"Given the investigations by government ministries so far, it is the government's judgment that the incident was not caused by North Korea, although the reason for the accident has not been determined yet," a senior government official was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
South Korea rules out navy ship sunk by North Korea
"Given the investigations by government ministries so far, it is the government's judgment that the incident was not caused by North Korea, although the reason for the accident has not been determined yet," a senior government official was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
South Korean navy ship sinks; North link "unlikely"
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/world/03/27/10/south-korean-navy-ship-sinks-north-link-unlikely
Presidential Blue House spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye also said there had been no unusual movements by North Korea, which has a million-strong military, much of it near the heavily armed border that has divided the Korean peninsula for more than half a century.
Local media quoted a presidential official as saying satellite pictures and other information showed no sign of the North Korean military in the area at the time of the sinking.
Presidential Blue House spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye also said there had been no unusual movements by North Korea, which has a million-strong military, much of it near the heavily armed border that has divided the Korean peninsula for more than half a century.
Local media quoted a presidential official as saying satellite pictures and other information showed no sign of the North Korean military in the area at the time of the sinking.
South Korea rules out North Korea involvement ship sinking
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/south-korea-rules-out-north-korea-involvement-ship-sinking-1928952.html
By Jo Yonghak, Reuters
Saturday, 27 March 2010
South Korea this morning all but ruled out the chance that North Korea was involved in the sinking of one of its navy vessels near their disputed border.
Initial speculation that North Korea might have sunk the ship had spooked Wall Street yesterday. Share prices dipped partly on geopolitical concerns, and the won dropped against the dollar.
"Given the investigations by government ministries so far, it is the government's judgement that the incident was not caused by North Korea, although the reason for the accident has not been determined yet," a senior government official was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
A Reuters reporter on Baengnyeongdo island near where the ship sank said about 10 navy and coastguard vessels, along with divers, were searching the area and the wreckage.
MBC television quoted defence ministry sources as saying they were investigating whether it was the result of an explosion on board the vessel.
Presidential Blue House spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye earlier said there had been no unusual movements by North Korea, which has a million-strong military, much of it near the heavily armed border that has divided the Korean peninsula for more than half a century.
The defence ministry said 58 of the 104 crew on board had been rescued and Yonhap quoted navy officials as saying several had died. It was later quoted as saying 46 were still missing.
"An unidentified reason caused a hole in the ship, which led to its sinking. Rescue efforts are under way," the ministry said.
"The ship fired a warning shot at an unidentified object, and the object was later suspected to have been a flock of birds. But we are checking," it said.
Earlier, South Korean media had quoted officials as saying the North could have torpedoed the ship. One said it could have struck a mine.
"The loud firing sound remained for about 15 minutes, while I watched TV. I never heard such loud firing sound in my entire life staying at (the) island, and the sound was definitely different from those heard from usual drills," Yonhap news agency quoted one 56-year-old resident on a nearby island as saying.
MBC TV said it could take up to 20 days to raise the 1,200-tonne ship. It sank in waters 15-20 metres deep.
The sinking occurred as the impoverished North has grown increasingly frustrated by its wealthy neighbour, which has given the cold shoulder to recent attempts to reopen a lucrative tourist business on the northern side of the frontier.
It also coincides with mounting pressure on Pyongyang to end a more than one-year boycott of international talks to end its efforts to build a nuclear arsenal.
There have been concerns that the North might resort to military grandstanding, a tactic it has often used in the past when it is gearing up for negotiations with the outside world.
The ship sank near the disputed Yellow Sea border off the west coast of the peninsula, which was the scene of two deadly naval fights between the rival Koreas in the past decade.
Navies from the rival Koreas exchanged gunfire for the first time in seven years in the Yellow Sea in November, damaging vessels on both sides.
By Jo Yonghak, Reuters
Saturday, 27 March 2010
South Korea this morning all but ruled out the chance that North Korea was involved in the sinking of one of its navy vessels near their disputed border.
Initial speculation that North Korea might have sunk the ship had spooked Wall Street yesterday. Share prices dipped partly on geopolitical concerns, and the won dropped against the dollar.
