(S) ROKG INVESTIGATION RESULTS: THAILAND TO IRAN

S E C R E T SEOUL 001182 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2018 TAGS: KNNP PARM PREL MNUC TH KS TC XB XC XE SUBJECT: (S) ROKG INVESTIGATION RESULTS: THAILAND TO IRAN ANHYDROUS HYDROGEN FLOURIDE SHIPMENT POSSIBLY ORIGINATED IN PRC REF: STATE 47627 Classified By: A/POL Brian D. McFeeters, Reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (S) On June 12, in response to reftel demarche, Kim Jae-woo, Deputy Director, Disarmament and Nonproliferation Division, ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade informed poloff that the ROK played no role in the shipment of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) from Thailand to Iran According to the ROKG investigation of the matter, the Chinese subsidiary of the ROK company Foo Sung Corporation transported the AHF from China to Thailand. The AHF did not originate in South Korea, Kim emphasized, but most likely in China. Kim said that in the China-to-Thailand shipment, the end-user for the AHF was the Thai company Waris Unitraty Co., which had submitted an end-use certificate stating that the AHF would be used in Thailand. Kim said that the ROK company played no role in the re-export of the AHF from Thailand to the UAE and the ROKG could not accept the seized AHF from the UAE. ¶2. (S) Kim mentioned that Lee Jang-kuen, his Division Director, reported the same results of the ROKG investigation to the UAE Ambassador to Korea on June 10. In that meeting, Lee urged the UAE to pursue the matter directly with the Government of Thailand, Kim said. Kim reaffirmed the ROKG commitment to enforcing UNSCR 1737 nonproliferation measures vis-a-vis Iran. To that end, Kim called for continued U.S.-ROK cooperation and requested that the USG share the results of its discussions with the Government of Thailand regarding the re-export to Iran and final disposition of the AHF. VERSHBOW