SRAP HOLBROOKE'S DEC 4 MEETING WITH KOREAN DEPUTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 001658 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM, EAP STATE PASS USAID FOR ASIA/SCAA USFOR-A FOR POLAD TREASURY FOR TFI E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2019 TAGS: MARR MOPS EAID PINS PGOV PREL EUN SW PK IN AF, KS SUBJECT: SRAP HOLBROOKE'S DEC 4 MEETING WITH KOREAN DEPUTY FM LEE REF: A. KABUL 3852 ¶B. USEU BRUSSELS 1639 ¶C. USEU BRUSSELS 1638 ¶D. USEU BRUSSELS 1637 Classified By: USEU POL M-C CHRISTOPHER DAVIS FOR REASON 1.4 B/D ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: SRAP Holbrooke met with South Korean Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Lee Yong-joon on the margins of the December 4 NATO Ministerial in Brussels. Lee said the Korean Parliament would discuss the GOK's planned PRT for Afghanistan in approximately two weeks. Korean firms are facing shortages of manpower and materials, but the GOK hopes to open its PRT by July 2010. The GOK plans to contribute 40 trainers to the PRT but has not yet defined their mission. The GIROA has asked Korea for training in two main areas: emergency first aid and taekwondo. Lee plans to be in Washington December 17-18. He expressed an interest in meeting Holbrooke's team and inquired about the possibility of Treasury-led training on illicit finance issues. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) SRAP Holbrooke held a bilateral meeting with South Korean Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Lee Yong-joon on the margins of the NATO Foreign Ministerial on December 4 in Brussels. Holbrooke welcomed the news of Lee,s recent appointment as Korea,s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, announced in November when Korea put forth its plans for a PRT in Afghanistan's Parwan Province (ref A). Holbrooke welcomed him to the special envoys group, and mentioned the upcoming special representatives meeting to be held in Abu Dhabi January 11-12, 2010. Lee welcomed the opportunity to engage with SRAP counterparts. ¶3. (C) Lee said that he was interested in discussing practical details of his country's contributions to the ISAF mission. Lee said that Korea would probably commit approximately 40 police/trainers to a planned police training center within its PRT. He could not say if these would be paramilitary police, since Korea does not yet have a firm plan for how to use personnel in Afghanistan. "Since we have 40 people, we can be creative and decide later," he stressed. Lee did note, however, that the GIROA had asked Korea for training in two areas: emergency first aid and taekwondo. Lee said that taekwondo was taken seriously in Afghanistan and that an Afghan national had won a bronze medal in the sport during the 2008 Olympic Games. ¶4. (C) Lee expects Korea's Parliament to discuss issues surrounding the PRT in approximately two weeks. If GOK plans are approved, as is expected, Korea will begin construction of its PRT in early March 2010. The GOK hopes to open the PRT by July 2010, but Korean construction companies currently face shortages of manpower and materials. Lee stressed that "Korea is committed to opening the PRT as soon as possible." ¶5. (C) During an informal exchange with SRAP Holbrooke's delegation after the bilateral meeting, Lee spoke of his desire to work closely with the United States in Afghanistan. He said that Korea would make office space within its PRT available for USG use. He also expressed a willingness to meet with Holbrooke's team during his next visit to Washington, currently scheduled for December 17-18. Finally, after contemplating the sources of funding to the Taliban, Lee inquired about the possibility of U.S. Treasury-led technical training on illicit finance issues. ¶6. (U) The SRAP delegation did not review this cable. MURRAY .