China to develop a Chinese industrial complex on two North Korean islands in the Yalu river; South Korean President pledges to continue making since and consistent efforts to bring peace with North Korea; North Korea test launches short-range missile nea
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    • China is to develop a Chinese industrial complex on two North Korean islands in the Yalu river- Hwanggumpyong and Wihwa- over the next fifty years. The area of the two islands is to be transformed into a bonded area where customs and duties will be exempted. It could facilitate the creation of a free-trade district on this border area between the two countries. The industrial complex is to house IT related companies and food and clothing factories. The move for the project is believed to be North Korea’s apparent strategy to become a ‘great powerful nation’ by next year. This project, after the Kaesong industrial complex project executed between the two Koreas in 2004, is the first such venture between China and North Korea.1

    In a Memorial Day speech at Seoul, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak urged North Korea “break away from the path of confrontation and conflict and come out to the path of peace and prosperity”. At the same time, he also reiterated that Seoul would continue to make sincere and consistent efforts to improve bilateral relationship between the two neighbouring countries.2 In the meantime, in response to Pyongyang’s recent strategy to bypass South Korea to directly negotiate with China and the US, Seoul is also expected to hold high level meetings with the two superpowers on the issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Wi- Sung-lac, South Korea’s chief envoy to the six-party talks was scheduled to visit China by the end of the week to meet Wu Dawei, China’s special representative for the Korean Affairs. Wi was to meet Kurt Campbell, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs later on to discuss the issue of food aid by the US to North Korea. The recent strategy adopted by both the Koreas seems to reaffirm that an improvement in their bilateral relationship is necessary to resume the six-party talks.3

    North Korea has reportedly test launched a KN-06 short-range missile off its west coast in the middle of last week, according to an intelligence source. The launch, seen as a test to improve the missile, coincided with recent series of threats by Pyongyang against Seoul. Last week, the North threatened to cut off a military hotline with the South and to stop its engagement with the latter.4

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