INTELLIGENCE MONITORING OF NORTH KOREA'S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE US-DPRK AGREED F

Created: 12/12/1996

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Directorate of Intelligence

6

Intelligence Monitoring of North Korea's Implementation of the US-DPRK Agreed

Status of the Facilities at Yongbyon

limate of worsening North-South tensions. Chief Engineer Li announced rhe shutdown of spent fuel canning for0 November "winter preparation" period. North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kanga letter to US officials onovember accusing Washington of supporting Kim Yong-sam's efforts to use the Agreed Framework to pressure the North-Linked the resumption of spent fuel canning to construction work on tbe LWR project He stopped short, however, of officially threatening to end the nuclear freeze.

report wai prepared by tnilyKt ihrougboot tbe Directorate of IweJligenoe and was coordinate! within tbe Intelligence Conunar.iry. Thii Umonthly report thai updates policymaien on devetopmenu related to Nonh Korea'* irsplemeotatjce of tbe US-North Korean nuclear agreement. Informal!on available it6 wai used in Oils report Comments aad queries ire welcome and may be directed to

any set time.

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Implementation of Light-Water Reactor (LWR) Agreement

In the absence of an apology by North Korea for the submarine intrusion incident. Seoul continued to oppose formally initialing the draft protocols on site and services concluded in late September. Alleging concern for the safety of South Korean workers, Seoul also temporarily suspcndcil direct support for the LWR project and indefinitely grounded South Korean teams scheduled to travel to North Korea to begin site preparation work.

In response, Pyongyang onovember threatened, through iu official wire service, to end the freeze on its nuclear facilities unless the US ended its alleged delay in implementing the US-DPRK Agreed Framework, including the light-water reactor project

The warning, although undoubtedly approved by the leadership, was not issued as an official policy declaration by the Foreign Ministry or other national authority. I-

US-North Korean Liaison Offices No developments toorth-South Dialogue: The Gap Widens

The North Korean submarine incursion ofeptember has continued to dominate North-Southassive manhunt to track down the infiltrators endedovember when two of the three rrmuuning infiltrators were shot and killed by the South Korean rnilitary.

^Secret

In total,orth Koreans were killed, one captured and one remains unaccounted for. Seoul presumes the final infiltrator died of exposure.

Tbe manhunt also resulted in the deaths ofouth Koreans and the injury ofthers. Among the dead were four South Korean civilians.

would not be

possible to resolve Che submarine incident directly with the South for two reasons:

The precedent that security-related issues be resolved through military channels at Panmunjom.

Kun Yong-sam's alleged "nuudeeds" (sic) of two yearsapparent reference to Kim Yong-sam's refusal to issue condolences onong's death.

he aftermath of the submarine incident P'yongyang initially signaled greater flexibility to US diplomats over conditions foroint briefing on the four-party talks proposal, but reversed course when told thatesolution of the submarine incident, the joint briefing would not be possible unless the North agrees to participate in the four-party talks themselves.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry's spokesman onovember publicly noted that Washington was now refusing tooint briefing, and that P'yongyang was interpreting this "change in (the US) position" as "revocation" of tbe four-party talks proposal.

First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-chu in an II November letter to US officials charged that South Korean President Kim Yong-sam "remains opposed to the dialogue fors long as he stays in power, there cannotemotest possibility about North-South dialogue.'

South Korea, for its part, continued to demand an apology for the submarine incursionrecondition for further contacts with the North. Kim Yong-sam,ovember interview with The Washington Prat stated that the South will not conduct any dialogue or exchanges with the North until P'yongyang apologizes directly to Seoul and promises no further incidents.

Suspended contacts include mvestment plans by South Korean businesses and discussions related to both food and financial assistance. Seoul also canceled participation in multilateral negotiations over

orridor through North Korea's air space.

Pyongyang onovember announced in an official wire service report that it wouldlose its North-South Liaison Office at Panmunjoro. Subsequent attempts by South Korea to test the phone links between the liaison offices have not been answered by the North.9 November "authorized"he North cited as jostification for rhe move Seoul's "policy of closing the door on North-South relations" and asserts that the liaison office had "lost its reason for being."

Implementation of the North-Sooth Denuclearization Declaration (NSDD)

No new developments to report.

Original document.

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