"Given the investigations by government ministries so far, it is the government's judgement that the incident was not caused by North Korea, although the reason for the accident has not been determined yet," a senior government official was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
A Reuters reporter on Baengnyeongdo island near where the ship sank said about 10 navy and coastguard vessels, along with divers, were searching the area and the wreckage.
MBC television quoted defence ministry sources as saying they were investigating whether it was the result of an explosion on board the vessel.
Presidential Blue House spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye earlier said there had been no unusual movements by North Korea, which has a million-strong military, much of it near the heavily armed border that has divided the Korean peninsula for more than half a century.
The defence ministry said 58 of the 104 crew on board had been rescued and Yonhap quoted navy officials as saying several had died. It was later quoted as saying 46 were still missing.
"An unidentified reason caused a hole in the ship, which led to its sinking. Rescue efforts are under way," the ministry said.
"The ship fired a warning shot at an unidentified object, and the object was later suspected to have been a flock of birds. But we are checking," it said.
Earlier, South Korean media had quoted officials as saying the North could have torpedoed the ship. One said it could have struck a mine.
"The loud firing sound remained for about 15 minutes, while I watched TV. I never heard such loud firing sound in my entire life staying at (the) island, and the sound was definitely different from those heard from usual drills," Yonhap news agency quoted one 56-year-old resident on a nearby island as saying.
MBC TV said it could take up to 20 days to raise the 1,200-tonne ship. It sank in waters 15-20 metres deep.
The sinking occurred as the impoverished North has grown increasingly frustrated by its wealthy neighbour, which has given the cold shoulder to recent attempts to reopen a lucrative tourist business on the northern side of the frontier.
It also coincides with mounting pressure on Pyongyang to end a more than one-year boycott of international talks to end its efforts to build a nuclear arsenal.
There have been concerns that the North might resort to military grandstanding, a tactic it has often used in the past when it is gearing up for negotiations with the outside world.
The ship sank near the disputed Yellow Sea border off the west coast of the peninsula, which was the scene of two deadly naval fights between the rival Koreas in the past decade.
Navies from the rival Koreas exchanged gunfire for the first time in seven years in the Yellow Sea in November, damaging vessels on both sides.
South Korea Navy Seeks Survivors of Sunken Vessel Cheonan
March 28 (Bloomberg) -- South Korea’s navy was searching for 46 crew members missing after an explosion sank a patrol boat near the nation’s disputed border with North Korea.
Rescuers were working near Baengnyeong Island, about 210 kilometers (130 miles) northwest of Seoul, an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the South Korean capital said yesterday. It remains unclear why the 1,200-ton Cheonan sank, the official said, declining to be named because of government policy. Some 58 people have been rescued, with 13 treated for injuries.
U.S. stocks pared gains March 26 on concern the incident may have resulted from military activity involving North Korea, under international pressure to end its nuclear program. U.S. and South Korean officials said they were unaware of North Korean involvement, while the Seoul-based YTN news channel said the ship may have struck a mine on March 26, citing an unidentified official at the Korean president’s office.
“North Korea can’t afford to worsen its relations with neighbors right now with such large-scale provocations,” said Kim Yong Hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul. “Kim Jong Il wouldn’t want to go down the path that would get it further away from getting economic and political support.”
North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency hasn’t issued any statement or report regarding the incident and the YTN news channel said there was little chance that the North was involved. South Korea’s Defense Minister Kim Tae Young flew to the island to oversee the rescue operation.
Flock of Birds
The ship began sinking at about 9 p.m. on March 26 after an explosion blew a hole in its stern, South Korean officials said. Naval forces fired a warning shot toward the north, targeting radar images that may have been a flock of birds, a Defense Ministry official said in response to earlier reports it had fired at an unidentified ship.
U.S. Navy vessels including the USNS Salvor rescue and salvage ship are standing by to help in the event South Korea requests assistance, said Lt. Anthony Falvo, a spokesman for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, based in Japan. The American ships were wrapping up a joint training exercise nearby with South Korea.
