NORTH KOREAN DG FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS VISITS CZECH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000401 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/NCE, EAP/K AND EAP/CM E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV EZ KN SUBJECT: NORTH KOREAN DG FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS VISITS CZECH REPUBLIC REF: PRAGUE 104 Classified By: Political Economic Counselor Mike Dodman for reasons 1.4 b+d ¶1. (SBU) On April 12, Political Economic Counselor met with Jan Fury, Director of the Asian and Pacific Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to discuss the recent visit of Mr. Kim Chun Guk, DPRK MFA Director General for European Affairs. Kim visited Prague on April 3 after attending a conference on the Korean Peninsula in Italy. ¶2. (C) Overall, Fury described the visit as productive and pleasant. He informed Polcouns that after their formal consultations both attended an evening reception honoring the opening of new North Korean diplomatic housing in Prague. Fury stated that Kim also traveled to Hungary and Slovakia and noted that Kim had visited Prague around this same time last year. (Note: The North Koreans do not have Embassies in Bratislava and Budapest and the DPRK Embassy in Prague also serves Slovakia. End Note.) DPRK - U.S. Relations -------------- ¶3. (C) Fury commented that Kim had pointedly asked him to pass a message to the Embassy that the United States can trust the DPRK. Kim told Fury that if the United States was prepared to move ahead with DPRK relations that the U.S. could replace China in its list of DPRK priorities. Kim asserted that the North Koreans aren't interested in opening ties up further with China. Fury said that Kim complained about Japan's hard-line in dealing with the North Koreans and that the DPRK remains focused on inter-Korean ties. Kim informed Fury that Kaesong is going quite well and that 10,000 North Koreans and 600 South Koreans work together in Kaesong. Kim also reportedly told Fury that the U.S. is welcome to participate in Kaesong and asserted that the DPRK had conducted $1.38 billion in trade with South Korea last year. Bilateral Human Rights Dialogue and Czech Aid -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Fury noted that the Kim stated that the DPRK is now ready to open a Human Rights Dialogue with the Czechs, which they had earlier declined to do. Fury said that there is no timeline for beginning the dialogue but stated that he was surprised by the decision given the fact that the subject had previously been taboo. Fury said that Kim pushed hard for increased cooperation and asked the Czechs to send aid to North Korea in the form of apple trees (Reftel). Fury said that the North Koreans had given the Czech Ambassador in Pyongyang access to the sites where the trees were to be planted and affirmed that the decision on whether to send the trees is still pending. Kim also asked the Czechs to provide assistance to rehabilitate North Korean industrial plants begun during bilateral cooperation under communism. Kim promised to submit a list of the projects to the Czech Embassy in Pyongyang (the Czechs have not decided how to respond to this request). The Czechs also promised to pay the expenses for five economic experts to visit Prague later this year. North Koreans Want Increased Trade and Econ Section -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Kim also asked the Czechs if the North Koreans could create an Economic Section within the DPRK Embassy in Prague in an effort to increase bilateral trade. Fury informed Kim that the Czechs would consider the North Korean request if made formally through diplomatic note. Fury stated that the Czechs have no intention to expand their 3-person Embassy in Pyongyang consisting of their Ambassador, administrative officer and political-economic officer. ¶6. (C) On the issue of North Korean workers in the Czech Republic, Fury stated that the North Korean Ambassador on the margins of the opening of their new diplomatic housing asked unofficially about the Czech non-renewal of the DPRK workers' visas. Fury said the Ambassador didn't push the issue but stated, "If you don't want us here, we can leave." Fury reiterated that the Czech government position -- that no new PRAGUE 00000401 002 OF 002 visas will be issued and no existing work permits will be extended -- had not changed. Missile Defense -------------- ¶7. (C) Fury said that Kim did raise the issue of Czech participation in Missile Defense and simply asked why the Czechs felt that a missile defense system in Europe is necessary. GRABER