hankyoreh

By Lee Jung-ae　

France plans to establish a permanent office for cultural exchange in Pyongyang some time around September.

A Monday (local time) report in the Internet edition of the French daily Le Monde said the Asia bureau chief at the French Foreign Ministry planned to visit Pyongyang on Tuesday to meet with North Korean officials. France is the only major nation in the European Union that has not established diplomatic relations with North Korea.

The newspaper reported that the official at the new office would be Olivier Vaysset, who previously handled cooperation with the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) at the French Foreign Ministry.

The Le Monde interpreted the decision to set up an office in North Korea amid deteriorating inter-Korean relations due to factors such as North Korea’s artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island as being distinct from similar measures taken from other countries. The paper also indicated that although the office did not represent the establishment of relations between the countries, it would help in strengthening their relationship in the future.

North Korea is also stepping up its cooperation and exchange with foreign press outlets. Reuters reported establishing an agreement Tuesday with North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), with plans to increase exchanges in text articles, photographs, and video.

Reuters reported that it would be the first international press organization to have satellite antennas in full operation in North Korea to provide clear images in a timely manner, and that KCNA would assist Reuters journalists in making regular visits to the country.

Following the September 2006 establishment of a bureau of Japan’s Kyodo News in Pyongyang, the U.S.’s Associated Press (AP) made an agreement with the KCNA in late June to establish a general bureau in the North Korean capital.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]