DEPUTY MINISTER FOR POLICY PLANNING ON UNIFIL,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 002886 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2016 TAGS: KN KS MARR MNUC PARM PREL UNGA LE SUBJECT: DEPUTY MINISTER FOR POLICY PLANNING ON UNIFIL, UNSCR 1695 AND THE RACE FOR UNSYG Classified By: CDA BILL STANTON. REASONS: 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: During the Charge's August 22 courtesy call on Park In-kook, MOFAT Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and Public Affairs, DM Park commented on three pending UN issues. He said minimal ROK participation to date in UN peacekeeping was an argument spurring positive ROKG consideration of contributing troops to UNIFIL. He reported that the ROKG had completed an interagency review of its compliance with UNSCR 1695 and concluded that several export control loopholes needed to be closed. He also informed the Charge that in response to 1695, the ROK planned to increase the scrutiny of its customs officials and apply greater vigilance over third country technology transfers. DM Park commented that the results of the last straw poll to choose the next UN Secretary General had exceeded the ROK's expectations, but that U.S. support was essential to Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon's bid for the job. END SUMMARY. UNIFIL -------------- ¶2. (C) Deputy Minister Park said the general mood within the ROKG was "very positive" toward contributing to the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, but cautioned that South Korean press reports had inaccurately reported that the ROK had already made up its mind. Park explained that the request from the United Nations had been transmitted to the ROK Ministry of National Defense (MND),and that MND was now conducting its own internal assessment. When that was finished, MND would make a proposal to the ROK interagency process for approval by the National Assembly. In the meantime, the ROK was closely watching the debate over UNIFIL's rules of engagement, and the contributions of other countries, Park disclosed. "I will do my best to expedite a decision," he promised, adding that since Koreans currently accounted for only 30 of 75,000 UN PKO troops around the world. It was, in his opinion, "high time the ROK did something to increase its contribution" to UN PKO efforts. Park stated that this argument of his had proven effective within the ROKG. UNSCR 1695 -------------- ¶3. (C) Turning to implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1695 -- demanding North Korea suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programs and reestablish its commitments to a moratorium on missile launches -- Park said the ROK had convened an interagency group that looked into the matter. The group concluded that no new actions were needed for the ROKG to comply with the resolution, Park explained. He added, however, that their review of the issue had uncovered "possible loopholes" the DPRK might try to exploit in the future. The South Korean government would therefore now focus its energy on closing those loopholes. The ROK also planned to increase the scrutiny of its customs officials and apply greater vigilance over third country technology transfers, Park noted, stressing that end user countries that had yet to join the multilateral export control regime would be coming under particularly careful scrutiny. Regarding UNSCR 1695's call for all member states to be alert to the possibility that DPRK entities might seek the assistance of financial institutions to support North Korea's missile and WMD programs, Park claimed that no special action was required by the ROK, as his government had detected no suspect activities by the DPRK entities of concern. UNSYG Race -------------- ¶4. (C) Asked by the Charge about the status of the campaign by Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon to become the next UN Secretary General, DM Park commented that the results of the SIPDIS last straw poll had "exceeded the ROKG's expectations." He called the upcoming poll in September a watershed event in the process, and firmly stated that South Korea needed the "unswerving support" of the U.S. Government, "for that is a prerequisite for our final success." STANTON