Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08SEOUL68
2008-01-13 23:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Seoul
Cable title:  

FOREIGN MINISTER HOPEFULS DISCUSS OPCON, NORTH

Tags:  KN KS PGOV PREL PINR 
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RR RUEHWEB

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ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 132322Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8024
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 3707
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3841
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 2408
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUALSFJ/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA
RUACAAA/COMUSKOREA INTEL SEOUL KOR
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J5 SEOUL KOR
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA SCJS SEOUL KOR
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//OSD/ISA/EAP//
C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 000068 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014
TAGS: KN KS PGOV PREL PINR
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER HOPEFULS DISCUSS OPCON, NORTH
KOREA, SUMMITS

Classified By: Amb. Alexander Vershbow. Reasons 1.4 (b,d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 000068

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014
TAGS: KN KS PGOV PREL PINR
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER HOPEFULS DISCUSS OPCON, NORTH
KOREA, SUMMITS

Classified By: Amb. Alexander Vershbow. Reasons 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a relaxed January 10 lunch with the
Ambassador, National Assembly member and chief of the
Presidential Transition Committee's foreign affairs team Park
Jin and Lee Myung-bak adviser and former Ambassador to both
Kenya and Ireland Kwon Jong-rak discussed OPCON transfer,
North Korea, and the timing of a presidential visit to the
United States. Park and Kwon clarified the transition team's
stance on OPCON, saying the current agreement would be
respected, though the new administration might want to revise
the timetable if the security situation changed or if ROK
forces were significantly behind in improving capabilities.
The transition team as a whole seems deeply skeptical that
North Korea will give up its nuclear program, and Kwon argued
for a stronger U.S.-ROKG response to Pyongyang's delay in
providing a full declaration of its nuclear programs. Though
Park and Kwon do not have the final word on issues like OPCON
and North Korea policy, their role in the transition
committee suggests their comments both reflect and influence
Lee Myung-bak's policy preferences. End Summary.

--------------
OPCON Transfer
--------------


2. (C) Park Jin and Kwon Jong-rak, key members of
President-elect Lee Myung-bak's transition team, reconfirmed
that, despite recent press stories, the president-elect does
not plan to reopen or hope to renegotiate the agreement
between SecDef Gates and Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo that
would transfer wartime operational control to the ROK on
April 17, 2012. While they wished the decision had come out
differently (and they objected strongly to Roh Moo-Hyun's
assertions that this was about recovering "sovereignty"),the
new administration would "respect" the decision and support
its continued implementation. Park and Kwon said they have
been trying to tell the press that in the event the security
situation changed significantly in a few years (e.g. if the
North Korean nuclear threat remained) or if the South Korean
military was not ready for the transfer, then they would

reserve the option to consult with the United States on a
change to the timetable for the transfer.


3. (C) The transition team is also reviewing the ROK's
Defense 2020 plan, which was formulated before the OPCON
transfer decision. Specifically, they may seek new
legislation that would raise the ceiling on the future size
of the armed forces from 500,000 to 550,000 (in the case of
the Army, from 370,000 to 400,000) so that the ROK military
would be better equipped to handle wartime OPCON.

--------------
Response to North Korea's Delay
--------------


4. (SBU) On North Korea's delayed submission of its nuclear
declaration, Kwon said the DPRK was testing "us" (i.e., the
U.S. and ROK) to see if we were serious about
denuclearization. If we show weakness, they will make things
more difficult, and right now we are not being tough enough.
Kwon said we should express our disappointment with the delay
and take a more principled position. Park Jin took a less
emphatic stance and said that, as long as the U.S. and South
Korea were aligned, we presented a strong front. Kwon said
that since the real problem seemed to be with the North
Korean military, we should consider U.S.-North Korea
military-to-military talks.

