KOREA MOVING SLOWLY TO RATIFY UNESCO CULTURAL

UNCLAS SEOUL 000502 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/UNESCO - NOVO, IO/PPC - WILBUR STATE ALSO FOR EB/TPP/MTA - CHASON AND EAP/K PASS USTR FOR CUTLER AND KI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD SCUL UNESCO KS SUBJECT: KOREA MOVING SLOWLY TO RATIFY UNESCO CULTURAL DIVERSITY CONVENTION: SOME MINISTRIES OPPOSE PACT REF: STATE 19851 ¶1. (SBU) According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT),Korea has not yet initiated domestic procedures for ratifying the UNESCO Cultural Diversity Convention, despite having signed the agreement. ¶2. (SBU) Kim Eun-jeong, Deputy Director of MOFAT's Cultural Cooperation Division, told Econoff February 14 that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is pressing to begin the interagency process necessary for the ROKG to submit the Convention to the National Assembly for approval. However, she said that the procedure is being slowed because "several ministries" (which she did not name) oppose the agreement and do not wish Korea to ratify it. She added that a meeting of related ministers must be convened to approve initiating the ratification process; although the meeting is not yet scheduled, she expected it to happen "soon." Kim also noted that the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MOFE) would take charge of the process, and of implementing the agreement should it be ratified, despite the Culture and Tourism Ministry being the nominal lead agency up to this point. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: In response to reftel, Post firmly believes that an anti-Convention public diplomacy campaign in Korea would be very counterproductive. There is a vocal segment of the Korean political and cultural class that avidly supports the agreement and sees it as a bulwark for opposing the government's recent decision to halve the quota for the mandatory screening of domestic movies. We note that there is already a rear-guard action underway by some ministries to delay or kill Korea's ratification. These agencies are undoubtedly using the current lull in public and media attention concerning the Convention (aside from pro-Convention stalwarts) to defend Korea's trade interests in a quiet fashion. An active public campaign against the agreement would inevitably paint any ministry that opposes the agreement as simply kow-towing to U.S. pressure, thus undermining its ability to effectively work against ratification. VERSHBOW