Asia Pacific Voices » korea

North Korea Reaffirms Commitment to Nuclear Disarmament

Nikki Soo — Mon, 10 May 2010 03:29:44 +0000

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il announced his commitment to nuclear disarmament a year after quitting talks on its atomic arsenal, during a secretive 5 day visit to China. North Korea conducted tests on 2 nuclear missiles last year, angering the US and its allies. It remains unclear whether North Korea plans to ameliorate conditions for returning to the Six Party talks, which include lifting United Nations sanctions and a commitment from the United States to undertake negotiations on a peace treaty to replace the truce that ended the Korean War.

South Korea and the United States have expressed that the reinstatement of talks should be deferred till the outcome of on-going investigations on the sunken South Korean warship has been revealed.

During the dinner held in his honour Kim also emphasised that ties with China will be unchanged by the “replacement of one generation by a new one,” amid speculations he is paving the way for his son Jong-Un to take control of the isolated communist state.

The impoverished North’s economic dependence on China deepened after South Korea, once a major provider of food and trade, adopted a hard line under Mr. Lee.

Sources:
North Korea’s Kim committed to disarmament talks: KCNA [AFP, 9 May 2010]
North Korean Leader Reaffirms Commitment to Weapons Talks [The New York Times, 7 May 2010
Kim Tells Hu North Korea Ready for Nuclear Talks, Yonhap Says [Bloomberg, 6 May 2010]

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China, Japan, South Korea sign memorandum on food safety

SIIA — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:01:30 +0000

TOKYO: Health ministers from Japan, China and South Korea agreed on Monday to step up efforts to ensure food safety following concerns over pesticide-tainted Chinese dumplings.

Japanese Health Minister Akira Nagatsuma, his Chinese counterpart Chen Zhu and South Korean health chief Jeon Jae-Hee signed their first joint memorandum on food safety after a meeting in Tokyo, a statement said.

The move came as Tokyo seeks further investigation by Beijing authorities over pesticide-tainted Chinese frozen dumplings, which made 10 people ill in Japan in January 2008.

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Source: AP (through Channel NewsAsia), “Japan, China, Korea sign memorandum on food safety,” November 24, 2009, http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1020027/1/.html

Obama wants progress on Korea-US FTA

SIIA — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:34:05 +0000

SEOUL, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Barack Obama expressed hope to work out details on the pending free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea, eyeing its ratification as early as next year, South Korean media reported Thursday, quoting the president’s interview with a U.S. broadcaster.

“We are going to be discussing this with South Korea. I want to get the deal done,” Obama was quoted as telling Fox News, when asked if he thinks the South Korea-U.S. FTA would be passed in Congress.

“The question is whether we can get it done in the beginning of2010, whether we can get it done at the end of 2010. There’s still some details that need to be worked out,” Obama said, adding that he thinks it is a potential good deal for U.S. exporters.

However, he also expressed concerns on the deal, saying “there’s certain sectors of the economy that aren’t dealt with as effectively and that’s something that I’m going to be talking to President Lee (Myung-bak) about.”

Although Obama did not elaborate, it seemed Obama referred to an imbalance in auto trade and restricted shipments of U.S. beef, South Korean news channel YTN said.

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Source: Xinhua, “Obama expresses hope to hasten S. Korea-U.S. FTA ratification: media,” November 19, 2009, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/19/content_12490789.htm