--------------
Visit Timing
--------------


5. (SBU) Park Jin was hopeful that a visit to Camp David
might be possible during Lee Myung-bak's (as yet unscheduled)
first presidential trip to the U.S. He said an early date in
March for that trip would be difficult but possible, though
other interlocutors have said the trip was unlikely before
the April 9 National Assembly election. The biggest concern,
Kwon said, was the optics of such a trip in advance of the
April election -- i.e., that a trip so soon after
inauguration would make Lee Myung-bak look like he was

pandering to the U.S. Kwon said he had commissioned an
internal poll within the Grand National Party (GNP) to gauge
party members' approval of an early visit. Kwon's hope was
that an early visit would provide enough time between the
summit in Washington and the July G-8 Summit in Japan to make
it possible for President Bush to visit Korea after attending
the G-8.


6. (SBU) Park Jin said that Japanese Vice Foreign Minister
Shotaro Yachi was in Seoul on January 9 and confirmed that
Prime Minister Fukuda had accepted the invitation to attend
Lee Myung-bak's inauguration on February 25, at which time
Lee will have his first Korea-Japan Summit. Yachi also
invited Lee to visit Japan on his way back from the U.S.
Kwon and Park were in favor of this suggestion and said such
a trip would highlight the importance the next administration
plans to place on trilateral (U.S.-ROK-Japan) cooperation.
Kwon and Park seemed to be planning ahead for a resumption of
semi-annual Korea-Japan summits.

--------------
Ministerial Nominations
--------------


7. (SBU) Lee will start announcing ministerial nominees
around January 24, according to Kwon. The short lists for
each position will be finalized by early in the week of
January 14, but it will take two weeks to screen the
candidates. Although the names seem to change daily, Park
and Kwon said the frontrunners for the prime minister
position were former Foreign Minister Han Sung-joo, Dong-a
Ilbo President Kim Hak-jun, Transition Committee Chair Lee
Kyung-sook, and former Hanguk University for Foreign Studies
President Ahn Byung-man. Kwon speculated that the next prime
minister would not be a woman, ruling out Lee Kyung-sook.
Park Jin commented that this was Kwon's personal opinion.
(Lee separately told the Ambassador that, after the
transition, she intended to return to her post as President
of Sookmyung Women's University, at least for now.)

--------------
Constitutional Revision
--------------


8. (SBU) Kwon said constitutional revision was likely to
come up during Lee Myung-bak's presidency. The most likely
revision would be to change to two, four-year presidential
terms instead of the current limit of one, five-year term.
Kwon said this would not affect Lee Myung-bak's term. Also,
the prime minister might be changed to a vice-president, who
would work more closely with the president. Park Jin noted
that presidents are so isolated in the Blue House that they
tend to become imperial during their tenure. They predicted
that since Lee is a "man of action," he will want to
frequently be out among the people rather than sequestered in
the Blue House.

--------------
Bio Notes
--------------


9. (SBU) Park Jin recalled that he was in New York City on
September 11, 2001. He was supposed to be sworn in to the
New York bar that day, but was sworn in a week later instead.
Park names traditional Korean archery as his hobby, and
every Sunday practices near Sajik Park at one of the oldest
archery ranges in Korea.


10. (SBU) Lee Myung-bak allegedly runs an hour a day, though
rumor has it that is actually not true. He does play tennis
for 3-4 hours on Sundays and likes to golf.

--------------
Comment
--------------


11. (C) Park Jin has taken on a high-profile role within the
transition team and is very likely to be offered the foreign
minister position. Whether or not he takes it remains to be
seen; he recently told the Ambassador and A/S Hill that his
heart says to take the foreign minister job but his head
tells him to run for reelection in April. Either way, this

late-comer to the Lee camp (he did not have a significant
role until October) is likely to be foreign minister at some
point during Lee Myung-bak's presidency if Park can overcome
his tendency to seek the media limelight, something many
close to Lee say the president-elect does not like.


12. (C) Kwon's future is less clear. He is struggling to
articulate a distinct position within the transition team and
vault himself above other more thoughtful advisers. Kwon
appears to be hoping to parlay the fact that he shares the
president-elect's hometown of Pohang and his distinctly
conservative line into greater influence with Lee. For now,
this career diplomat is listed by many as a top candidate for
either national security advisor or foreign minister, since
there are not many with his experience in Lee's camp. In
fact, that experience could trump the many professors who
until now have played a more prominent role.

VERSHBOW