Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SEOUL1142
2009-07-20 06:02:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Seoul
Cable title:
SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; July 20, 2009
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 SEOUL 001142
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; July 20, 2009
TOP HEADLINES
--------------
Chosun Ilbo
Number of "Working Poor" Reaches 3 Million
JoongAng Ilbo
Showdown Looms Today as Ruling GNP Pushes
to Pass Contentious Media Reform Bills
Dong-a Ilbo
Ruling GNP Likely to Delay Vote on Media Reform Bills
in Face of Former Chairwoman's Opposition
to Unilateral Media Bill Passage
Hankook Ilbo, Hankyoreh Shinmun, Segye Ilbo
Former Chairwoman Opposes GNP's Media Bill Passage
Seoul Shinmun
Rival Parties' Showdown on Media Bills Enters New Phase
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
--------------
According to a senior ROKG official, the ROKG will soon draw up and
implement guidelines on inspecting ships going into and out of North
Korea as a full member of the U.S.-led Proliferation Security
Initiative (PSI),which aims to prevent the spread of weapons of
mass destruction, and in line with UN Security Council Resolution
1874 against North Korea. (Dong-a)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
--------------
Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs, told reporters after a July 18 meeting in Seoul
with ROK Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon that, "If North Korea
is prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., the
ROK, Japan, China and others will be able to put together a
comprehensive package that would be attractive to North Korea."
(All)
According to the Italian daily Libero, Italian police have seized
two luxury yachts that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il ordered from
an Italian shipbuilder, in compliance with U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1718, which was passed in 2006 to ban exports of luxury
goods to North Korea. (Chosun, Dong-a, Hankook, Segye, Seoul)
According to an influential source in Washington, the U.S. has
entered into "delicate" negotiations with North Korea over the two
U.S. journalists detained in the North, and the next three or four
weeks will be crucial in deciding whether the two journalists can
walk free. (Chosun)
MEDIA ANALYSIS
--------------
-N. Korea
--------------
All ROK media today gave prominent attention to July 18 press
remarks in Seoul by Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for
East Asian and Pacific Affairs, in which he said: "If North Korea is
prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., the ROK,
Japan, China and others will be able to put together a comprehensive
package that would be attractive to North Korea." The Assistant
Secretary was further quoted as saying: "We believe there have to be
consequences. We're looking at a full range of particular steps
designed to put pressure on North Korea."
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Conservative Chosun Ilbo interpreted these remarks as suggesting a
shift in U.S. policy on North Korea from the previous "step-by-step
approach" to an approach to resolve all pending issues at once.
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo, meanwhile, wrote in the headline: "Obama
Administration Discloses New Approach to Resolve N. Korea's Nuclear
and Missile Issues with Sanctions, Not Compensation." Moderate
Hankook Ilbo's headline read: "U.S.: A Stick in One Hand, a Signal
of Dialogue in the Other" Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun headlined
its article: "U.S. Overtures for Dialogue Amid Sanctions"
Conservative Chosun Ilbo carried an inside-page report citing an
influential source in Washington as saying on July 19 that the U.S.
has entered into "delicate" negotiations with North Korea over the
two U.S. journalists detained in the North and that the next three
or four weeks will be crucial in deciding whether the two
journalists can walk free. The report went on to quote another
source as saying that Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee and the Democrats' 2004 presidential
nominee, is being mentioned as a possible special envoy to Pyongyang
for the journalists' release, as well as former Vice President Al
Gore, co-founder of Current TV for which the detained journalists
work.
Most ROK media replayed a July 17 report by the Italian daily Libero
that Italian police have seized two luxury yachts that North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il ordered from an Italian shipbuilder, in
compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718, which was
passed in 2006 to ban exports of luxury goods to North Korea.
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo editorialized on Saturday (July 18):
"The North Korean nuclear issue... is a regional headache that
seriously undermines the international nonproliferation campaign.
It poses a risk to the ROK, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia, as
well as the entire world. North Korea has been pitching the nuclear
issue as a bilateral problem with the U.S. However, even if the
U.S. spearheads negotiations with Pyongyang, the problem can only be
resolved when the international community is involved. The first
key to the solution is China, the North's long-standing ally. The
tepid and uncooperative role that China has chosen to play in the
call for tougher action against North Korea is partly responsible
for the fruitless disarmament talks for the past 20 years. A more
active voice from Beijing can determine the success and failure of
future negotiations."
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
--------------
FEWER DOVES IN WASHINGTON?
(Dong-a Ilbo, July 20, 2009, Page 30)
By Editorial Writer Lee Jin-nyong
People say the doves in Washington have disappeared. In
international politics, doves refer to those who favor dialogue and
negotiations in diplomacy. On North Korea, only U.S. special envoy
to Pyongyang Stephen Bosworth and special U.S. envoy for the
Six-Party Talks Sung Kim are doves. The U.S. State Department
convened a news conference Wednesday on North Korea and major
figures from the State Department, the Treasury, and the White House
National Security Council attended. Conspicuously absent were the
two envoys, vividly attesting to the disappearance of doves.