“Should our forces be requested to provide assistance, that would be one of our main units,” Falvo said in a telephone interview.
One of the survivors from the Cheonan, Staff Sergeant Shin Eun-chong, 24, told relatives he was on night duty when he heard a boom behind him and the ship split apart, the Associated Press reported. He said the ship began tilting and he lost his glasses as he hit the deck, AP said.
Survivor Reports
Marines on deck were shouting for help amid yells and screams, the AP said, citing a witness who spoke on cable news channel YTN. The explosion occurred at the rear of the vessel and caused the engine and all power to shut down, the AP said, citing the Joint Chiefs. Waves and high winds complicated the rescue, the news service said.
North Korea showed no signs of abnormal activity, South Korean President Lee Myung Bak’s office said on its Web site. Lee told security officials to consider “all possibilities” in studying the cause of the incident, his office said. The U.S. was unaware of any North Korean involvement, said P.J. Crowley, a State Department spokesman.
Kim Jong Il’s regime is under pressure to return to international talks on its nuclear weapons ambitions. Shortages worsened after a botched currency revaluation late last year and tougher UN sanctions banning arms trading following its second nuclear test in May 2009.
Maritime Border
North Korea doesn’t recognize the maritime border drawn by the United Nations as an extension into the Yellow Sea of the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas. This dispute caused skirmishes in 1999 and 2002, and the countries remain technically at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a cease-fire, which was never replaced by a peace treaty.
In January, North Korea fired artillery in the area during military exercises, prompting warning shots by South Korea. In November, the two exchanged fire after a North Korean vessel ventured across the border.
U.S. stocks trimmed gains and Treasuries rose as concern that tensions between North and South Korea were escalating triggered a flight from risky assets. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell as much as 0.4 percent yesterday on concerns that Korean tensions were rising, then closed little changed. June futures on South Korea’s Kospi 200 Index and the iShares MSCI South Korea Index Fund both slid 0.6 percent.
“This is really all about that variable we call the geopolitical; it’s about Korea,” said Peter Kenny, a managing director in institutional sales at Knight Equity Markets LP in Jersey City, New Jersey. “It’s taken some of the euphoria out of the market.”
--With assistance from Sangim Han in Seoul, Anthony Capaccio in Washington, and Michael P. Regan and Elizabeth Stanton in New York. Editors: Ann Hughey, Dick Schumacher.
To contact the reporter on this story: Bomi Lim in Seoul at blim30@bloomberg.net; To contact the reporter on this story: Viola Gienger in Washington at vgienger@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jim McDonald at jmcdonald8@bloomberg.net; Dick Schumacher at dschumacher@bloomberg.net
Friday, March 19, 2010
In the service of the dictator
http://austrianindependent.com/news/Politics/2010-03-19/1657/In_the_service_of_the_dictator
The dictator himself refused to eat Korean food - insisting on having everything from abroad.
"The dictator Kim Jong-il even had a Coca Cola factory imported all for himself.
"He has 1,500 cars. To maintain them, I travelled all over North Korea, to all the factories. The workers drank some brew on their lunch break, saying ‘that’s our meals, that way it only takes half a minute. We are hungry before, during and after our meals and our children are malnourished.’ What right does Kim have to build villas then, and to have food from all over the world?"
The dictator himself refused to eat Korean food - insisting on having everything from abroad.
"The dictator Kim Jong-il even had a Coca Cola factory imported all for himself.
"He has 1,500 cars. To maintain them, I travelled all over North Korea, to all the factories. The workers drank some brew on their lunch break, saying ‘that’s our meals, that way it only takes half a minute. We are hungry before, during and after our meals and our children are malnourished.’ What right does Kim have to build villas then, and to have food from all over the world?"
Monday, March 15, 2010
“김정일 비자금 40억弗 룩셈부르크 은행 예치” 英일간 텔레그래프 보도
http://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20100316002002&spage=1
김정일 북한 국방위원장이 해외로 강제도피하는 비상상황에 대비해 40억달러(약 4조 5380억원)의 비자금을 룩셈부르크 은행에 예치하고 있다고 영국 일간 텔레그래프가 14일(현지시간) 보도했다.
