Park Chung Shin, left, and Rhe Chang San VIDEO CNN's Mike Chinoy reports on the bitter relationship between Japan and North Korea (August 11) Windows Media 28K 80K South Korean soccer team gets warm welcome in North Korea. CNN's Mike Chinoy reports (August 11) Windows Media 28K 80K MESSAGE BOARD: North Korea: new beginning?  ALSO:

August 11, 1999
Web posted at: 10:21 p.m. EDT (0221 GMT)

From Correspondent Mike Chinoy

PYONGYANG, North Korea (CNN) -- Rhe Chung San and Park Chung Shin are North Korea's latest weapons in an increasingly bitter war of words with Japan. The women say they were used as sex slaves by Japanese troops during World War II, and they are still bitter.

"I want to purge the country of Japan from the face of the Earth," Park says.

"I want to dismember (the Japanese), to turn them into dust," adds Rhe.

A statement by North Korea's Foreign Ministry echoed that bitterness this week, demanding that Japan apologize and pay compensation for World War II atrocities or face unspecified, but serious, consequences.

The harsh rhetoric comes as Japan, the United States and South Korea are expressing grave concerns over reports of possible missile tests by North Korea this year.

North Korea's first such launch, one year ago, sent shock waves throughout Asia and beyond.

Western intelligence reports of North Korean preparations for a new, more powerful rocket -- capable of reaching the United States -- has produced greater anxiety and warnings of serious consequences if a test launch is carried out.

The Japanese government has been especially vocal, threatening to cut off aid to North Korea.

Reminding the world of Japanese cruelty during World War II is the defiant North Korean response.

Despite the strife and tension, North Korea is continuing a gradual process of opening itself to the outside world. Spurred by its dire economic situation, the communist country has recently welcomed thousands of South Korean tourists and their cash. This week, it is hosting a South Korean soccer team.

The government of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is also considering an American proposal for closer relations in return for a more restrained military posture.

North Korea's current state is, by any standard, a complex, confusing and ambiguous situation full of promise -- and more than a little peril.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.