North Korea must initially have viewed the Obama Administration as a
dove. In the beginning, U.S. President Barack Obama suggested
dialogue with North Korea within the bounds of never allowing
Pyongyang to possess nuclear weapons. Though the U.S. extended a
hand, Pyongyang slapped Washington in the face by conducting missile
launches and its second nuclear test. North Korea must have thought
that if it got tough, the U.S. would propose negotiations and
concessions and reward it for its threats. This has turned out to
be a grave miscalculation, however. President Obama has clearly
ruled out rewards for wrong behavior. Under such circumstances, it
is no surprise that doves have no leg to stand on. North Korea
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asked for it.
The Obama Administration is firming up its stance against North
Korea. Washington took the lead in passing U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1874, which imposes harsh sanctions on Pyongyang for its
nuclear test. U.S. intelligence also tailed a North Korean ship
suspected of carrying weapons, forcing it to change course and
return home. The U.N. Security Council also slapped tough sanctions
on North Korea Thursday, including on five North Korean individuals.
This was possible because the international community, including
North Korea's traditional allies China and Russia, agreed. North
Korea has nobody to turn to.
Kurt Campbell, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for East Asia and
Pacific Affairs, visited Seoul yesterday and said, "If North Korea
is prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., South
Korea, Japan, China and others will be able to put together a
comprehensive package that would be attractive to North Korea."
This means the U.S. is still trying to keep the door open for North
Korea. In Washington, however, voices are rising that North Korea
should be re-included on the U.S. terrorism blacklist. If Pyongyang
continues to reject dialogue and threaten the international
community with its nuclear program, it will only see hawks fly in
the skies over Washington.
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is
identical to the Korean version.)
S. KOREA MUST CLEAR THE WAY BEYOND UNSC SANCTIONS
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, July 18, 2009, Page 27)
The day before yesterday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
confirmed a plan for sanctions against North Korea in connection
with its second nuclear test. The UNSC's decision, which serves as
the core element of multilateral sanctions, was essentially settled
34 days after the adoption of a resolution. Now is the time to come
up with a basic solution for the nuclear problem that goes beyond
sanctions.
These UNSC sanctions target five North Korean individuals, five
companies and institutions, and two types of goods, including
high-tech materials. This represents a considerably smaller range
of targets from those initially presented by the U.S. and other
Western countries, but it does appear likely to apply some pressure
on North Korea, as the decision was adopted unanimously with China
and Russia also voting in favor. This is the first time sanctions,
including travel restrictions, have been applied against North
Korean individuals. North Korean society is already isolated from
the international community; the possibility that these sanctions
will deal a decisive blow is slim.
North Korea has shown no change in its stance of refusing to
acknowledge the UNSC resolution. Kim Yong-nam, President of the
Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the second most
powerful person in North Korea, said at a Non-Aligned Movement
summit a few days ago that "the Six-Party Talks are over for good."
This statement reiterated the policy of absolute refusal to
participate in the Six-Party Talks announced back in April by North
Korean authorities. This kind of stance from North Korea is helpful
to no one, even North Korea itself, as it deepens the country's
international isolation. One hopes these sanctions help North Korea
realize how the international community is taking the North's
unilateral actions. It goes without saying that North Korea must
refrain from measures that make the situation worse.
Still, this does not mean that the current situation is simply going
the way of haphazard confrontation. North Korea-U.S. contacts are
being achieved through New York channels, and the U.S. has presented
its analysis that North Korea seems to be searching for a way back
to the negotiation table. The U.S. has begun discussions with
related countries to find a solution to the nuclear issue. For
instance, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell is heading to South Korea today for
SEOUL 00001142 004 OF 010
the first time since his confirmation by Congress. In addition, a
few days ago, Wu Dawei, China's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs,
toured the nations participating in the Six-Party Talks and made
efforts to clear the way for the talks' resumption.
As Campbell has stated, the most effective means of denuclearizing
North Korea is through diplomacy, and pressure alone is not enough
to bring the country back into negotiations. For this reason, even
if sanctions must inevitably be maintained for a certain period of
time, they must be preceded by efforts to devise an effective
framework for discussions and a comprehensive solution. At times
such as these, the position of the South Korean government is all
the more important. If, as it is doing now, it focuses on the role
of spearheading pressure against North Korea, it will not only go
against the greater flow, but will also lead to the further
deterioration of inter-Korean relations. At this point, the
administration's position is in urgent need of change.
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is
identical to the Korean version.)
A REGIONAL HEADACHE
(JoongAng Ilbo, July 18, 2009, Page 34)
The stakes have gotten higher in the head-on confrontation between
the United States and North Korea, sending the Korean Peninsula into
turmoil. We saw U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton step up the
rhetoric against North Korea last week, warning of "tougher joint
efforts" from the United States and its allies toward disarming the
emerging nuclear weapons state. The United Nations Security Council
proved faithful to its June resolution of stringent actions against
North Korea in response to the May nuclear test. It revealed the
names of North Korean individuals and companies facing penalties and
sanctions. And Pyongyang's No. 2, Kim Young-nam, President of the
Supreme People's Assembly, condemned the UN action, saying the
Six-Party Talks on denuclearization are "now gone forever," adding
that North Korea has now no choice but to "take decisive action to
strengthen its nuclear deterrence."
