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AROUND THE WORLD 1: South Korea Worries About Spies

On Tuesday, a hole was discovered in the fence on the southern side of the demilitarized zone between South Korea and North Korea. South Korean military officers discovered the cut in the fence and are trying to determine if it was made by North Korean spies who managed to sneak into the country. Officials also believe is it possible that the 16-inch-by-12-inch hole was cut by North Korean civilians who wanted to defect to South Korea, but it would have been difficult for them to sneak past the guards and mines in the area. After the hole was found near Yeoncheon, a town near the center of the zone, military officers increased the security roadblocks between the demilitarized zone and Seoul.

Coincidentally, this increased security occurred as U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was visiting the country. He is hoping to resume talks between six nations concerning the nuclear weapons program in North Korea. The six nations are the United States, North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, and Russia, with the United States leading the attempt to convince North Korea to disarm its nuclear weapons and restrict its program. Since China is the closest ally to North Korea, the U.S. is also hoping that the large nation will help put pressure on North Korea.

Powell stopped by Japan and China before arriving in South Korea. During his trip, he labeled North Korea a "terrorist state" and claimed that the communist country lacked respect for human rights. Shortly after, North Korea accused the U.S. of committing a "hostile act," in reference to a U.S.-led naval exercise involving several nations that will take place this week. The naval practices are designed to stop the smuggling of high technology weapons by sea.

In addition, President Bush signed a human rights law that North Korea also labeled as hostile. The law suggests that North Korea allow a few basic human rights such as freedom of speech and religion, and accept a human rights monitor. The law states that if the country doesn't allow these human rights, the U.S. would provide only humanitarian assistance to North Korea.

--Written by Renee Clara

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