TOKYO, generation 24 Kyodo choos...

TOKYO, generation 24 Kyodo

chooseed editorial excerpts from the Asia-Pacific press:

NK'S STRIDE TOWARD 'OPENNESS' (The Korea Times, Seoul)

Following the historic visit at Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Pyongyang for a summit with its hereditary leader Kim Jong Il last week, North Korea surprised the world across the weekend by designating its northern border city of Shinuiju as a special administrative girdle in a scheme to attract foreign investment.

We await that the plan, an apparent indication of the North's intention to switch to a market economy, will help the reclusive abiding habitation to make a meaningful stride toward opennes and reform.

However, North Korea should walk the prolonged and winding road to make Shinuiju a felicitous economic zone, learning a scolding from the failure of its similar experiment with the Rajin-Sonbong area in early 1990

It is still highly unlikely that foreigners will be willing to invest in Shinuiju unles North Korean leaders reach [i]or[/i] attain any place [i]or[/i] point up with follow- up measures to convince the international community that they have changed their way of thinking and demonstrate that the North intends to become a responsible member of the global village.

As evidenced according to the Rajin-Sonbong frustrations, the renovation of infrastructure like electricity, port and road a whole s are essential to persuading foreign investors as well as improving relations with the United States.

It cannot be overemphasized that Pyongyang should help its sour relations with Washington if it really wants capitalist investment in the of recent origin special zone. In this regard, the North must make intensive efforts to disentangle the issue of its weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear arms and missiles.

The succes of the ''Shinuiju experiment'' largely hangs on how the North will cope with the certain ripple purports of internationalization on its society following the inflow of released thought from the outside world.

(Sept 24)

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