The North Korean disarmament is critical to all Korean people.
That's why we cannot emphasize more that the ongoing efforts to
denuclearize North Korea should not in any way impair or reverse the
peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula. Not under any
circumstances should the international community indulge North Korea
as a nuclear weapons state. North Korea should not own nuclear
weapons. If it does, they should be destroyed. In the 20-year
process of the North Korean nuclear negotiations, there was not a
substantial consensus on this principle among the international
community. Before North Korea conducted its second nuclear test,
there may have been lack of urgency. However, due to the second
nuclear test and series of missile tests, North Korea's threat to
peace in the world and Northeast Asia is getting more and more
realistic.
The North Korean nuclear issue cannot be taken lightly. It's a
regional headache that seriously undermines the international
nonproliferation campaign. It poses a risk to South Korea, the
United States, Japan, China and Russia, as well as the entire
world.
The North has been pitching the nuclear issue as a bilateral problem
between the United States. However, even if the United States
spearheads negotiations with Pyongyang, the problem can only be
resolved when the international community is involved.
The first key to the solution is China, the North's long-standing
ally. The tepid and uncooperative role that China has chosen to
play in the call for tougher action against North Korea is partly
responsible for the fruitless disarmament talks. A more active
voice from Beijing could determine the success and failure of future
negotiations.
The South Korean government should employ a more tight-knit, more
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sophisticated diplomatic effort. It must concoct countermeasures for
a host of possible scenarios, considering recent North Korean
bellicosity has been spurred by the ailing health of its leader Kim
Jong-il.
(We have compared the English version on the website with the Korean
version and added some sentences to make them identical.)
FEATURES
--------------
U.S., N. KOREA NEGOTIATE OVER DETAINED JOURNALISTS
(Chosun Ilbo, July 20, 2009, Page 4)
By Washington Correspondent Lee Ha-won
The U.S. and North Korea have started delicate negotiations over two
American journalists who were detained and sentenced to hard labor
in North Korea, an influential source in Washington said Sunday.
The next three or four weeks will be crucial in deciding whether the
two women can walk free.
The U.S. House of Representatives intended last week to adopt a
resolution urging the North to release reporters Euna Lee and Laura
Ling, and the Senate intended to follow suit, but their plans have
been postponed at the State Department's request, the source said.
The State Department made the request to Congress because it fears
that a resolution could anger the North at a time when the two
countries have entered sensitive negotiations, the source added.
Earlier, on July 10, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked the
North to grant the two amnesty and allow them to return home to
their families.
John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - who
was the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 - and former U.S.
Vice President Al Gore, the founder of the TV station the two
reporters work for, are being mentioned as possible special envoys
to Pyongyang, other sources said.
The U.S. government treats the release of the journalists as a
separate issue from the North's nuclear provocations, but their
release could lead to fresh nuclear talks.
Gary Samore, a non-proliferation expert and WMD coordinator at the
White House, said, "All the sort of straws in the wind vindicate
that North Koreans are probably looking for a way to get back to the
bargaining table."
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is
identical to the Korean version.)
U.S. ENVOY URGES N. KOREA TO REENGAGE IN DIALOGUE
(Yonhap News, July 18, 2009)
By Reporters Lee Chi-dong and Tony Chang
A senior U.S envoy urged North Korea Saturday to take "serious and
irreversible steps" to end its stand-off with the U.S. and other
regional powers, saying it is a precondition for a "comprehensive
package" of incentives.
Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and
Pacific Affairs, also emphasized that it is important to have
patience and keep the door open for dialogue with North Korea, while
enforcing U.N. sanctions on the communist nation for its provocative
actions.
"I would say at this juncture the most important quality that the
U.S., South Korea, Japan, China and Russia can demonstrate is
patience," he told reporters after a closed-door meeting with Deputy
Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon here. Campbell flew into South Korea
SEOUL 00001142 006 OF 010
from Japan earlier in the day for his first trip to South Korea
since assuming his post last month.
He pointed out that U.S. officials have made clear that, "If North
Korea is prepared to take serious and irreversible steps the U.S.,
South Korea, Japan, China and others will be able to put together a
comprehensive package that would be attractive to North Korea. But
in this respect, North Korea really has to take some of the first
steps."
All of the countries are participants in the Six-Party Talks aimed
at scrapping the North's nuclear program. The last formal session
of the Beijing-based negotiations was held in December.
North Korea announced after a long-range rocket launch in April that
it would quit the often-troubled talks. The North also conducted a
second nuclear test in May, prompting the U.N. Security Council to
adopt a resolution imposing a robust set of sanctions on it.
In the latest measure against the North, a U.N. Security Council
committee imposed a travel ban on five North Korean officials and
asset freezes on five more entities for their involvement in missile
and nuclear weapons development.
"We believe there have to be consequences," Campbell said, citing
the U.S. efforts to implement the resolution. "We're looking at a
full range of particular steps designed to put pressure on North
Korea."
He said sanctions are already proving to be effective. He said the
recent turnback of a North Korean cargo ship, Kang Nam 1, is an
example.
