This is an archive of the former website of the Maoist Internationalist Movement, which was run by the now defunct Maoist Internationalist Party - Amerika. The MIM now consists of many independent cells, many of which have their own indendendent organs both online and off. MIM(Prisons) serves these documents as a service to and reference for the anti-imperialist movement worldwide.
Maoist Internationalist Movement

U.$. relationship to Korea in flux

July 26 2007

U.S. State Department official Christopher Hill says that more progress is possible in U.$. imperialist negotiations with northern Korea this year.

"Hill said there are three main issues to be settled in what he called 'phase two' of the process: the parameters of a complete North Korean declaration of its nuclear program, the means by which Yongbyon will be permanently disabled and the details of how the U.S. will fulfill its commitment to supply North Korea with 950,000 tons of fuel oil or its equivalent."(1)
Russia, Japan, northern and southern Korea, the united $tates and China hold what are called "six-party talks" regarding Korea, which has not had a full peace treaty since the Korean War of 1950-3.

The U.$. imperialists are saying that if northern Korea gives up its nuclear weapons, it will normalize diplomatic relations with northern Korea. That sounds like a losing proposition. MIM would guess that reunification of Korea would happen first. In the meantime, the imperialists hope to stop northern Korea from making more nuclear weapons.

Also in the news, Christopher Hill became an errand boy for Iran issues. It turns out that the controversy over the Macau bank funds stemmed in part from the Bush administration's desire to find out how tight its banking control internationally really is. Putin and Bush discussed the matter, according to the New York Times.(2) Hence, Korea is a high priority for Bush right now, but not as high as Iran.

Under Clinton there was ongoing energy support to northern Korea in exchange for a cessation of nuclear activities. The united $tates has not committed to that yet, but there appear to be signals that the Clinton deal could be reached and surpassed.

Also on the plus side, the Bush administration has dropped any hint of food as a weapon in the Korea issue. Hopefully this will serve as a precedent for future activity and trade among Koreans will continue to expand.

Lastly, northern Korea is waiting to be taken off the list of "terrorism-sponsoring" countries.(3)

To MIM, the most significant demand regards the U.$. occupation troops. The northern Korean patriotic government reported the issue this way:

"Reunification movement organizations of south Korea including the Solidarity for Implementing the South-North Joint Declaration reportedly held a ceremony of declaration of the 'movement for all-out mass struggle for withdrawal of the U.S. forces' in Seoul on July 20.

"Speakers at the ceremony referred to the realization of the 'strategic flexibility' of the U.S. forces in south Korea and the 'transfer of the right to command wartime operations' and so on. Lurking behind those moves is the U.S. intention to keep its forces in south Korea even after the establishment of peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula, they said.

"Then a resolution was read out, which said that the main slogan of the anti-U.S. struggle at present is the withdrawal of the U.S. forces. It went on to say: If all the people fail to turn out in the struggle, it will allow the U.S. new crafty strategy of domination to come true and the disgraceful history of the U.S. forces' presence to last till posterity. Noting that the imperialists' nature of aggression will not change until they perish, it called upon the people to wage all-out mass struggle for the withdrawal of the U.S. forces to put an end to the history of colony and open up a new era of independence, democracy and reunification.

"It declared that the organizations will conduct extensive information activities through distribution of copies of literature, Internet and signature campaign and so on."(4)

With Ward Churchill fired by the University of Colorado on July 24, it is appropriate that on July 19, the northern Korean patriots reported: "The U.S. was built on the heaps of the dead bodies of Indians as they fell victim to the war of genocide waged to exterminate them." (5)

Notes:
1. Ken Fireman, "Hill Says Next Phase on North Korea Can Be Done by Year's End,"
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=af0Ko5u0c_MM&refer=japan
2. By STEVEN R. WEISMAN, "The Ripples Of Punishing One Bank," New York Times,
03Jul07, Final, Section C, Page 1.
3. http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/jul/20/north_korea_nuclear_talks_end_commitment_no_deadline.html
4. http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm
5. http://www.kcna.co.jp/calendar-e/frame.htm