신문은 한국 정보기관 관계자의 말을 인용해 극심한 빈곤에 시달리는 북한 주민들이 김 위원장의 비자금에 대해 알게 된다면 반정부 투쟁이 벌어질 것이라고 전했다.
비자금의 대부분은 원래 스위스 비밀계좌에 보관되어 있었다. 그러나 돈 세탁 규제가 강화되자 김 위원장의 측근이 기록을 남기지 않기 위해 현금으로 인출한 뒤 룩셈부르크의 은행에 이체한 것으로 알려졌다.
신문은 비자금의 출처로 핵무기·미사일기술 수출, 마약 밀거래, 보험사기, 노동력 착취, 외화위조 등을 지목했다.
●NHK “北 외화교환 재허용”
한편 북한이 지난해 화폐개혁의 후속조치로 금지했던 외화 교환을 최근 다시 허용했다고 일본 NHK가 15일 보도했다. 물가 급등 등 화폐개혁 후유증으로 생긴 주민들의 불만을 무마하기 위한 조치로 풀이된다. 앞서 북한은 지난해 11월 북한 원화를 100대1로 교환하는 화폐개혁을 실시하면서 중국의 위안화와 달러화 등 외화를 사용할 수 없게 했다가 부작용이 커지자 관련조치를 점차 해제하고 있다.
오달란기자 dallan@seoul.co.kr
김정일 북한 국방위원장이 해외로 강제도피하는 비상상황에 대비해 40억달러(약 4조 5380억원)의 비자금을 룩셈부르크 은행에 예치하고 있다고 영국 일간 텔레그래프가 14일(현지시간) 보도했다.
신문은 한국 정보기관 관계자의 말을 인용해 극심한 빈곤에 시달리는 북한 주민들이 김 위원장의 비자금에 대해 알게 된다면 반정부 투쟁이 벌어질 것이라고 전했다.
비자금의 대부분은 원래 스위스 비밀계좌에 보관되어 있었다. 그러나 돈 세탁 규제가 강화되자 김 위원장의 측근이 기록을 남기지 않기 위해 현금으로 인출한 뒤 룩셈부르크의 은행에 이체한 것으로 알려졌다.
신문은 비자금의 출처로 핵무기·미사일기술 수출, 마약 밀거래, 보험사기, 노동력 착취, 외화위조 등을 지목했다.
●NHK “北 외화교환 재허용”
한편 북한이 지난해 화폐개혁의 후속조치로 금지했던 외화 교환을 최근 다시 허용했다고 일본 NHK가 15일 보도했다. 물가 급등 등 화폐개혁 후유증으로 생긴 주민들의 불만을 무마하기 위한 조치로 풀이된다. 앞서 북한은 지난해 11월 북한 원화를 100대1로 교환하는 화폐개혁을 실시하면서 중국의 위안화와 달러화 등 외화를 사용할 수 없게 했다가 부작용이 커지자 관련조치를 점차 해제하고 있다.
오달란기자 dallan@seoul.co.kr
Kim Jong-Il's Emergency Fund
Kim Jong-il keeps $4m 'emergency fund' in European banks
Kim Jong-il, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, has a $4 billion (£2.6 billion) “emergency fund” hidden in secret accounts in European banks that he will use to continue his lavish way of life if he is forced to flee the country.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/7442188/Kim-Jong-il-keeps-4m-emergency-fund-in-European-banks.html
Kim Jong-il, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, has a $4 billion (£2.6 billion) “emergency fund” hidden in secret accounts in European banks that he will use to continue his lavish way of life if he is forced to flee the country.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/7442188/Kim-Jong-il-keeps-4m-emergency-fund-in-European-banks.html
한국어 관련기사
http://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20100316002002&spage=1
By Oliver Arlow in Tokyo
Published: 9:26PM GMT 14 Mar 2010
Kim Jong Il has taken elaborate measures to escape in the event of a military invasion by forces from the United States and South Korea Photo: PHOTOSHOT
South Korean intelligence officials told The Daily Telegraph that much of the money was held in Swiss banks until authorities there began to tighten regulations on money laundering.
