From Arraignment to Entertainment, Koreas on Display
at the UN and in Spy Case
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at
the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS, July 19 -- The Koreas beat
at the UN becomes more interesting by the day. Thursday a Mr. Park Il-woo was
arrested by
the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, charged with spying on North Korea for
South Korea without properly registering with the U.S. Attorney General as an
agent of a foreign power. Click
here
for that story.
UN sources say that Park Il-woo was quite
close with the highest members of the North Korean mission to the UN. While
these ties can be portrayed as a mere cover in order to spy on North Korea, the
deeper theory has it that Park Il-woo because a double agent, reporting to the
North Korean mission on many things South Korean. That would explain the
intervention of the U.S. FBI (which would not, presumably, have much of a
problem with someone spying on North Korea for a U.S. ally like South Korea).
Meanwhile, also on Thursday,
Japan's Deputy Permanent Representative Shinyo briefed correspondents on North
Korea's letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, demanding UN action on
Japan's closure of
General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, a/k/a Chongryon. Click
here for a DPA story,
and
here
for
one by Xinhua,
whose offices a North Korean diplomat visits during the time frame. Ban Ki-moon
has yet to comment on his views and actions on North Korean Ambassador
Pak Gil Yon's letter.
Team
Ban in Lebanon per UN Photo
In yet
another event on Thursday, an exhibition of Korean crafts opened in the UN
Visitors' lobby, with talks by the Secretary-General's wife, the South Korean
Ambassador and UN Under Secretary General for Public Information Kiyo Akasaka.
Mr. Akasaka praised the fan dance, and later there was a demonstration of wood
carving and of drumming. South Korea's Ambassador spoke of ships and cars and
flat-screen TVs, saying that his country is in the top five in producing all of
these.
From arraignment to
entertainment, this is an ongoing Korean beat.
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UN Office: S-453A,
UN, NY 10017 USA Tel: 212-963-1439
Reporter's mobile
(and weekends): 718-716-3540
