Anju Links for 17 March 2008

CONDI RICE, COMMENTING ON THE FAILURE of the bilateral nuclear talks in Switzerland last week, confirms that “substantive differences remain” with North Korea, and that “she does not expect any immediate breakthrough.” Not even Chris Hill can deny it:

Top U.S. nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill indicated Sunday that North Korea has, for now, responded unfavorably to U.S. proposals he presented to his North Korean counterpart to resolve a snag in the six-party process for denuclearizing the country. But the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs told reporters he does not know whether that means North Korea is rejecting them completely or whether Pyongyang will have a different response after further consideration. [Kyodo News]

Plan B, anyone?

AS LONG AS PEOPLE DENOUNCE what civilized humanity should never tolerate, North Korea will lash out at the world in fury and (increasingly) desperation. U.N. Special Rapporteur Vitit Muntarbhorn has released another report on human rights in North Korea, citing “appalling” prison conditions and “extensive use of torture and public executions.” Partly because the U.N. has the world’s worst-organized, least accessible Web site, I would probably never have known about it if not for North Korea’s reaction:

Kim accused the U.N. special envoy of “serving as a mouthpiece for antagonistic forces” who try to overturn North Korea “with human rights as an excuse.” He also claimed the “anachronistic” system of “U.N. special rapporteur” must be scrapped. [The Hankyoreh]

A REGIME SPOKESMAN IS ALSO DENOUNCING South Korean-based radio broadcasts to the North:

The spokesman claimed radio stations such as “Broadcasting for the North,” “Missionary Broadcasting for the North” and “Voice of Freedom” were “an intolerable confrontation campaign against the nation and reunification,” he said in a statement. [….]

The spokesman said recently launched South Korean radio channels were teaming up with Japanese and US-funded radio broadcasts like “Radio Free Asia” and “Voice of America” to beef up their campaigns against Pyongyang. “The South Korean conservative ruling quarters… should be held fully accountable for all the consequences to be entailed by their smear broadcasting moves,” the spokesman said. [AFP]

GI Korea has more on this.

SO MUCH FOR RECIPROCITY: Only days after saying that it would condition aid to North Korea on progress on human rights, the Lee Administration is offering more tax benefits for South Korean companies that order products from Kaesong. Yet there’s not a peep about how the Lee Administration will condition these benefits on getting some answers to questions about what wages the workers receive, or improving their working conditions.

JAPAN WILL EXTEND SANCTIONS against North Korea for six more months, but will not expand them, either. With the North Koreans still refusing to even discuss the issue seriously, the Japanese government could not responsibly ease sanctions. By failing to press the issue, America has forfeited much of its ability to influence Japan.

THIS CANNOT END WELL: South Koreas, driving through North Korea to Kumgang. Remember when Columbus’s sailors were afraid of going too far and sailing off the edge of the earth?

MORE REPORTS OF DISEASE: An IHT report suggests that North Korea may be having an outbreak of encephalitis, and via NK Econ Watch, a long Washington Post piece on the Eugene Bell Foundation reveals that 10% of the population may now have tuberculosis.

THE NEW UNIFICATION MINISTER’S confirmation hearing was disturbingly placid. What do leftist parliamentarians know about this man that gives them such comfort with him?

HERE ARE SOME COOL PHOTOS of the inside of North Korea’s 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, the one that’s being disabled. If you want to see the ones the North Koreans are still building, they’re here.