FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER HAN SUNG-JOO'S OCTOBER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 003655

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/24/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV MNUC KS KN
SUBJECT: FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER HAN SUNG-JOO'S OCTOBER
17-21 VISIT TO PYONGYANG

Classified By: POL M/C Joseph Y. Yun. Reasons 1.4 (b),(d).

SUMMARY
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1. (C) On October 24, POL M/C met with Han Sung-joo, Korea
University Professor and former ROK Ambassador to the United
States (2003-2004) and Foreign Minister (1993-1994),to
discuss his October 17-21 visit to North Korea as part of a
21-person ROK delegation to attend an exhibition honoring
former ROK composer Yun Isang. In a private capacity, Han
met with Lee Jong-hyuk, head of the Asia-Pacific Peace
Committee (equivalent to the ROK Ministry of Unification) and
discussed the North Korean nuclear issue. Lee claimed that
(1) the DPRK conducted its nuclear test to demonstrate its
nuclear technological capability, (2) its ultimate goal was
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and (3) resolution
of the nuclear issue depended on the U.S. attitude. Lee also
held separate meetings with Park Jae-kyu, former ROK
Unification Minister (2000-2001),who was visiting as head of
the Yun Isang Foundation in Seoul. According to Han, Park
went to North Korea with instructions from Unification
Minister Lee Jong-seok. Han would not speculate on what MOU
Lee might have passed to the North via Park--who attended the
inter-Korean summit in 2000 as Unification Minister--but
noted that Lee stressed to him that the nuclear issue could
not be resolved by a North-South summit. END SUMMARY.
.
READOUT ON MEETING WITH APPC HEAD LEE JONG-HYUK
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2. (C) In an October 24 meeting with POL M/C, Korea
University Professor Han Sung-joo described his October 17-21
visit to North Korea where he met with Lee Jong-hyuk, head of
the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, which is equivalent to the
South Korean Ministry of Unification (MOU). Han explained
that he traveled to North Korea as part of a 21-member South
Korean delegation to attend an annual exhibition honoring the
composer Yun Isang (1917-1995). (NOTE: According to press
reports, Yun was born in South Korea but spent most of his
life in Germany. Yun visited the DPRK in the 1960s, was
arrested as a communist spy by the ROK, and was later
released. The DPRK has held annual commemorations for Yun
over the past two decades. END NOTE.)


3. (C) Although 40 other ROK musicians and academics
canceled their participation in the event following the
October 9 nuclear test, Han chose to take advantage of his
first opportunity to visit North Korea since 1985. For a
time he was barred from entering North Korea because his
articles were deemed too critical of the DPRK, he noted. He
wanted to use this occasion to meet DPRK officials to get a
better sense of their current perspectives on the nuclear
issue. (NOTE: Han Sung-joo served as ROK Foreign Minister
during the 1993-1994 nuclear standoff with North Korea under
then President Kim Young-sam. Han later served as President
Roh Moo-hyun's Ambassador to the United States 2003-2004.
END NOTE.)


4. (C) Han said that APPC Head Lee Jong-hyuk emphasized that
the DPRK sought the peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue
and its ultimate goal was denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula. Lee claimed that the DPRK conducted the nuclear
explosion to check its technological capabilities and to
demonstrate that North Korea possessed a weapon. The North
had withstood U.S. sanctions for fifty years and would
weather any additional sanctions. That said, from the
North's viewpoint the Banco Delta Asia issue was only the tip
of the iceberg in terms of possible "sanctions" faced by
North Korea. Han asked why the North was unwilling to
discuss issues of concern like financial issues within the
Six Party Talks. Lee replied that there was too much
mistrust between the DPRK and United States, so the United
States needed to directly show through its action (haengdong)
that it could be trusted.


5. (C) Han also discussed Lee's perceptions of DPRK foreign
relations. Lee opined that Secretary Rice had been somewhat
less hostile and more forthcoming during her mid-October
visit to Asia, which was encouraging for the DPRK. Lee
admitted that the DPRK relationship with China was "tight" at
the moment, but thought it would improve in due course. The
relationship with Russia had not changed very much and there
were few problems. Turning to South Korea, Lee insisted that
the nuclear issue could not be resolved by North-South
meetings or a summit. The Koreas would have to wait until
progress was made between the DPRK and the United States, Lee
said.
.
SPECULATION ON ROKG MESSAGE FOR LEE JONG-HYUK
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6. (C) Professor Han also mentioned that APPC head Lee
Jong-hyuk held separate talks with Park Jae-kyu, who was
Unification Minister from 2000-2001 and attended the June
2000 summit between then President Kim Dae-jung and North
Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Park was visiting North Korea as
head of the Yun Isang Foundation in Seoul, but, according to
Han, Park also carried instructions from Unification Minister
Lee Jong-seok. Han said he did not know what message MOU Lee
might have passed to the North via former MOU Park. Instead,
Han reiterated his sense that either Lee Jong-hyuk was
intentionally misleading him to build cover for the Park-Lee
meeting or the North was not interested in an inter-Korean
summit at this time. Han reiterated that Lee said the
nuclear issue could not be resolved by inter-Korean meetings.
Han opined that his North Korean interlocutors asked
questions suggesting that they, too, were skeptical that Roh
was someone who could "deliver" on promises, suggesting to
Han that the North would be reluctant to hold a summit at
this point.


7. (C) According to Han, Lee stated that he returned early
from a four-country trip to Europe after stops in Germany and
Belgium in order to be able to meet with members of the
visiting ROK delegation. Han surmised that either Lee
received an especially cold welcome from the Europeans and
cut short an unproductive trip, or he wanted to return to
receive Park Jae-kyu and a message from MOU Lee Jong-seok.
.
LEE JONG-HYUK
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8. (C) Professor Han characterized Lee Jong-hyuk as an
influential person in the DPRK leadership. Lee was
technically the vice-chairman of the Asia-Pacific Peace
Committee, but since the post of chairman had remained vacant
since the death of Kim Yong-sun in 2003 Lee was the point-man
on inter-Korean relations. Han theorized that one could
decipher an official's level of influence in the DPRK by
looking at the emphasis the person placed on regurgitating
rhetoric on Kim Jong-il; the higher the person, the less he
needed to stick to the script. At the beginning of their
meeting, Han asked Lee to skip the linguistic acrobatics so
they could get to the heart of the matter. Lee, who was born
in 1936, readily accepted the suggestion and cut to the chase.
VERSHBOW