Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SEOUL1399
2006-04-26 08:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Seoul
Cable title:  

MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION ON APRIL 21-24

Tags:  PREL MNUC EAID KN KS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #1399/01 1160827
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 260827Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7557
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0553
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 7277
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0633
RUEHUM/AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR 1191
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J2 SEOUL KOR
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J5 SEOUL KOR
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA SCJS SEOUL KOR
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 001399 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC FOR CHA

E.O. 12958: DECL: AFTER KOREAN REUNIFICATION
TAGS: PREL MNUC EAID KN KS
SUBJECT: MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION ON APRIL 21-24
INTER-KOREAN MINISTERIAL

REF: SEOUL 1322

Classified By: DCM Mark C. Minton. Reasons 1.4 (b, d).

SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 001399

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NSC FOR CHA

E.O. 12958: DECL: AFTER KOREAN REUNIFICATION
TAGS: PREL MNUC EAID KN KS
SUBJECT: MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION ON APRIL 21-24
INTER-KOREAN MINISTERIAL

REF: SEOUL 1322

Classified By: DCM Mark C. Minton. Reasons 1.4 (b, d).

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) In an April 26 read-out of the April 21-24
inter-Korean ministerial in Pyongyang, Assistant Minister for
Unification Policy and Public Affairs Lee Kwan-sei emphasized
to the DCM the extensive effort Seoul made on persuading the
DPRK to return to the Six Party Talks and to engage the
international community proactively on human rights. The ROK
had long and difficult discussions with the DPRK on the issue
of abductees and POWs and viewed the inclusion of that issue
in the joint press statement as a great success. Lee said
the DPRK had "agreed in principle" to former President Kim
Dae-jung's proposed June visit to the DPRK, with details to
be worked out in working-level meetings. He flatly denied
there was anyQscussion between the two Koreas on the
possibility of a second inter-Korean summit. Lee confirmed
that Seoul agreed to provide Pyongyang 200,000 additional
tons of fertilizer, but denied press reports of any
discussion on rice assistance. Lee also expressed
satisfaction that the ROKG had deflected all of the DPRK's
unhelpful suggestions for inclusion in the joint press
statement. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) The DCM on April 26 received a briefing on the April
21-24 inter-Korean ministerial in Pyongyang from Lee
Kwan-sei, Assistant Minister for Unification Policy and
Public Affairs. Lee, who had traveled to Pyongyang as a
member of the ROK delegation, said the general atmospherics
of the talks were neither confrontational nor awkward, which
was a pleasant surprise given the generally unfavorable
external environment, such as the lack of progress in the Six
Party Talks.

GENERAL AGREEMENT ON ROK'S PROPOSAL FOR PEACE, COOPERATION
-------------- --------------


3. (C) Lee stated that South Korea's primary objective for
this round of talks was to persuade the DPRK to agree on
three basic steps for institutionalizing peace and
cooperation between the two Koreas: resolving the DPRK

nuclear issue; establishing the basis for peace in the Korean
Peninsula by easing military tension and expanding
inter-Korean economic cooperation; and, increasing
cooperation on humanitarian issues. The two sides were able
to reach general agreement -- in principle -- on these steps
per the joint press statement (see full text of the press
statement in para 11).

GREAT DEAL OF TIME DEVOTED TO NUCLEAR ISSUE, HUMAN RIGHTS
-------------- --------------


4. (C) According to Lee, the ROK explained at great length
that it was in the North's national interest to return to the
Six Party Talks as soon as possible and engage sincerely with
the other parties on the steps for implementing the September
19 joint statement of principles. The South Koreans also
discussed human rights with their North Korean counterparts,
stressing the importance of addressing the concerns of the
international community and engaging in serious dialogue with
other countries, including the ROK, on improving the
conditions in the DPRK.

"SUCCESSFULLY" INCLUDED ABDQES IN JOINT PRESS STATEMENT
-------------- --------------


5. (C) On the issue of South Korean abductees and POWs, Lee
said the ROK delegation had long, difficult discussions with
the North Koreans on practical steps to determine the welfare
and whereabouts of these individuals. Considering the
difficulty in persuading the DPRK on this issue, the ROKG
regarded the inclusion of an anodyne agreement on this issue
in the joint press statement as a great success, Lee added.

NO NEGATIVE REACTION TO MEGUMI YOKOTA'S ABDUCTEE SPOUSE
-------------- --------------


6. (C) Lee said the ROK had also raised the recent
revelation that Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota's spouse was
Kim Young-nam, a South Korean abductee. Much to the South
Korean delegation's surprise, the DPRK had not reacted
negatively to the ROK's call for Pyongyang to provide more
information on this case. Rather, the North Koreans
responded that relevant authorities were in the process of
investigating the issue. The ROK, therefore, planned to seek
further cooperation from the DPRK on resolving Kim's case.

