Anju Links for 25 April 2007: The Children of Arirang, Questions About Treasury’s WMD Sanctions, and More Blackmail Boasts from Pyongyang

* Arirang, Child Exploitation Tourism: Haven’t you ever wondered about how such young children are taught such precise choreography, and why those robotic smiles are frozen on their little faces?

The reality of Arirang is different however, according to vivid testimony of the parents whose children participate in the performance. Their children’s eyes are tense after robust mechanical drilling by their director.

The training period for the Arirang is over 6 months. Particularly delicate dancing or movement may require training for a year or more during which students give up studying and their private lives. The performances last from two to four months. As in the army, every participant belongs to a company, battalion and regiment and participates in regular meetings for evaluation and peer criticism.

They train in both dazzling sunshine and snowstorms. Thousands of preschoolers perform choreographed rope-jumping stunts, hand-standing, and hand-walking while singing, “The way for victory with the great general” in unison. They practice a single movement thousands of times.

Five and six year old children emulate military parade walking techniques that require exhausting straight leg kicks to a 60 cm height, toes straight, followed by a floor kick. A day’s training in this technique leaves the children weak and dizzy. [Daily NK]

The Daily NK calls on the U.N. to inspect (like they’re inspecting Yongbyon?). Bad move, I say. Knowing the moral corruption of the U.N., they’d probably invite North Korea to join the infamous ranks of the Human Rights Council.

* Will Treasury Lift Non-Proliferation Sanctions Against North Korean Arms Dealers? The Chosun Ilbo, citing Arirang News, says that “Washington said last Monday that this year North Korean institutions are off its blacklist of suspected arms traders with rogue countries like Iran and Syria.” I’m not sure just what to make of that. The most potent sanctions for WMD proliferation are those under Executive Order 13,382, something we haven’t been nearly aggressive enough about applying. But checking the Web site of the Office of Foreign Asset Control, which administers sanctions programs, multiple North Korean entities are still listed. Ordinarily, OFAC is very good about updating its on-line publications if something changes. Furthermore, anyone can sign up as a subscriber to Treasury’s e-mail alerts, which would likely have announced these rule changes. I didn’t receive any such message. The report doesn’t have sufficient detail for me to even verify if it’s true, but it’s just very hard to see how Washington could de-list North Korean entities so soon after pushing for the passage of two U.N. resolutions that limit North Korea’s arms trade.

* No Pyongyang Spring: The North Koreans held a big military parade yesterday, on which its ballistic missiles were on display for the first time, at least for several years.  If that was meant to be a confidence-building gesture, then I guess we have “Kim Jong” Bill Richardson to thank for it.  There’s no confirmation yet that a Taepodong II was displayed — it’s the one that may be able to hit the United States — but the rhetoric was more proof, if any is still needed, that there has been no fundamental shift in North Korea’s world view:

Earlier in the day, North Korea vowed to strengthen its military power against all odds on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of its army.

“The Korean People’s Army is invincible. We have a mighty war deterrence to safeguard the interests of the country and the safety of the people,” KCNA said.

The Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the ruling Workers’ Party, also stressed that the strengthening of the military should be given top priority no matter how hard the people’s livelihood becomes.

“In order to protect sovereignty and independence it is necessary to counter the military hegemony of the U.S. imperialists by force of arms. This is the truth taught by the historical experience of the Korean revolution and the present times,” it said. [Yonhap]

Nope, no perestroika there (and I have to wonder which juicy morsels Yonhap opted to leave out). On the contrary, North Korea has made its WMD programs a keystone of its domestic propaganda, claiming that only blackmail will end their “march of tribulation.” It’s the old Barrel of a Gun concept again.