear equipment. Last month, a high-level Syrian delegation visited Pyongyang. North Korea, which conducted its first-ever nuclear test last October, has been compliant in international talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear program. In July, Pyongyang shut down its sole operating nuclear reactor and pledged earlier this month to disable it by year's end.
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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| NorKs brag about nuke test, blame US | |
| 2006-10-22 | |
 Servicepersons and Pyongyangites Pyongyang, October 20 (KCNA): More than 100,000 servicepersons and Is every square in North Korea called Kim Il Sung Square? ... on Friday hailed the historic successful nuclear test. Choe Thae Bok (politbureau member) said: the recent nuclear test was a quite just Can you imagine how boring these speeches are? They are forced to listen to this crap for hours. I cut this a lot for length
(Everything is all your fault, all the time) SNIP all that blaming is thirsty work I can feel some Juche coming on . All the party members, servicepersons and other people should devotedly defend the headquarters of the revolution and wage a dynamic struggle for the accomplishment of the revolutionary cause of Juche, ... aaaah, a nice cold glass of thirst-quenching Juche ... fully confident that they will always win victory as long as they are led by Kim Jong Il. SNIP - More fawning on the army, the dear leader, the great Songun policy . Moving onto threats The Japanese militarists and other forces favoring the U.S. imperialists' moves should stop running amuck, ... I think you'll find that's running amok, illiterate one - but amok or amuck you still can't eat it. Unlike tasty tree bark. ... well aware that they will never escape a stern punishment should they go reckless under the signboard of the UN Security Council "resolution." | |
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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| N Korea threatens to wipe out US forces |
| 2006-06-20 |
 North Korea yesterday threatened to mercilessly wipe out US forces in case of war during a national meeting to mark leader Kim Jong-Ils 42 years work at the ruling party. The threat, in a ruling party report carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), came as North Korea was reportedly preparing to test-fire a long-range missile despite strong protests from the United States and its allies. Choe Thae Bok, a ranking Workers Party official, said Washington was hell-bent on provocations of war of aggression in the report to mark the 42nd anniversary of Kims start at the party, KCNA said. If the enemies ignite a war eventually, the Korean army and people will mercilessly wipe out the aggressors and give vent to the deep-rooted grudge of the nation, Choe was quoted as telling the meeting. North Koreans are customarily advised to watch the televised event, according to Seoul officials. Japanese and South Korean media said North Korea was planning a missile test for this week. North Korean technicians have already reportedly assembled a multi-stage Taepodong-2, with a range of 3,500 km to 6,000 km. |
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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| North Korea Said to Reject China's Bid on Nuclear Talks |
| 2005-04-09 |
| NYT - Reg Req'd - posting it all After two senior-level meetings between North Korean and Chinese leaders over the last two weeks to discuss the North's nuclear-weapons program, the Chinese have failed so far to persuade North Korea to rejoin nuclear disarmament talks, senior administration officials and diplomats said Friday. not enough pressure? "rail accident" didn't work? As a result of the continuing deadlock, informal discussions have begun among the five parties to the talks on new, more aggressive strategies that could be used if and when it is decided that the talks have reached a dead end. Curb your dog, China - prove you're at least a regional power before you pretend to be a world power Among the steps being discussed, the administration officials and diplomats said, are increasing the frequency and intensity of United States and South Korean military exercises in the region. Even now, North Korea grows incensed with each exercise. Seething and Juche, Ver 9.043 In addition, intelligence gathering operations and reconnaissance about the North would be increased in a manner that the North Korean government would be sure to notice, the officials said. And enforcement activities against North Koreans involved in drug trafficking and weapons smuggling, among other illegal activities, would be expanded, possibly including increased patrols that might lead to interceptions of North Korean ships. Two years ago, Australian authorities seized a North Korean ship carrying 110 pounds of heroin off Australia's southern coast. No decision has been reached to step up the use of these tactics. For the past year and a half, under a program called the Proliferation Security Initiative, the five nations have declared themselves ready to intercept ships that may be carrying illicit cargo, but there has not been an actual interdiction