MEDIA REACTION: NORTH KOREA

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000971

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/P, EAP/PD - NIDA EMMONS
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: NORTH KOREA

Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies continued to give
significant news and editorial coverage on August 12 to the damage
caused by Typhoon Morakot and the on-going rescue efforts in central
and southern Taiwan. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a
column in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" discussed former U.S.
President Bill Clinton's sudden visit to North Korea last Tuesday.
The article said opening a window for dialogue with Pyongyang will
be an essential step if Washington wants U.S. President Barack
Obama's policy on "change" to take root in Asia. A column in the
KMT-leaning "China Times" said the key to whether Pyongyang will
return to the Six-Party talks lies in the question whether Obama
will or has offered any commitments to North Korea. End summary.

A) "Let Former [U.S.] President Be the Scout to Feel Out the Way
Ahead"

Apple Daily Publisher James Tu wrote in his column in the
mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] (8/12):

"... It is not too odd that [former U.S. President Bill] Clinton has
played the role that [former President Jimmy] Carter once played,
even though the North Korean issue is very complicated nowadays with
many ramifications, and now is no longer an era in which the remarks
by Carter alone could alter the entire situation. Nevertheless, if
the United States wants to continue playing a critical role in the
security system in Asia, Washington's proactive move to engage
Pyongyang in a dialogue will be a prerequisite. It remains to be
seen what the substantive significance of Clinton's visit [to
Pyongyang] is in the end. But if [Washington] wants to have [U.S.
President Barack] Obama's policy on 'change' take root in Asia,
opening a window of dialogue with North Korea will be an essential
step. In that case, why not let Clinton be the scout to feel out
the way ahead [for the United States]?"

B) "Will North Korea Ever Return to the Six-Party Talks?"

The "International Lookout" column in the KMT-leaning "China Times"
[circulation: 120,000] wrote (8/12):

"... North Korea does not care at all about the Six-Party talks, but
it does care about its bilateral talks with the United States, and
that is why it has constantly boycotted the Six-Party talks using
words or deeds. The Six-Party talks may be boring, with Japan
making small waves occasionally, but [the Six-Party talks] are,
after all, unable to do any harm to North Korea. Besides, the
stalled Six-Party talks have created opportunities for North Korea
to step up its development of nuclear weapons, so at the very most
it does no good nor harm to North Korea. Pyongyang's frequent moves
to threaten to drop out of the Six-Party talks were just for show.
If such a matter [i.e. the Six-Party talks] gets into the way of
North Korea's [request for] direct, bilateral talks with the United
States, then Pyongyang can totally ignore them; but if they remain a
prerequisite for the bilateral talks, then there is no reason why
North Korea cannot return to the negotiating table. But if the
United States does not offer or promise anything as compensation and
simply uses the bilateral talks as bait to lure Pyongyang back to
the negotiating table, then Pyongyang may not do as Washington hopes
it would do. ... As a result, the heart of the matter lies in
whether [U.S. President Barack] Obama has [offered] any commitment."


WANG