Mr Kim’s operatives then withdrew the money - in cash, in order not to leave a paper trail - and transferred it to banks in Luxembourg.
The money is the profits from impoverished North Korea selling its nuclear and missile technology, dealing in narcotics, insurance fraud, the use of forced labour in its vast gulag system, and the counterfeiting of foreign currency.
“I believe this is the most extensive money-laundering operation in the history of organised crime, yet the final destination of the funds has not been given the proper attention it deserves,” said Ken Kato, the director of Human Rights in Asia.
“Somewhere in the world, there are bankers who are earning a large sum of money by concealing and managing Kim Jong-il’s secret funds, and at the same time, almost nine million people in North Korea are suffering from food shortages,” he said. “I believe the secret bank accounts are now in Luxembourg, or have recently been transferred from Luxembourg to other tax havens.”
A spokesman for the Luxembourg government said that it was obliged to investigate all transactions involving Stalinist North Korea.
“The problem is that they do not have 'North Korea’ written all over them,” he added. “They try to hide and they try to erase as many links as possible.”
Peter Lilley, author of Dirty Dealing: The Untold Truth About Global Money Laundering, International Crime and Terrorism, describes Luxembourg as “one of the great dark horses” of banking.
He said that there was evidence that Colonel Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein had made use of Luxembourg-based banks.
Mr Kato said: “If Kim Jong-il’s $4 billion secret bank accounts are frozen, it would change the course of history. He has no choice but to respect human rights, give up his nuclear weapons and beg the international community to release the funds because he needs that money to buy the loyalty of high-ranking officials.”
A South Korean intelligence official said: “If the North Korean people were aware of this money while they have suffered, then it is possible they could rise up against the regime.”
Despite a vice-like grip on North Korea since he assumed the post of Supreme Leader when his father, Kim Il-sung, died in 1994, Mr Kim, 68, has in place elaborate measures to escape in the event of a military invasion by a foreign power, with China his most likely destination.
By Oliver Arlow in Tokyo
Published: 9:26PM GMT 14 Mar 2010
Kim Jong Il has taken elaborate measures to escape in the event of a military invasion by forces from the United States and South Korea Photo: PHOTOSHOT
South Korean intelligence officials told The Daily Telegraph that much of the money was held in Swiss banks until authorities there began to tighten regulations on money laundering.
Mr Kim’s operatives then withdrew the money - in cash, in order not to leave a paper trail - and transferred it to banks in Luxembourg.
The money is the profits from impoverished North Korea selling its nuclear and missile technology, dealing in narcotics, insurance fraud, the use of forced labour in its vast gulag system, and the counterfeiting of foreign currency.
“I believe this is the most extensive money-laundering operation in the history of organised crime, yet the final destination of the funds has not been given the proper attention it deserves,” said Ken Kato, the director of Human Rights in Asia.
“Somewhere in the world, there are bankers who are earning a large sum of money by concealing and managing Kim Jong-il’s secret funds, and at the same time, almost nine million people in North Korea are suffering from food shortages,” he said. “I believe the secret bank accounts are now in Luxembourg, or have recently been transferred from Luxembourg to other tax havens.”
A spokesman for the Luxembourg government said that it was obliged to investigate all transactions involving Stalinist North Korea.
“The problem is that they do not have 'North Korea’ written all over them,” he added. “They try to hide and they try to erase as many links as possible.”
Peter Lilley, author of Dirty Dealing: The Untold Truth About Global Money Laundering, International Crime and Terrorism, describes Luxembourg as “one of the great dark horses” of banking.
He said that there was evidence that Colonel Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein had made use of Luxembourg-based banks.
Mr Kato said: “If Kim Jong-il’s $4 billion secret bank accounts are frozen, it would change the course of history. He has no choice but to respect human rights, give up his nuclear weapons and beg the international community to release the funds because he needs that money to buy the loyalty of high-ranking officials.”
A South Korean intelligence official said: “If the North Korean people were aware of this money while they have suffered, then it is possible they could rise up against the regime.”
