PRESIDENT ROH DRAWS RED-LINE UNDER LIANCOURT ROCKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 001379

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2016
TAGS: PREL PBTS PHSA EFIS MOPS KS JA
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT ROH DRAWS RED-LINE UNDER LIANCOURT ROCKS

REF: SEOUL 1349 NOTAL

Classified By: POL M/C Joseph Y. Yun. Reasons. 14 (b/d).


1. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: Only days after Seoul and Tokyo
announced a diplomatic agreement to end the stand-off over
the Dokdo Islets (known in Japan as "Takeshima") (REFTELS),
President Roh in a strongly worded address to the nation
reasserted ROK sovereignty over the islets and declared that
the ROKG would repel Japan's territorial claims "at any cost
or sacrifice." In an apparent reference to Japan's UNSC
ambitions, he warned that Japan's historical misconduct --
and its refusal to face up to its past -- would not only harm
ROK-Japan relations, but undercut Japan's ability to play a
leading role in the international community. Roh's message
is likely to play well with the home crowd, the overwhelming
majority of whom share Roh's sense that compromise on Dokdo
is unthinkable. Roh's statement would seem to prolong the
chill in ROK-Japanese relations and dampens prospects for
high-level U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral meetings in the near
future. Finally, local perceptions that Washington acted
behind the scenes to restrain Tokyo are feeding expectations
-- and hopes -- that Washington should play a role in
curtailing Japan's "provocations." END SUMMARY AND COMMENT.

ROH: "DOKDO IS OUR LAND"
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2. (U) President Roh April 25 delivered a televised address
to the Korean people declaring that "Dokdo is our land" and
vowing to defend the islets as a symbol of ROK sovereignty.
Using highly charged language, Roh recounted the history of
Japan's aggression against Korea at the start of the 20th
century, claiming that Dokdo was the first part of Korean
territory that Japan had seized in the run-up to annexation
of the entire peninsula. In this context, Roh said, Japan's
attempt to retake Dokdo was tantamount to reasserting its
colonial claim to Korea. Not only was Japan denying the
ROK's complete liberation and independence, "it is also an
act that would justify the war of aggression and massacres
committed by Japan in the past and its 40-year criminal
record of plunder, torture, imprisonment, forced labor, and
even mobilization of comfort women."


3. (U) Turning to the present, Roh roundly criticized
Japan's historical revisionism, stating that the Japanese
government's actions with respect to Yasukuni Shrine and
history textbooks belied its stated intentions regarding the
future of ROK-Japan relations and peace in East Asia. So
long as Japan "beautifies its history of wrongdoing and
asserts its rights on this basis, the friendship between the
ROK and Japan can never be correctly established...No
economic interests and cultural exchanges can overcome this
barrier."


4. (U) Regarding the proximate cause of the latest
confrontation, Roh asserted that given that the boundaries of
the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) remained to be settled,
Japan's registration of Japanese names for sea-beds in the
disputed zone was unjust and provocative. The ROKG would
respond swiftly, clearly, strongly, and directly to the issue
of the sea-bed names and especially to territorial claims to
Dokdo itself. Roh promised to launch a campaign to win over
global public opinion, including that of the Japanese people.
"The ROK will strongly and resolutely respond to physical
provocations...Until the Japanese Government rectifies its
mistakes, the ROK will mobilize all national capabilities and
diplomatic resources to make continuous efforts...This is an
issue that can never be given up or compromised -- no matter
the cost and sacrifice."


5. (SBU) Roh closed by stating that the ROK sought neither a
new apology nor special treatment, but rather actions from
Japan that befit the apologies that Japan had previously
offered and were in accord with universal standards of truth
and conscience. Only by frankly and humbly owning up to its
history could Japan become a mature country and "play a
leading role in the international community."

COMMENT
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6. (C) In announcing that compromise on Dokdo is
unthinkable, Roh has amplified prevailing public opinion. He
has also drawn a red line that will make it make it difficult
for the ROKG to appear to retreat in any way from its current
position. In this sense, we can expect that the ROKG will
move forward with plans to conduct its own hydrographic
surveys, likely in July, in disputed waters and thereafter
submit new Korean names for underwater features to IHO.
Roh's statement reinforces the chill in ROK-Japan relations
such that most analysts believe improvement is not possible
until one of the two protagonists -- Roh or Koizumi --
departs office. The continuing chill diminishes chances of
an expansion in U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation and is
likely to harden the ROKG position on any high-level
trilaterals. Finally, local media have played up perceptions
that Washington acted behind the scenes to restrain Tokyo,
feeding expectations and hopes that Washington play a role in
making Tokyo "see sense." END COMMENT.
VERSHBOW