recently. how about a "loss at sea"? Senior diplomats said the parties had agreed informally that they would continue holding out for North Korea's return to the talks until June, when a year will have passed since North Korea walked away. American officials say they have set no deadlines for the North Koreans to return. But now, "there is a palpable sense of frustration," a senior administration official said. China told the United States this week that North Korea had agreed in principle to return to the talks, " 'when the conditions are right' - the same they have been saying for months," the official said on Friday. "Nothing has changed, as far as I am concerned," he added. "Nice try" Also on Friday, Richard A. Boucher, the State Department spokesman, said, "We still do not have a clear commitment from the North Koreans to come back to the talks, or a date that they would come back to the talks." All of the officials and diplomats said that at least for a few more weeks, they will continue pushing North Korea to return to the talks. Now that's tough talk! During her visit to Beijing on March 21, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed the Chinese to put pressure on North Korea. Since then, North Korea's prime minister, Pak Pong Ju, and the first vice foreign minister, Kang Sok Ju, have visited Beijing. Mr. Kang is in charge of the nuclear disobedience issue. Several officials and diplomats noted that, while Mr. Pak was in Beijing last month, the Chinese government also agreed to grant North Korea significant new loan guarantees, though the details were not known. Officials also pointed out that Chinese trade with North Korea has increased significantly over the last year. One Asian diplomat put the rate of increase at 40 percent. Oh boy! That'll help! Is China a paper dragon? Reports from the region suggest that China is still holding out a significant buttplug carrot for the North Koreans should they change their minds and return to the disarmament talks - a state visit by President Hu Jintao. It would be the first visit to Pyongyang by a Chinese leader since September 2000. However, Japan's Kyodo news agency, quoting diplomats in Beijing, reported that because Mr. Kang "took a tough attitude" during his meetings in Beijing, China was saying "it has become difficult" to schedule President Hu's visit. On Tuesday, the head of North Korea's Parliament, Choe Thae Bok, said there was "no justification" for a return to the talks. The North Korean government has called for a session of its rubber-stamp Parliament for next Monday. No one knows for certain what the Parliament will be asked to do, but given Mr. Choe's remark, some diplomats are speculating that it will be asked to ratify North Korea's decision not to return to the talks. In the days since Mr. Pak's visit to Beijing, North Korea has issued several bellicose statements that have discouraged the five nations involved in the negotiations with the North - South Korea, Japan, China, Russia an the United States. Agence France-Presse reported that in a speech on Friday, Kim Yon Chun, the North Korean Army chief of staff, said that Washington's "persistent hostile policy" would prompt the North to further "bolster its self-defensive nuclear deterrent." "and juche, and army first, and stuff!" North Korea regularly issues statements with conditions, demands or objections on a range of topics, and the senior State Department official said American policy now is to try not to respond to any of them. On March 31, however, North Korea issued a new statement that caught everyone's attention. "Now that the D.P.R.K. has become a full-fledged nuclear weapons state, the six-party talks should be disarmament talks where the participant countries negotiate the issue on an equal footing," the Foreign Ministry said, referring to North Korea by the initials of its formal name. With that, the officials and diplomats said, North Korea seemed to be saying it should be regarded as a legitimate nuclear power on a par with the United States, Russia or China. "From that, it would be very difficult to go back to the assumption that they unilaterally have to disarm," a diplomat from one of the five nations said. "This one could possibly change the whole basis of the negotiations." Several diplomats and officials said they learned that even China was unpleasantly surprised by the new statement. The senior State Department official said the United States found the statement "very unhelpful," but added "we're not quite sure what it really means." The official said he was quite upset when he first learned of the new position but added, "one of my rules is always to apply what I call the North Korean discount to these statements," meaning they may not always be as serious as they seem. |
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| N. Korea | |||||
| 2005-02-16 | |||||
 North Korea marked the 63rd birthday of its "dear leader" Kim Jong Il on Wednesday with feasts of pheasant and venison for the capital's elite amid heightened tension on the Korean peninsula after the communist state declared it had nuclear weapons and would boycott disarmament talks.
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