Despite a vice-like grip on North Korea since he assumed the post of Supreme Leader when his father, Kim Il-sung, died in 1994, Mr Kim, 68, has in place elaborate measures to escape in the event of a military invasion by a foreign power, with China his most likely destination.
NATO Head Urges Creation of Missile Shield
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20100315_9193.php
"We must develop an effective missile defense," Rasmussen said during a conference in Warsaw."In the coming years we will probably face many more countries and possibly even some nonstate actors armed with long-range missiles and nuclear capabilities."
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Kim Jong-il's personal shopper reveals how the North Korean leader lives in luxury
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/7418727/Kim-Jong-ils-personal-shopper-reveals-how-the-North-Korean-leader-lives-in-luxury.html
A North Korean colonel has revealed that he spent two decades going on lavish shopping sprees in Europe for his country's leaders, while ordinary people starved to death in the impoverished nation.
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
Published: 7:00AM GMT 11 Mar 2010
A North Korean colonel has revealed that he spent two decades going on lavish shopping sprees in Europe for his country's leaders, while ordinary people starved to death in the impoverished nation.
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
Published: 7:00AM GMT 11 Mar 2010
Kim Jong Ryul, 75, has spent the last 16 years in exile in Austria after fleeing North Korea and still fears for his life. In a new book, At the Dictator's Service, he recounts the luxury in which North Korea's leaders live.
Using the code name Emil, Kim travelled through Europe on a diplomatic passport and with a suitcase full of cash, procuring cars, planes, guns and special food for both Kim Il-sung and his son, Kim Jong-il.
The goods and money would be channelled through Vienna, to take advantage of banking secrecy, lax trade rules and minimal checks on aircraft.
Mr Kim said the North Korean leaders had dozens of villas, some of which were built underground, that were stuffed with chandeliers, silk wallpaper and expensive furniture. He said some of the villas were equipped with special ventilation systems in case of a nuclear attack.
He said Kim Il-sung would "only eat foreign food". He added: "In Vienna, there was a special attache, a friend of mine, who only procured special foreign food for the dictator." Troupes of chefs would be sent from North Korea to Austria to study how to cook.
"'Learn everything!' that's what they were told," revealed Mr Kim "The crazy dictators heard rumours that Austrian cuisine was world famous and that's why they wanted (the cooks) to come here." He also said that despite public denunciations of Western imperialism and decadent culture, the ruling family has an extensive car collection including models from Mercedes, Fords, Cadillacs and Lincolns. A special Romanian secret service contact helped procure hunting rifles and even a light Cessna aeroplane. Other devices that made their way to Pyongyang included heartbeat monitors that could detect people hiding behind walls and gold-plated pistols.
Meanwhile, said Mr Kim, the general population of North Korea were starving. The former army man said it was this injustice that drove him to fake his death in 1994 and begin a new life in Austria.
Although he initially hoped for regime change, he admitted that Kim Jong-il's rule was unlikely to end soon. "It is unthinkable," he said.
Having revealed his secrets, Mr Kim said that he could now "die with a clean conscience".
‘김정일 비자금관리인’ 이철, 30년 만에 스위스 떠난다는데…
제네바 대사 이달 말 이임說
“고령 감안” “후계 관련” 분분
http://news.donga.com/Politics/New/3/00/20100311/26763609/1
이 대사는 1980년 제네바 주재 북한대표부 공사로 부임하며 제네바와 첫 인연을 맺었고, 북한이 유엔에 가입하기 전인 1987년부터 제네바 유엔사무국 주재 상임대표부 대사로 활동했다. 1998년부터는 주스위스 대사를 겸임해 왔다.
이 대사는 김정일 국방위원장의 ‘비자금 관리인’으로 알려진 데다 김 위원장의 세 아들인 정남(39) 정철(29) 정은 씨(27) 등이 모두 스위스에서 국제학교와 공립학교를 다닌 점 때문에 ‘측근 중의 측근’으로 알려져 왔다. 또 고 김일성 주석과 김정일 위원장 등 북한 최고위층의 지병 치료를 위해 1991년부터 프랑스 의료진을 연결시키는 데도 핵심 역할을 한 것으로 보도됐다.
