AMBASSADOR AND FORMER PRESIDENT KIM DAE-JUNG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 002109

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KN KS
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR AND FORMER PRESIDENT KIM DAE-JUNG
DISCUSS NORTH KOREA'S PAST AND FUTURE

Classified By: Amb. Kathleen Stephens. Reasons 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: In an October 22 courtesy call by the
Ambassador, former President Kim Dae-jung said that she had
come to Korea at an important point in the relationship.
Relations were good, but there was still much work to be done
on North Korea. After recounting his meeting with Kim
Jong-il in 2000, Kim praised recent U.S. efforts to engage
the North. The former president said he had no doubt that
North Korea would ultimately surrender its nuclear weapons
after normalizing relations with the United States, offering
his signature optimistic view of North Korea's intentions.
Kim said the reunification of the two Koreas would only be
successful if it came about after economic development and
democratization in the North. Conceding that inter-Korean
relations were currently strained, Kim criticized President
Lee Myung-bak's inconsistency and said it was incumbent upon
the U.S. to decisively communicate the importance of improved
inter-Korean relations to Pyongyang. End Summary.

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Historical Perspective
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2. (C) In his October 22 meeting with the Ambassador, former
President (1998-2003) Kim Dae-jung, accompanied by his wife
Lee Hee-ho, offered his views on North Korea. Kim said that
when he met with Kim Jong-il (KJI) in 2000, he urged KJI to
mend his relations with the United States, counseling that
the U.S. was the only country that could provide a security
guarantee and ensure economic stability for North Korea. Kim
also told his North Korean counterpart not to "play around"
with nuclear weapons and conveyed the likely continued U.S.
troop presence on the Korean Peninsula after reunification.
KJI concurred, noting that, because other countries in the
region had historically threatened Korea, a continued U.S.
troop presence made sense.

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Way Forward
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3. (C) Reminiscing about advice he had given to U.S.
Presidents over the years, Kim said that he had long advised
the U.S. to engage in direct talks with North Korea. In
negotiations with Pyongyang, he said, you have to "give what
you can give and take what you can take." Kim said he was
proud that his friend A/S Hill had served as Ambassador to
Korea and then did a great job with much patience in the
Six-Party Talks.


4. (C) Kim Dae-jung told the Ambassador that he had no doubt
that KJI wanted a better relationship with the U.S. North
Korea could become another China or Vietnam, but first
Pyongyang had to promise to give up its nuclear weapons. If
the U.S. gave what it could, then North Korea could make
progress, Kim said. The nuclear issue would ultimately be
resolved because it was a win-win outcome. If the U.S. and
North Korea remained in conflict, however, neither would
benefit.


5. (C) Kim was optimistic about the likelihood of eventual
reunification, but he criticized observers who advised
waiting until North Korea imploded or a third country
precipitated a collapse. Refugees would flood into South
Korea, he said, and China might try to take control of
Pyongyang. If reconciliation took place, however, the North
Korean economy could develop -- particularly through raw
materials and tourism -- and slowly an intellectual class
would emerge. South Korea did have some influence over North
Korea; if both sides could live peacefully, North Korea would
eventually democratize, which could lead to reunification.
But unification through FORCE or absorption was not the
solution, he concluded.

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Change is Afoot
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6. (C) Kim said there were many changes occurring in North
Korea. Capitalism had started in the North in the form of

open-air markets. When a communist government could no
longer provide for the people, it started to lose control.
We were already starting to see signs of this, and the U.S.
and South Korea should take advantage of these changes to
improve the situation. North Koreans' perspectives of the
South had changed too, Kim claimed. When South Korea gave
aid, the bags of food bore the names of South Korean
companies, letting the people of North Korea know that South
Korea was not all bad.

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"Give What You Can Give"
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7. (C) The Ambassador praised President Kim's efforts in
bringing North Korea into a more constructive relationship
with South Korea and the rest of the world. She expressed
concern, however, that the North Korean Government might
still mistakenly hope it would eventually be allowed to
retain a nuclear capability. Pyongyang would have to meet
its Six-Party commitments. Kim responded by again invoking
his "give what you can give" aphorism, and said that if the
United States would lift economic sanctions and normalize
relations with North Korea, Pyongyang would definitely give
up its nuclear ambitions. In the long run, the danger to
North Korea of a nuclear arms race in Northeast Asia made
keeping a nuclear capability untenable for the North.


8. (C) The Ambassador also said it would be a mistake if
North Korea thought it could improve relations with the U.S.
without improving relations with South Korea. Kim observed
that this was a good point. Inter-Korean relations now were
not good but would improve in the long run, he said.
President Lee Myung-bak was inconsistent in his comments on
North Korea, and Kim hoped this would change over time. To
improve inter-Korean relations, Kim opined, the U.S. role was
very important. The United States had to decisively convey
that inter-Korean relations needed to be strong.

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Comment
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9. (C) Kim Dae-jung's health is not good. He undergoes
dialysis three times a week, making travel or any extended
stay outside Seoul very difficult. Still, the Ambassador
found Kim in fine form, able to convey his thoughts clearly
and cogently. A hero to generations of democracy fighters in
Korea and outside, Kim's legacy is secure, despite the deep
misgivings about his legacy among conservatives in Korea,
including the current incumbent of the Blue House.
STEPHENS