NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER NO. 56 (May 28, 2009)

*** CHRONOLOGICAL REVIEW

SEOUL (Yonhap) -- The following is a chronological review of major developments
related to North Korea between May 21-27, 2009.

May
21 The Workers' Party of (North) Korea (WPK) Central Committee hosts a reception
in Pyongyang in honor of the visiting delegation of the Brazilian Workers' Party
led by Valter Pomar, Secretary for International Relations of its National
Executive Committee.
21 Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly
(SPA), sends a message of greetings to Ali Abdullah Saleh, president of Yemen, on
the occasion of the 19th national holiday.
21 The KCNA says the SPA hosted a banquet in Pyongyang on March 20 in honor of
the Indonesian parliamentary delegation led by Speaker Agung Laksono.
21 Talks between the delegations of the WPK led by Secretary Kim Jung-rin and the
Brazilian Workers' Party are held in Pyongyang.
21 The KCNA says North Korean leader Kim Jong-il inspected the (North) Korean
People's Army (KPA) Air Force Unit 814.
21 Kim Yong-nam meets the delegation of the Brazilian Workers' Party at Mansudae
Assembly Hall in Pyongyang.
21 A seminar on social sciences is held to mark the 70th anniversary of the
victory of anti-Japanese battles by late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung's
guerrilla troops in Musan, North Hamgyong Province.
22 A national meeting is held in Musan to mark the 70th anniversary of the
victory of anti-Japanese battles.
22 Kim Yong-nam meets the Indonesian parliament delegation at Mansudae Assembly
Hall.
22 The Indonesian parliamentary delegation leaves Pyongyang to return home.
22 Rodong Sinmun, publication of the WPK, denounces the U.S. administration's
decision to increase the defense budget for the 2010 fiscal year.
23 Kim Yong-nam sends a message of greetings to Issaias Afewerki, president of
Eritrea, on the occasion of its national day.
23 Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun sends a congratulatory message to Maite
Nkoana-Mashabane on her appointment as minister of International Relations and
Cooperation of South Africa.
23 A delegation of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of
China led by Tang Jun, organizational department director, arrives in Pyongyang.
23 The KCNA says Kim Jong-il gave field guidance at the revolutionary battle
sites in the Yonsa area, North Hamgyong Province, where Kim Il-sung's guerrilla
troops fought against the Japanese army in the 1940s.
23 Kim Yong-nam sends a message of greetings to Jean Ping, chairman of the
Committee of the African Union, on the occasion of the Day of Africa.
23 Premier Kim Yong-il sends a congratulatory message to Manmohan Singh upon his
reassumption of office as Indian prime minister.
24 The KCNA reports the death of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun,
quoting a media report.
24 Kim Yong-nam sends a message of greetings to Abdullah II, king of Jordan, on
the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of its independence.
25 Kim Jong-il sends a message of condolences to the bereaved family of former
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun.
25 The KCNA says North Korea successfully conducted one more underground nuclear
test "as part of the measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrent for
self-defense in every way."
25 The KCNA says Kim Jong-il watched an art performance given by soldiers of the
Kamnamu (persimmon tree) company of the KPA honored with the title of the thrice
three-revolution red flag together with servicepersons of the KPA.
25 The KCNA says the Olympic Solidarity Football Coaching Course was held at the
Kimilsung Stadium in Pyongyang from May 13 to 22, attended by football coaches of
home sports teams and football teachers from juvenile sports schools.
26 A delegation of the North Korean Railways Ministry led by Minister Jon Kil-su
leaves Pyongyang to attend the 37th Ministerial Meeting of the Organization of
Railways Cooperation in Kazakhstan.
26 A delegation of the Workers' Party of Turkey headed by Dasar Karadag, member
of its Central Committee, flies into Pyongyang.
26 A rally of Pyongyang citizens is held at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium to
celebrate the North's second nuclear test, attended by Choe Thae-bok, secretary
of the WPK.
26 Choson Sinbo, newspaper of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Koreans in
Japan, says there is no change in Pyongyang's position to continue developing the
Kaesong Industrial Complex, denying South Korean news reports that Pyongyang is
taking steps to shut down the complex.
27 Kim Yong-nam sends a message of greetings to Ethiopian President Girma
Wolde-Giorgis on the country's national day.
27 The Panmunjom Mission of the KPA issues a statement, threatening of a
"military strike" against Seoul's decision to participate as a full member in the
U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). South Korea joined the PSI on
March 26, reacting sternly to the North's second nuclear test a day earlier.
27 The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland threatens to
take military action in response to Seoul's participation in the PSI, calling the
move "a war declaration."
(END)