2006년 4월에는 크리스토퍼 힐 당시 미국 국무부 차관보가 서울에서 북한이 스위스에 40억 달러를 비밀리에 예치하고 있다고 발언한 사실이 보도되자 ‘공화국의 영상(이미지)을 손상시키기 위한 미 행정부의 상투적인 모략’이라며 강하게 반발하는 성명을 내기도 했다.
스위스 주재 각국 외교관 가운데 최장수인 이 대사의 교체 배경을 놓고 다양한 해석이 나오고 있다. 올해 75세의 고령이라는 점이 감안된 것이라는 분석이 우세하지만 북한 내부의 권력승계 문제와도 관련이 있을 것이라는 관측도 나온다.
전승훈 기자 raphy@donga.com
“고령 감안” “후계 관련” 분분
http://news.donga.com/Politics/New/3/00/20100311/26763609/1
북한 김정일 국방위원장의 최측근인 이철 주제네바 북한대표부 대사(75·사진)가 30여 년의 스위스 생활을 마치고 이르면 이달 하순 이임할 것으로 알려졌다. 10일 스위스 베른의 외교소식통에 따르면 이 대사가 교체될 것이라는 소문이 현지 외교가에 널리 퍼졌으며 그 배경을 놓고 여러 해석이 나오고 있다. 이 관계자는 “스위스 주재 외교관 중 최장수인 이 대사의 이임 소식에 각국이 높은 관심을 보이고 있다”며 “이 대사의 이임 시기가 수주일 내가 될지, 한두 달 정도 더 걸릴지는 아직 분명하지 않다”고 말했다.
이 대사는 1980년 제네바 주재 북한대표부 공사로 부임하며 제네바와 첫 인연을 맺었고, 북한이 유엔에 가입하기 전인 1987년부터 제네바 유엔사무국 주재 상임대표부 대사로 활동했다. 1998년부터는 주스위스 대사를 겸임해 왔다.
이 대사는 김정일 국방위원장의 ‘비자금 관리인’으로 알려진 데다 김 위원장의 세 아들인 정남(39) 정철(29) 정은 씨(27) 등이 모두 스위스에서 국제학교와 공립학교를 다닌 점 때문에 ‘측근 중의 측근’으로 알려져 왔다. 또 고 김일성 주석과 김정일 위원장 등 북한 최고위층의 지병 치료를 위해 1991년부터 프랑스 의료진을 연결시키는 데도 핵심 역할을 한 것으로 보도됐다.
2006년 4월에는 크리스토퍼 힐 당시 미국 국무부 차관보가 서울에서 북한이 스위스에 40억 달러를 비밀리에 예치하고 있다고 발언한 사실이 보도되자 ‘공화국의 영상(이미지)을 손상시키기 위한 미 행정부의 상투적인 모략’이라며 강하게 반발하는 성명을 내기도 했다.
스위스 주재 각국 외교관 가운데 최장수인 이 대사의 교체 배경을 놓고 다양한 해석이 나오고 있다. 올해 75세의 고령이라는 점이 감안된 것이라는 분석이 우세하지만 북한 내부의 권력승계 문제와도 관련이 있을 것이라는 관측도 나온다.
전승훈 기자 raphy@donga.com
Monday, March 1, 2010
Syria Received North Korean "Yellowcake" Uranium, Report Says.
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20100301_3546.php
Forty-five tons of yellowcake could be converted into 196 to 287 pounds of bomb-grade uranium, according to Institute for Science and International Security President David Albright.
"In any case, 45 tons of yellowcake is enough for several nuclear bombs," he said (Kyodo News/iStockAnalyst.com, Feb. 28).
Forty-five tons of yellowcake could be converted into 196 to 287 pounds of bomb-grade uranium, according to Institute for Science and International Security President David Albright.
"In any case, 45 tons of yellowcake is enough for several nuclear bombs," he said (Kyodo News/iStockAnalyst.com, Feb. 28).
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