DJ VISIT, NO MEETING W/KJI, NO TALK OF 2ND SUMMIT
-------------- --------------


7. (C) On the issue of former President Kim Dae-jung's
proposed June visit to the DPRK, Lee reported that the DPRK
had agreed in principle to discuss the agenda, the size of
Kim's delegation and other details of the visit in
working-level discussions to be held "soon." (NOTE: Dr. Park
Chan-bong, Standing Delegate to North-South Dialogue,
Ministry of Unification, told POL M/C in an April 25 meeting
that the ROK "had understood that former President Kim would
visit Pyongyang in June" from its dialogue with the DPRK. He
carefully sidestepped the issue of whether the DPRK had
explicitly agreed to host Kim, however. END NOTE.)


8. (C) Lee reaffirmed that, per earlier preview (reftel),
the ROK did not raise the issue of a second inter-Korean
summit. The DPRK, likewise, did not bring it up. Responding
to the DCM's query, Lee acknowledged press reports that the
ROK delegation had requested that Minister of Unification Lee
Jong-seok be granted an audience with Kim Jong-il. According
to Lee, the DPRK responded that Kim was unavailable because
he was visiting one of the provinces.

AGREEMENT ON FERTILIZER AID, BUT NO DISCUSSION ON RICE
-------------- --------------


9. (C) Responding to the DCM's query, Lee confirmed press
reports that the DPRK had requested 300,000 tons in
fertilizer assistance in addition to the 150,000 tons
supplied by the ROK earlier in the year. The ROK agreed to
provide the North 200,000 more tons but would hold off on the
remaining 100,000 tons pending "internal review." Lee,
however, flatly denied press reports of a DPRK request for
rice assistance, stating that the two sides had not discussed
the issue. (NOTE: In a separate April 26 briefing for the
diplomatic community in Seoul, Nam Gwan-pyo, Director General
for Policy Planning, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
said the ROKG "had made no decision on rice assistance to the
DPRK" in response to a question from the audience. END NOTE.)

DPRK'S MAIN DEMANDS NOT REFLECTED IN STATEMENT
-------------- -


10. (C) Lee noted that the joint press statement did not
contain any of the DPRK's stated demands from its opening
remarks, such as the halt to all U.S.-ROK joint military
exercises, permission from Seoul for South Koreans to pay
respects to Kim Il-sung at memorial sites in the DPRK, and
joint North-South efforts to resolve the longstanding dispute
with Japan over the Dokdo islets. There was also no specific
discussion on the Kaesong Industrial Complex, although the
two Koreas would likely discuss the project in the Economic
Cooperation Promotion Committee meeting in May. According to
Lee, the DPRK showed great interest in the ROK's proposals
for the joint usage of the Han River estuary and projects for
developing North Korea's natural resources. Lee added that
the ROK requested that the DPRK tone down negative remarks
about the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) in its
official rhetoric.


11. (U) The full text of the joint press statement follows
(ROKG translation):

The 18th inter-Korean ministerial was held in Pyongyang on
April 21-24.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to make positive
efforts to elevate bilateral relations to a level befitting
the spirit of the Korean people's unity as well as assess
achievements made following the joint declaration of the June

15 summit. The agreement is as follows:


1. South and North Korea agreed to promote the Korean
people's reconciliation and trust by taking practical
measures to recognize and respect each other's ideology and
system in line with the June 15 (2000) North-South joint
declaration.


2. South and North Korea shared the need to take practical
measures to ease military tension and ensure peace on the
Korean Peninsula and agreed to cooperate in their
implementation.


3. South and North Korea agreed to make positive efforts to
implement the September 19 joint statement of principles in
order to resolve the nuclear issue in a peaceful manner in
ways that benefit the interest and security of the Korean
people, as well as continue to make efforts to realize the
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.


4. South and North Korea agreed to hold a festival in the
South to mark the sixth anniversary of the June 15
North-South joint declaration as part of efforts to promote
the unity of the Korean people in a meaningful way through
the participation of delegations from both Koreas in the
festival.


5. South and North Korea agreed to realize economic
cooperation that can contribute to the Korean people's joint
prosperity.

The two sides agreed to take practical measures of mutual
benefit that can expand investment and cooperation in terms
of region, business type and scale under the firm belief that
inter-Korean economic cooperation is a cooperative business
by the Korean people and for their joint prosperity.

In this regard, the two sides agreed to hold the 12th meeting
of the inter-Korean economic cooperation promotion committee
sometime in May to discuss ways of extracting aggregate in
the estuary of the Han River and jointly developing
resources, as well as implementing trial runs of trains, the
opening of railways and roads across the border and
discussing the Kaesong Industrial Complex and cooperation on
light industry and resources.


6. South and North Korea agreed to cooperate in resolving the
issue of the people unaccounted for during or after the
Korean War in a practical manner.


7. South and North Korea agreed to promote cooperation in
such various projects as prevention of natural disasters,
enhancement of health and preservation of cultural assets.


8. South and North Korea agreed to hold the 19th inter-Korean
ministerial in Busan from July 11-14, 2006.
VERSHBOW