April 23, 2007: A new head of the North
Korean military was appointed, and several other senior military officials were
replaced. Someone up north isn't happy with the way things are being run.
Meanwhile, South Korea is establishing closer ties with the Chinese military,
and upgrading its technology. North Korean armed forces have stagnated for over
a decade.
April 21, 2007: South Korea agreed to send
400,000 tons of rice north, without conditions. South Korea tried to get the
north to shut down its nuclear reactor, in exchange for the food, but the north
refused. If the food isn't delivered, thousands of North Koreans will die of
starvation. So the south relented. The first shipments will arrive by sea next
month. South Korea apparently believes that, without the rice, the North Korean
government might collapse, causing a catastrophic flood of refugees into South
Korea and China, plus chaos in North Korea.
April 14, 2007: North Korea failed to shut
down a nuclear reactor, as part of a deal that got it a million tons of fuel
oil and $25 million unfrozen from some Chinese bank accounts. North Korea said
nothing, which is consistent with past behavior.
April 12, 2007: The premier of North Korea,
Pak Pong Ju, was removed from office. Pak was a an economic reformer, but it's
not known if he got the boot because he backed economic reforms, or because he
got caught up in a corruption scandal.