The Kang Nam 1 was suspected of carrying illegal weapons to be
exported, probably to Myanmar. After its voyage was closely
monitored by the U.S. Navy for weeks, the ship reversed its course
and returned to North Korea. The U.N. Security Council Resolution
1874, adopted after the North's nuclear test on May 25, authorizes
member countries to take measures to stop the North's arms trade by
air, land, and sea.
Campbell said it sent a message to North Korea and "caused some pain
to the leadership."
He said it is North Korea that should change its course as it has
chosen "lies, greater tensions, greater hardship for its people,
more isolation and a lack of engagement in the international
economy."
On a proposed five-way meeting without North Korea, meanwhile,
Campbell said it is unlikely to be held in the near future.
"I think the U.S. and South Korea have explored the option of a
five-party meeting at some point. Preparations need to be taken for
such a meeting. I'm not sure we'll be ready to do it in Phuket," he
said. Some said that the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to be held in
the Thai resort island next week may set the stage for such a
five-way event. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her
counterparts from South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia are
scheduled to attend the ARF.
"But the U.S. and South Korea are busy coordinating our respective
positions and ensure that all the members have an opportunity to
interact, if not in a collective setting, then bilaterally in
Thailand," he added.
South Korea supports such a five-way gathering for discussions on
how to bring the North to the disarmament talks but China, which
chairs the negotiations, takes a lukewarm stance apparently due to
concerns that it will make the North Koreans feel more isolated and
have a negative impact on the Six-Party format.
The U.S. official plans to hold a series of meetings with other top
South Korean officials including Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and
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Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, on Monday before heading to
Thailand later in the day.
Campbell said he will "consult on a wide range of issues,
particularly relating to North Korea to make sure of our common
strategy."
His trip comes as the North shows no signs of bowing to the
international pressure.
On Saturday, Pyongyang's official news agency KCNA belatedly
reported comments by the country's number two leader Kim Yong-nam at
the Non-Aligned Movement summit of 118 nations in Egypt earlier this
week.
"Noting that not only the peace and security of the country but also
the dignity of the nation and sovereignty of the DPRK (North Korea)
have been grossly violated by the high-handed acts of the U.S., Kim
asserted that if such acts of the U.S. are allowed to go on, the
DPRK would be totally deprived of the legitimate right to use
space," the KCNA said, referring to the international condemnation
of its failed satellite launch in April.
"The DPRK can never accept dialogue or negotiations minus the
principle of respect for sovereignty and equal sovereignty," Kim was
quoted as saying. "The prevailing situation compelled the DPRK
government to take decisive steps to bolster up its nuclear
deterrence."
KURT CAMPBELL CALLS ON NORTH KOREA TO ABANDON ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM AS
(PRECONDITION) FOR PROVIDING ATTRACTIVE PACKAGE
(JoongAng Ilbo, July 20, page 13; EXCERPTS)
By Reporter Ye Yong-joon
On his visit to the ROK, Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State
for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said that (the U.S.) will pursue
a "two-track strategy" as a framework of its North Korea policy.
Under the strategy, the U.S. will attempt to sanction North Korea,
while seeking to hold talks with the North.
Campbell's remarks are significant in that the U.S. North Korea
policy, which the Obama Administration has reviewed for six months
since its inauguration, was revealed. Previously, on July 17, when
questioned by foreign reporters about whether now is the time to
change the U.S. approach to North Korea, Assistant Secretary of
State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley said that the U.S. has
what could be called a "new approach."
Assistant Secretary Campbell's remarks about providing a
"comprehensive package" in return for North Korea's abandoning its
nuclear ambitions are not much different from the North Korea policy
which the U.S. has espoused so far. However, he made it clear that
the U.S. will draw the line between (the current approach) and the
"pattern" of the second term of the former Bush Administration in
terms of strategies or negotiation styles.
Campbell noted that it is important to continue to sanction North
Korea, put pressure on the North through international cooperation,
and bring North Korea back to the negotiating table.
In particular, it is noteworthy that Campbell called on North Korea
to take some steps first, stressing that North Korea should be the
first to take action. This approach is different from the "action
for action" principle underscored by North Korea in the Six-Party
Talks and accepted by the U.S. This indicates that (the previous)
phased approach to resolve North Korean issues and to provide
rewards to the North could be under review. His emphasis on
irreversible steps is starkly different from the negotiation pattern
of the second term of the Bush Administration.
The Obama Administration is reviving the terms that have disappeared
from the Six-Party Talks for quite a while. This is interpreted to
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mean that (the Obama Administration) cool-headedly evaluated the
Six-Party Talks process of the previous government, which focused on
rewarding North Korea in return for its disablement of the Yongbyon
nuclear facilities. Since North Korea's second nuclear test,
criticism has been mounting in the U.S. that North Korea often
delayed the nuclear disablement or reversed course by returning to
the original status. This led to five countries, including the ROK
and the U.S., being dragged (about) by North Korea.
