INVITATION TO SEPTEMBER 27-29 DPRK WATCHERS'

UNCLAS SEOUL 002059 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PREF ETRD KN SUBJECT: INVITATION TO SEPTEMBER 27-29 DPRK WATCHERS' CONFERENCE ¶1. (U) Embassy Seoul is pleased to sponsor its 2006 DPRK Watchers, Conference September 27-29 and invites participation from your Posts. As in the past, our aim is to bring together political and economic reporting officers from Posts who cover DPRK issues, as well as Washington-based Desk officers and analysts, to engage in substantive discussions regarding the North's political and economic situation. In addition to U.S.-only sessions, we will hold exchanges with North Korea experts from the ROK government, academic, and NGO communities. We anticipate a highly informative conference that we hope will also foster greater collaboration among USG DPRK watchers, a broader understanding of ROK perspectives toward the DPRK, and common and mutually supportive reporting goals for the coming year. ¶2. (U) Conference sessions will address issues such as economic change, regime stability, the humanitarian situation, and the DPRK's foreign policy goals. We plan to meet with officials from the ROK NSC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Ministry of Unification to discuss the ROK perspective toward the DPRK. ¶3. (U) Please let us know at your earliest convenience if your Post is interested in sending one or more participants to this "no host" event. POC for the Watchers, Conference is Poloff Andrew Bennett at bennettao@state.gov. VERSHBOW