Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SEOUL3767
2006-11-01 11:08:00
SECRET
Embassy Seoul
Cable title:  

ROK OFFERS TO EXPAND PSI PARTICIPATION, WITHOUT

Tags:  PARM PREL MNUC KS KN 
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VZCZCXYZ0009
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #3767/01 3051108
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 011108Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1081
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 1449
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 7587
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1541
S E C R E T SEOUL 003767 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PLEASE PASS TO EAP F/O, T AND ISN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2016
TAGS: PARM PREL MNUC KS KN
SUBJECT: ROK OFFERS TO EXPAND PSI PARTICIPATION, WITHOUT
ENDORSING PSI

Classified By: AMBASSADOR ALEXANDER R. VERSHBOW. REASON: 1.4 (b/d).

SUMMARY
--------

S E C R E T SEOUL 003767

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

PLEASE PASS TO EAP F/O, T AND ISN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2016
TAGS: PARM PREL MNUC KS KN
SUBJECT: ROK OFFERS TO EXPAND PSI PARTICIPATION, WITHOUT
ENDORSING PSI

Classified By: AMBASSADOR ALEXANDER R. VERSHBOW. REASON: 1.4 (b/d).

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


1. (S) On November 1, Park Sun-won, Secretary to the
President for National Security Strategy, outlined for the
DCM a new ROK proposal for its participation in PSI. He said
the South Korean Government would soon announce three
responses to the October 9 North Korean nuclear weapons test:
1) Measures the ROK government will take consistent with
UNSCR 1718; 2) Unilateral ROKG punitive measures; and 3)
Expanded ROK participation in PSI. Park did not elaborate on
the first two, but said that after three weeks of heated
political debate, the ROK proposed to increase ROK
participation in PSI. The key line of its announcement would
read: "The Korean government will continue to expand its
scope of participation in PSI through information exchange,
asset contribution, and participation in related meetings."
Park made it clear his proposal was designed to increase ROK
participation in PSI without provoking a military clash with
the North or arousing a domestic outcry. Because of those
concerns, Park said the ROKG had decided it would not endorse
the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles, but indicated
the ROK was willing to work closely with the United States
and others to share intelligence, more closely monitor its
own ports, and support the interdiction of any North Korean
vessels transporting WMD, provided the interdiction took
place outside of Korean territorial waters.


2. (S) In a follow-on conversation with the Ambassador,
National Security Advisor Song Min-soon underscored that
endorsing the PSI principles was a bridge too far at this
point since it was equated to ROK involvement in maritime
interdiction in the public debate. But the ROK would fully
participate in all PSI activities, Song added. The
Ambassador pushed back, saying "full participation" in PSI
was only for countries that endorsed the principles, and
urged Song to keep working the issue.

ROKG Preparing Response to DPRK Nuclear Test

--------------


3. (S) On November 1, 2006, the DCM and POL-MIL Chief met
with Secretary to the President for National Security
Strategy Dr. Park Sun-won (at Park's request) to receive a
preview of the South Korean Government's soon-to-be announced
policy on participation in the Proliferation Security
Initiative (PSI). Park began by expressing appreciation for
the U.S. Government's decision to go forward with the October
31 meeting in Beijing among EAP Assistant Secretary Hill, his
North Korean counterpart Kim Gye-gwan, and Chinese VFM Wu
Dawei.


4. (S) Dr. Park stated that the South Korean Government
would soon announce the measures it will take in response to
the North Korean nuclear weapons test of October 9. There
would be three parts to that announcement, he said:

-- Measures the ROK government will take consistent with
UNSCR 1718;
-- Unilateral punitive measures the ROK government will take;
and
-- Expanded ROK participation in PSI.

Park did not elaborate on what the first two announcements
would entail, but instead turned his attention to explaining
the new ROK proposal on PSI.

Heated Political Debate
--------------


5. (S) Dr. Park noted that intense inter-agency discussions
had been taking place during the past three weeks within the
ROKG over whether, and how, to increase South Korea's support
for, and participation in, PSI. He said that ruling Uri
Party leaders had intervened in that discussion in ways that
were "not helpful, but were necessary" for the government to
gain their understanding. There were "many voices" on the
issue; some believed full participation in PSI was the best
option, others were more cautious, but even they viewed PSI
as a legitimate activity and believed the ROK had to play a
more important role in the nonproliferation efforts of the
international community, Park explained. He went on to
describe various reasons why the ROK was taking a cautious
approach toward PSI. North-South relations were tricky and
the Korean Peninsula was a volatile place, with the potential
for military clashes along the DMZ, Military Demarcation

Line, as well as within disputed maritime boundaries, Park
elaborated. He cited North-South clashes at sea in 1999 and
2002 as examples. Please understand, Park pleaded, that
South Korea was not capitulating to the North, but had to
consider carefully what the DPRK's reaction might be to any
actions they took, adding that South Korea is still
technically in a state of war with the North.