U.S. MAY PROVIDE "COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE" (TO NORTH KOREA)
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, July 20, page 6; EXCERPTS)
By Reporter Lee Yong-in
It is, in fact, the first time since North Korea's long-range rocket
launch and its second nuclear test, that a high-ranking U.S.
official officially said that (the U.S.) may provide a
"comprehensive package." Assistant Secretary Campbell's remarks on
a comprehensive package that would be "attractive" to North Korea
could be interpreted as an indication of the U.S.' strong overtures
for dialogue.
It seems that Campbell's approach is in the planning stage. A
senior ROK official said that the U.S. has not yet laid out detailed
plans or road maps, adding that it will take time. Also, while
stating that (the U.S.) could put together a comprehensive package
that would be attractive to North Korea, Kurt Campbell, Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, called on
North Korea to take sincere steps first. This should be coordinated
between the U.S. and North Korea. It is not yet known what first
steps Campbell demanded the North take. However, there is a high
possibility that the first steps will include North Korea's promise
not to aggravate the situation further and stop developing nuclear
programs such as the reprocessing of plutonium.
The Obama Administration pursues dialogue and pressure at the same
time, and will take resolute action against North Korea's
provocations. Therefore, it seems too early to expect that the U.S.
and North Korea will (soon) enter into negotiations.
U.S. SEEKS COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION FOR N. KOREA NUKES
(Chosun Ilbo, July 20, 2009, Page 1, 4)
By Reporter Lim Min-hyul
The U.S. is looking for a comprehensive solution to the North Korean
nuclear problem instead of the step-by-step approach previously
favored.
The new approach was suggested by Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who visited
Seoul on Saturday. After meeting Deputy Foreign Minister Lee
Yong-joon on Saturday, he told reporters, "If North Korea is
prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., the ROK,
Japan, China and others will be able to put together a comprehensive
package that would be attractive to North Korea."
Asked about incentives for North Korea to return to the Six-Party
Talks, Campbell said none are necessary and that North Korea has to
pay the price for provocations. He said the North will find its
isolation and economic plight unbearable and eventually come to
dialogue. At the same time, he added, it is important to convey a
message to the North that the door is open when it wants to return
to the negotiation table.
Prior to this, Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary of Public
Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, said during a July 17
(local time) press briefing in Washington, "If North Korea wants to
return to the denuclearization process, we'll be supportive of
that," adding, "We are not waiting for North Korea. We are
aggressively doing things where (the North Koreans) pay a price for
this recalcitrance." He also noted, "We have what I would call a
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new approach."
These statements suggest that Washington's North Korea strategy is
to create a situation, through tough sanctions under UN Security
Council Resolution 1874, where Pyongyang has no choice but to return
to the table and, when dialogue starts, to find a swift and complete
resolution through a comprehensive package deal.
The U.S. seems to have in mind a package settlement in which all
available bargaining chips are placed on the same table: From the
U.S., the establishment of diplomatic relations with the North, a
security guarantee to the North, economic and energy assistance to
Pyongyang; and from the North, nuclear weapons, programs and
facilities, and missiles.
It was reported that the U.S. has not devised the details of the
comprehensive package yet. An ROKG official said on July 19,
"Because the current situation is still focused on sanctions, rather
than on dialogue, the U.S. has just provided a large framework. As
to what may be included in the package or how to approach it,
consultations with related nations are necessary." However, the ROK
and the U.S. seem to have discussed this issue in advance. An (ROK)
foreign policy and security official said, "When I met with key Blue
House officials after the ROK-U.S. summit last month, they told me,
'President Lee Myung-bak said that he was interested in a package
deal to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and asked me what I
thought of the deal,'" adding, "There seemed to be some kind of
proposal from the U.S."
An ROKG official noted, "The comprehensive package stemmed from a
reconsideration of the phased approach led by former U.S. Chief
Negotiator to the Six-Party Talks Christopher Hill." In other
words, the current USG intends to shorten the timeframe (to resolve
the nuclear issue) while taking a direct approach to "nuclear
dismantlement."
Although the September 19, 2005, Joint Statement, produced by former
Assistant Secretary Hill, set the goal, it did not have agreement on
specific ways to implement it. Therefore, (the related parties) had
to reach an agreement at every stage on how to implement the steps.
Consequently, whenever specific roadmaps, such as the February 13,
2007 Agreement and the October 4, 2007 Agreement, were created,
North Korea changed its words and made new demands. Furthermore,
after the North rolled back its disablement process, (the September
19 Joint Statement) became a mere scrap of paper.
In this context, the term "CVID (Complete, Verifiable, and
Irreversible Nuclear Dismantlement)" is carrying more weight these
days. The CVID, the early Bush Administration's principle on the
North Korean nuclear issue, was once considered as exclusively
belonging to the neo-cons and thus was almost excluded from the
Six-Party Talks, but the current Democratic administration in the
U.S. is actively raising the need for the principle.
Of course, there is a long way to go before the comprehensive
package plan is realized. To date, under the phased approach,
Pyongyang has successfully pretended to join the negotiations,
pocketed benefits, and then retracted its promises. However, under
the comprehensive package, it is impossible to renege on promises
later. Therefore, although North Korea's "intention of abandoning
nuclear programs" is absolutely needed for the comprehensive
package, it does not appear easy for the North to make such a
decision in the current situation. A diplomatic source said, "Due
to uncertainty over North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's health and the
growing influence of the North Korean military leadership, the
situation may become more difficult."
