ROK BRIEFED ON USG NEXT STEPS ON PROCESSING NORTH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 000772 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2015 TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM KS KN TH SUBJECT: ROK BRIEFED ON USG NEXT STEPS ON PROCESSING NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES REF: A. STATE 37908 ¶B. SEOUL 682 ¶C. STATE 31610 Classified By: POL M/C Joseph Y. Yun. Reasons 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (C) On March 10, poloffs delivered ref a demarche, which discussed Thailand's recent indication it would work with the USG on discreet case-by-case resettlement of North Korean refugees, to Kim Ki-woong, Director of the Inter-Korean Policy Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Director Kim suggested that at the next USG-ROKG bilateral on refugee issues we address travel documentation and custody issues of North Koreans who would be proceeding from Thailand to the United States. For example, would UNHCR, Red Cross, or other officials prepare travel documents for North Koreans accepted for USG resettlement and would RTG officials safeguard those awaiting resettlement? Kim preferred early April for the USG-ROKG bilateral in Seoul because his boss, Director-General Nam Gwan-pyo, would attend the North-South ministerial talks currently set for March 28-31 in Pyongyang. ¶2. (C) Director Kim said he expected to deliver the official South Korean response to our ref c proposal to process refugees in Thailand, Mongolia, or Russia next week after the return of senior ROKG officials from trips abroad. VERSHBOW