· UNC/CFC/USFK Commander Meets ROK President at Blue House
Ø GEN Bell stressed the importance of the alliance and noted the US contribution to ROK national development
Ø GEN Bell voiced support for the ROK's efforts to regain wartime operational control of its forces
Ø ROK President says alliance “can become healthier and grow further when the two allies pursue mutual interests and goals”
· Spy Intercept Casts Light on Power Struggle in NK
Ø An East Asian intelligence agency has successfully tapped into frequent calls made by Kim Jong-il's oldest son Kim Jong-namto the NK leader's younger sister Kim Kyung-hee
Ø Kim Kyung-hee also reportedly complains about the misrule of Kim Jong-il in calls to her husband Chang Song-taek – the two reportedly have occasional drunken conversations that last more than an hour
Ø With their future riding heavily on the outcome of the power struggle, NK military and party officials have split into three factions, each supporting one of Kim Jong-il’s three sons
Ø This may be the reason Kim Jong-il has told his circle a successor will not be named until his 70th birthday – which falls on 16 Feb 2012
· ROK May Halt Dialogue with Farmers over US Base
Ø ROK MND official said talks to resolve a stalemate over farmland in Pyeongtaek may be abandoned if key figures of the farming community keep boycotting them
Ø The 'Pan-National Committee to Deter the Expansion of US Bases' is an umbrella protest group composed of 138 civic organizations that is advocating against the eviction of Pyeongtaek's farmers
· ROK and Japan at Odds over Dokdo
Ø ROK delivered another strong protest against Japan's repeated provocations over the Dok islets
Ø ROK Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon met Yasuhisa Shiozaki – senior vice foreign minister for Japan's foreign affairs – who arrived in the ROK for a two-day visit
Ø The two countries plan to resume Exclusive Economic Zone negotiations this month
Ø Ban: "I believe a diplomatic conversation is necessary despite the political and diplomatic friction between the two countries"
· E-X Project Once Again Up for ‘Final’ Decision
Ø ROK Air Force's long-delayed airborne early warning system project – known as the E-X project – is once again slated for a final decision next month
Ø Purchase entails one of four airborne early warning systems for 2 trillion won (US$2 billion) by 2012, with Boeing of the US and IAI Elta of Israel competing for the contract
Ø MND originally planned to make a final decision by the end of last year, but problems with the communications systems of the aircraft – parts of which were under an export ban – delayed the deadline
· ROK to Make First Showing at NK Rights Meeting
Ø Human Rights Ambassador Park Kyung-seo and ROK Ambassador to Norway Kim Young-seok will attend the seventh international conference on NK human rights and refugees in Norway from 9-11 May
Ø ROK officials to date have never attended such events for fear of provoking NK
Ø ROK attendance at meeting no guarantee the ROK will change its strategy of “quiet diplomacy”
Ø The Citizen's Alliance for NK Human Rights, a co-organizer of the conference along with Norwegian group Rafto Human Rights House, has organized six conferences on the issue with various international groups since 1999
· Chosun Daily Editorial – ROK's War of Words With US's Rights Envoy
Ø A ROK official on Sunday denounced the US special envoy for human rights in NK, accusing him of being "biased and interfering in our internal affairs"
The attack came over an op-ed piece the special envoy wrote for the Wall Street Journal last Friday, in which it was asserted that by channeling large amounts of unmonitored aid to NK, some governments are in fact propping up the Kim regime