(Editor's Note: We have compared the English version on the website
with the Korean version and added some paragraphs to make them
identical. The same story was also reported by the Dong-a Ilbo and
the Hankook Ilbo. Under the headline, "With 'Sticks' in One Hand,
Washington Sends Pyongyang Signal for Dialogue," the Hankook Ilbo
reported: "There is still a pessimistic view on the possibility that
U.S.-North Korea negotiations may resume in the near future.
SEOUL 00001142 010 OF 010
Washington's position is that North Korea should first take steps
toward denuclearization, and Pyongyang cannot easily accept this.
Some observers say that Washington's "new approach" is a "more
direct and tough" response based on the judgment that North Korea is
pursuing nuclear programs in order to become a nuclear-possessing
state, instead of gaining an edge over the U.S. at the negotiation
table.")
STEPHENS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; July 20, 2009
TOP HEADLINES
--------------
Chosun Ilbo
Number of "Working Poor" Reaches 3 Million
JoongAng Ilbo
Showdown Looms Today as Ruling GNP Pushes
to Pass Contentious Media Reform Bills
Dong-a Ilbo
Ruling GNP Likely to Delay Vote on Media Reform Bills
in Face of Former Chairwoman's Opposition
to Unilateral Media Bill Passage
Hankook Ilbo, Hankyoreh Shinmun, Segye Ilbo
Former Chairwoman Opposes GNP's Media Bill Passage
Seoul Shinmun
Rival Parties' Showdown on Media Bills Enters New Phase
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
--------------
According to a senior ROKG official, the ROKG will soon draw up and
implement guidelines on inspecting ships going into and out of North
Korea as a full member of the U.S.-led Proliferation Security
Initiative (PSI),which aims to prevent the spread of weapons of
mass destruction, and in line with UN Security Council Resolution
1874 against North Korea. (Dong-a)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
--------------
Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs, told reporters after a July 18 meeting in Seoul
with ROK Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon that, "If North Korea
is prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., the
ROK, Japan, China and others will be able to put together a
comprehensive package that would be attractive to North Korea."
(All)
According to the Italian daily Libero, Italian police have seized
two luxury yachts that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il ordered from
an Italian shipbuilder, in compliance with U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1718, which was passed in 2006 to ban exports of luxury
goods to North Korea. (Chosun, Dong-a, Hankook, Segye, Seoul)
According to an influential source in Washington, the U.S. has
entered into "delicate" negotiations with North Korea over the two
U.S. journalists detained in the North, and the next three or four
weeks will be crucial in deciding whether the two journalists can
walk free. (Chosun)
MEDIA ANALYSIS
--------------
-N. Korea
--------------
All ROK media today gave prominent attention to July 18 press
remarks in Seoul by Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for
East Asian and Pacific Affairs, in which he said: "If North Korea is
prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., the ROK,
Japan, China and others will be able to put together a comprehensive
package that would be attractive to North Korea." The Assistant
Secretary was further quoted as saying: "We believe there have to be
consequences. We're looking at a full range of particular steps
designed to put pressure on North Korea."
SEOUL 00001142 002 OF 010
Conservative Chosun Ilbo interpreted these remarks as suggesting a
shift in U.S. policy on North Korea from the previous "step-by-step
approach" to an approach to resolve all pending issues at once.
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo, meanwhile, wrote in the headline: "Obama
Administration Discloses New Approach to Resolve N. Korea's Nuclear
and Missile Issues with Sanctions, Not Compensation." Moderate
Hankook Ilbo's headline read: "U.S.: A Stick in One Hand, a Signal
of Dialogue in the Other" Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun headlined
its article: "U.S. Overtures for Dialogue Amid Sanctions"
Conservative Chosun Ilbo carried an inside-page report citing an
influential source in Washington as saying on July 19 that the U.S.
has entered into "delicate" negotiations with North Korea over the
two U.S. journalists detained in the North and that the next three
or four weeks will be crucial in deciding whether the two
journalists can walk free. The report went on to quote another
source as saying that Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee and the Democrats' 2004 presidential
nominee, is being mentioned as a possible special envoy to Pyongyang
for the journalists' release, as well as former Vice President Al
Gore, co-founder of Current TV for which the detained journalists
work.
Most ROK media replayed a July 17 report by the Italian daily Libero
that Italian police have seized two luxury yachts that North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il ordered from an Italian shipbuilder, in
compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718, which was
passed in 2006 to ban exports of luxury goods to North Korea.
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo editorialized on Saturday (July 18):
"The North Korean nuclear issue... is a regional headache that
seriously undermines the international nonproliferation campaign.
It poses a risk to the ROK, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia, as
well as the entire world. North Korea has been pitching the nuclear
issue as a bilateral problem with the U.S. However, even if the
U.S. spearheads negotiations with Pyongyang, the problem can only be
resolved when the international community is involved. The first
key to the solution is China, the North's long-standing ally. The
tepid and uncooperative role that China has chosen to play in the
call for tougher action against North Korea is partly responsible
for the fruitless disarmament talks for the past 20 years. A more
active voice from Beijing can determine the success and failure of
future negotiations."