Expanded Support For PSI
--------------


6. (S) Dr. Park told the DCM he had prepared an announcement
of increased ROK participation in PSI, stressing that it was
only a preliminary draft, but that he had discussed its
content with National Security Advisor, and Foreign
Minister-designate, Song Min-soon. He said he was unable to
hand over the one page draft, but then read it to the DCM.
It began by emphasizing the ROK's commitment to halt the
proliferation of WMD, and went on to say the ROKG was
actively taking part in various multilateral nonproliferation
regimes, including NPT, MTCR, and Wassenaar. The ROK
likewise supported PSI's objectives and had taken part as an
observer in PSI exercises, Park continued. (NOTE: Most
recently, the ROK sent a three-person observer team to the
October 29-31 LEADING EDGE exercise in the Persian Gulf. END
NOTE). As a result, the ROK believed it was already
"participating" in PSI, Park asserted.


7. (S) Continuing, Dr. Park said that President Roh put the
highest value on stopping "vertical proliferation" through
denuclearization of the DPRK via the Six-Party Talks, as well
as supporting the global effort to prevent "horizontal
proliferation" of WMD through the use of PSI. Therefore,
Park read, "The Korean government will continue to expand its
scope of participation in PSI through information exchange,
asset contribution, and participation in related meetings."
He added that "Furthermore, the ROKG is already conducting
thorough inspections to restrict the flow of terror-related
weapons into and out of its ports, and will continue to
strengthen such efforts."


8. (S) Making it clear his proposal was an attempt to
increase ROK participation in PSI without causing a military
clash with the North, or domestic criticism, Park explained
that he had carefully examined how to "compromise between
South Korea's firm commitment to halt proliferation of WMD
and the particularity of the Korean Peninsula and its divided
nation."

But Will Not Endorse Statement of Interdiction Principles
-------------- --------------


9. (S) Pressed by the DCM on whether or not the ROK would
also endorse the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles,
Park clearly indicated that would not be an element of the
ROK announcement. "Endorse" was a very strong term in the
Korean language," he claimed, because it implied a new legal
obligation. The DCM replied that PSI participants were free
to act within the confines of their own national legal
authorities and international commitments. Park appeared
aware of this point, but indicated that endorsement of PSI
would be seen as going too far in the eyes of key political
players, and his leaders wanted to quell the domestic debate.



10. (S) Pressed further on how the ROK would respond to
various proliferation scenarios, Park said that if credible
intelligence were received that WMD was being shipped to or
from North Korea, the ROKG would share that information with
the United States and would want us to interdict the suspect
vessel, provided it was done outside Korean territorial
waters. What if the ship was passing within your territorial
waters?, the DCM asked. "Then we would ask you to wait a few
hours" (until the DPRK ship reached the high seas),Park
replied.


11. (S) The DCM thanked Dr. Park for sharing his proposal
with the USG. He welcomed ROK willingness to increase the
level of its support for, and involvement in, PSI. He
cautioned, however, that Washington would likely be
disappointed to hear the ROK remained unwilling to endorse
the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles. He stressed
that PSI remained an important international effort involving
77 countries around the world; that PSI made no demands on
the ROK inconsistent with its national authorities and
international commitments; and that by failing to endorse PSI
fully, the ROKG was missing an opportunity to send a signal
to North Korea that it would not tolerate proliferation of

weapons of mass destruction.


12. (S) Evidencing the continuing interagency debate within
the South Korean government, Dr. Park asked us not to share
the content of his draft announcement with the ROK Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and Trade.


13. (S) COMMENT: It is clear the ROK had made an effort to
respond to the Secretary's request to join PSI delivered
during her October visit to Seoul. Given the domestic
political situation, however, the Roh Administration does not
want to go any further than this, at least for now. Of
course Roh's own views have impeded a better understanding of
PSI within Korean society. This is a disappointing outcome,
particularly in light of the effort we made in meeting with
the DPRK in Beijing on October 31. Embassy recommends we
reply to the ROK with dissatisfaction and continue to press
the Blue House to fully endorse PSI. END COMMENT.
VERSHBOW