ID :
51486
Fri, 03/20/2009 - 12:50
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/51486
The shortlink copeid
N. Korean assembly to convene on April 9, shortly after rocket launch
SEOUL, March 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will call the first meeting of its newly elected assembly on April 9, the state media said Friday, which would be shortly after the country's planned rocket launch.
Pyongyang told international agencies earlier this month that it will launch what
it claims to be a "communication satellite" into orbit some time between April
4-8.
"The First Session of the 12th SPA will be convened in Pyongyang on April 9," the
Korean Central News Agency said, referring to the North's parliament, the Supreme
People's Assembly.
The date was officially chosen on Monday, the two-sentence report said.
North Korea elected its 687 lawmakers on March 8, showing no major generational
change except for a substantial number of economic technocrats who were promoted
to its legislature. New faces accounted for 46 percent of the members, lower than
65 percent in 1998 and 50 percent in 2003. The North's assembly is a rubber stamp
parliament, but its lineup serves as a major indication of the latest leanings of
the country's power structure.
In their first meeting, the lawmakers are expected to reappoint leader Kim
Jong-il as chairman of the National Defense Commission, the highest-decision
making body that oversees the country's 1.19-million-person military. They will
also discuss a shakeup in the Cabinet and the military and government's budget.
North Korea had carefully timed its earlier satellite launch in 1998 to the
assembly schedule. What the U.S. later called a "failed" satellite was launched
on August 31, five days before the new assembly convened.
Analysts say such an arrangement is aimed at amplifying the effects on internal
politics.
North Korea says its planned rocket launch is part of its peaceful space
development program, but South Korea, the U.S. and Japan believe the launch is a
cover for a long-range missile test.
A top American general this week said the U.S. could shoot down the North Korean
rocket should it be a ballistic missile threatening U.S. territory.
Pyongyang has warned that any foreign attempt to intercept its rocket will lead
to war.
Pyongyang told international agencies earlier this month that it will launch what
it claims to be a "communication satellite" into orbit some time between April
4-8.
"The First Session of the 12th SPA will be convened in Pyongyang on April 9," the
Korean Central News Agency said, referring to the North's parliament, the Supreme
People's Assembly.
The date was officially chosen on Monday, the two-sentence report said.
North Korea elected its 687 lawmakers on March 8, showing no major generational
change except for a substantial number of economic technocrats who were promoted
to its legislature. New faces accounted for 46 percent of the members, lower than
65 percent in 1998 and 50 percent in 2003. The North's assembly is a rubber stamp
parliament, but its lineup serves as a major indication of the latest leanings of
the country's power structure.
In their first meeting, the lawmakers are expected to reappoint leader Kim
Jong-il as chairman of the National Defense Commission, the highest-decision
making body that oversees the country's 1.19-million-person military. They will
also discuss a shakeup in the Cabinet and the military and government's budget.
North Korea had carefully timed its earlier satellite launch in 1998 to the
assembly schedule. What the U.S. later called a "failed" satellite was launched
on August 31, five days before the new assembly convened.
Analysts say such an arrangement is aimed at amplifying the effects on internal
politics.
North Korea says its planned rocket launch is part of its peaceful space
development program, but South Korea, the U.S. and Japan believe the launch is a
cover for a long-range missile test.
A top American general this week said the U.S. could shoot down the North Korean
rocket should it be a ballistic missile threatening U.S. territory.
Pyongyang has warned that any foreign attempt to intercept its rocket will lead
to war.