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
--------------
FEWER DOVES IN WASHINGTON?
(Dong-a Ilbo, July 20, 2009, Page 30)
By Editorial Writer Lee Jin-nyong
People say the doves in Washington have disappeared. In
international politics, doves refer to those who favor dialogue and
negotiations in diplomacy. On North Korea, only U.S. special envoy
to Pyongyang Stephen Bosworth and special U.S. envoy for the
Six-Party Talks Sung Kim are doves. The U.S. State Department
convened a news conference Wednesday on North Korea and major
figures from the State Department, the Treasury, and the White House
National Security Council attended. Conspicuously absent were the
two envoys, vividly attesting to the disappearance of doves.
North Korea must initially have viewed the Obama Administration as a
dove. In the beginning, U.S. President Barack Obama suggested
dialogue with North Korea within the bounds of never allowing
Pyongyang to possess nuclear weapons. Though the U.S. extended a
hand, Pyongyang slapped Washington in the face by conducting missile
launches and its second nuclear test. North Korea must have thought
that if it got tough, the U.S. would propose negotiations and
concessions and reward it for its threats. This has turned out to
be a grave miscalculation, however. President Obama has clearly
ruled out rewards for wrong behavior. Under such circumstances, it
is no surprise that doves have no leg to stand on. North Korea
SEOUL 00001142 003 OF 010
asked for it.
The Obama Administration is firming up its stance against North
Korea. Washington took the lead in passing U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1874, which imposes harsh sanctions on Pyongyang for its
nuclear test. U.S. intelligence also tailed a North Korean ship
suspected of carrying weapons, forcing it to change course and
return home. The U.N. Security Council also slapped tough sanctions
on North Korea Thursday, including on five North Korean individuals.
This was possible because the international community, including
North Korea's traditional allies China and Russia, agreed. North
Korea has nobody to turn to.
Kurt Campbell, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for East Asia and
Pacific Affairs, visited Seoul yesterday and said, "If North Korea
is prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., South
Korea, Japan, China and others will be able to put together a
comprehensive package that would be attractive to North Korea."
This means the U.S. is still trying to keep the door open for North
Korea. In Washington, however, voices are rising that North Korea
should be re-included on the U.S. terrorism blacklist. If Pyongyang
continues to reject dialogue and threaten the international
community with its nuclear program, it will only see hawks fly in
the skies over Washington.
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is
identical to the Korean version.)
S. KOREA MUST CLEAR THE WAY BEYOND UNSC SANCTIONS
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, July 18, 2009, Page 27)
The day before yesterday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
confirmed a plan for sanctions against North Korea in connection
with its second nuclear test. The UNSC's decision, which serves as
the core element of multilateral sanctions, was essentially settled
34 days after the adoption of a resolution. Now is the time to come
up with a basic solution for the nuclear problem that goes beyond
sanctions.
These UNSC sanctions target five North Korean individuals, five
companies and institutions, and two types of goods, including
high-tech materials. This represents a considerably smaller range
of targets from those initially presented by the U.S. and other
Western countries, but it does appear likely to apply some pressure
on North Korea, as the decision was adopted unanimously with China
and Russia also voting in favor. This is the first time sanctions,
including travel restrictions, have been applied against North
Korean individuals. North Korean society is already isolated from
the international community; the possibility that these sanctions
will deal a decisive blow is slim.
North Korea has shown no change in its stance of refusing to
acknowledge the UNSC resolution. Kim Yong-nam, President of the
Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the second most
powerful person in North Korea, said at a Non-Aligned Movement
summit a few days ago that "the Six-Party Talks are over for good."
This statement reiterated the policy of absolute refusal to
participate in the Six-Party Talks announced back in April by North
Korean authorities. This kind of stance from North Korea is helpful
to no one, even North Korea itself, as it deepens the country's
international isolation. One hopes these sanctions help North Korea
realize how the international community is taking the North's
unilateral actions. It goes without saying that North Korea must
refrain from measures that make the situation worse.
Still, this does not mean that the current situation is simply going
the way of haphazard confrontation. North Korea-U.S. contacts are
being achieved through New York channels, and the U.S. has presented
its analysis that North Korea seems to be searching for a way back
to the negotiation table. The U.S. has begun discussions with
related countries to find a solution to the nuclear issue. For
instance, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell is heading to South Korea today for
SEOUL 00001142 004 OF 010
the first time since his confirmation by Congress. In addition, a
few days ago, Wu Dawei, China's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs,
toured the nations participating in the Six-Party Talks and made
efforts to clear the way for the talks' resumption.
As Campbell has stated, the most effective means of denuclearizing
North Korea is through diplomacy, and pressure alone is not enough
to bring the country back into negotiations. For this reason, even
if sanctions must inevitably be maintained for a certain period of
time, they must be preceded by efforts to devise an effective
framework for discussions and a comprehensive solution. At times
such as these, the position of the South Korean government is all
the more important. If, as it is doing now, it focuses on the role
of spearheading pressure against North Korea, it will not only go
against the greater flow, but will also lead to the further
deterioration of inter-Korean relations. At this point, the
administration's position is in urgent need of change.
