-Caveat Lector- Euphorian spotted this on the Guardian Unlimited site and thought you should see it.
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk Drugs and forgery 'sustain North Korean economy' Matthew Engel in Washington Sunday January 19 2003 The Observer The threat from North Korea may be more insidious than the mere possibility of a nuclear attack, it was claimed yesterday. The regime is shoring up what remains of its economy by racketeering, according to US officials quoted in the magazine US News and World Report. They believe North Korea is producing 40 tonnes of opium a year, huge quantities of high-quality amphetamines and millions of dollars worth of "supernotes" - beautifully made counterfeit $100 bills. The magazine says the US has seen videotape of Kim Jong-nam, the son of the dictator Kim Jong-il, using the fake notes at a casino in Macao. The officials say these may be worth almost as much as the legitimate North Korean trade: about $500m a year compared with $650m in official exports. Some say the corruption is leading to a culture of bribery and a loosening of the regime's hold. "The key here is lack of government control," one told the magazine. "Criminal activity may bring about the disintegration of this regime." The report coincides with another round of intense diplomacy. Although a Russian envoy was still in Pyongyang and a special UN envoy had just left, the official news agency was putting out apparently unyielding statements, including a rare comment from Kim Jong-il himself. "No force on earth can break the inexhaustible strength and indomitable will of this great army and people," he was quoted as saying. More specifically, his first vice foreign minister, Kang Sok-ju, called for face-to-face talks with the US: an approach Washington rejects. "The internationalisation of this issue would make the prospect of its settlement more complicated and gloomy," he said. But at a diplomatic reception he welcomed the Russian envoy, Alexander Losyukov, and praised the Russians' good will. Mr Losyukov described their talks so far as "useful". In an interview with South Korean TV the American ambassador to Seoul, Glenn Hubbard, gave a further hint that the US may offer the North a deal. "If they satisfy our concerns about the nuclear programmes, we are prepared to consider a broad approach," he said. "That would entail, in the final analysis, some economic cooperation, perhaps in the power field." Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