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is
identical to the Korean version.)
A REGIONAL HEADACHE
(JoongAng Ilbo, July 18, 2009, Page 34)
The stakes have gotten higher in the head-on confrontation between
the United States and North Korea, sending the Korean Peninsula into
turmoil. We saw U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton step up the
rhetoric against North Korea last week, warning of "tougher joint
efforts" from the United States and its allies toward disarming the
emerging nuclear weapons state. The United Nations Security Council
proved faithful to its June resolution of stringent actions against
North Korea in response to the May nuclear test. It revealed the
names of North Korean individuals and companies facing penalties and
sanctions. And Pyongyang's No. 2, Kim Young-nam, President of the
Supreme People's Assembly, condemned the UN action, saying the
Six-Party Talks on denuclearization are "now gone forever," adding
that North Korea has now no choice but to "take decisive action to
strengthen its nuclear deterrence."
The North Korean disarmament is critical to all Korean people.
That's why we cannot emphasize more that the ongoing efforts to
denuclearize North Korea should not in any way impair or reverse the
peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula. Not under any
circumstances should the international community indulge North Korea
as a nuclear weapons state. North Korea should not own nuclear
weapons. If it does, they should be destroyed. In the 20-year
process of the North Korean nuclear negotiations, there was not a
substantial consensus on this principle among the international
community. Before North Korea conducted its second nuclear test,
there may have been lack of urgency. However, due to the second
nuclear test and series of missile tests, North Korea's threat to
peace in the world and Northeast Asia is getting more and more
realistic.
The North Korean nuclear issue cannot be taken lightly. It's a
regional headache that seriously undermines the international
nonproliferation campaign. It poses a risk to South Korea, the
United States, Japan, China and Russia, as well as the entire
world.
The North has been pitching the nuclear issue as a bilateral problem
between the United States. However, even if the United States
spearheads negotiations with Pyongyang, the problem can only be
resolved when the international community is involved.
The first key to the solution is China, the North's long-standing
ally. The tepid and uncooperative role that China has chosen to
play in the call for tougher action against North Korea is partly
responsible for the fruitless disarmament talks. A more active
voice from Beijing could determine the success and failure of future
negotiations.
The South Korean government should employ a more tight-knit, more
SEOUL 00001142 005 OF 010
sophisticated diplomatic effort. It must concoct countermeasures for
a host of possible scenarios, considering recent North Korean
bellicosity has been spurred by the ailing health of its leader Kim
Jong-il.
(We have compared the English version on the website with the Korean
version and added some sentences to make them identical.)
FEATURES
--------------
U.S., N. KOREA NEGOTIATE OVER DETAINED JOURNALISTS
(Chosun Ilbo, July 20, 2009, Page 4)
By Washington Correspondent Lee Ha-won
The U.S. and North Korea have started delicate negotiations over two
American journalists who were detained and sentenced to hard labor
in North Korea, an influential source in Washington said Sunday.
The next three or four weeks will be crucial in deciding whether the
two women can walk free.
The U.S. House of Representatives intended last week to adopt a
resolution urging the North to release reporters Euna Lee and Laura
Ling, and the Senate intended to follow suit, but their plans have
been postponed at the State Department's request, the source said.
The State Department made the request to Congress because it fears
that a resolution could anger the North at a time when the two
countries have entered sensitive negotiations, the source added.
Earlier, on July 10, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked the
North to grant the two amnesty and allow them to return home to
their families.
John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - who
was the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 - and former U.S.
Vice President Al Gore, the founder of the TV station the two
reporters work for, are being mentioned as possible special envoys
to Pyongyang, other sources said.
The U.S. government treats the release of the journalists as a
separate issue from the North's nuclear provocations, but their
release could lead to fresh nuclear talks.
Gary Samore, a non-proliferation expert and WMD coordinator at the
White House, said, "All the sort of straws in the wind vindicate
that North Koreans are probably looking for a way to get back to the
bargaining table."
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is
identical to the Korean version.)
U.S. ENVOY URGES N. KOREA TO REENGAGE IN DIALOGUE
(Yonhap News, July 18, 2009)
By Reporters Lee Chi-dong and Tony Chang
A senior U.S envoy urged North Korea Saturday to take "serious and
irreversible steps" to end its stand-off with the U.S. and other
regional powers, saying it is a precondition for a "comprehensive
package" of incentives.
Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and
Pacific Affairs, also emphasized that it is important to have
patience and keep the door open for dialogue with North Korea, while
enforcing U.N. sanctions on the communist nation for its provocative
actions.
"I would say at this juncture the most important quality that the
U.S., South Korea, Japan, China and Russia can demonstrate is
patience," he told reporters after a closed-door meeting with Deputy
Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon here. Campbell flew into South Korea
SEOUL 00001142 006 OF 010
from Japan earlier in the day for his first trip to South Korea
since assuming his post last month.
He pointed out that U.S. officials have made clear that, "If North
Korea is prepared to take serious and irreversible steps the U.S.,
South Korea, Japan, China and others will be able to put together a
comprehensive package that would be attractive to North Korea. But
in this respect, North Korea really has to take some of the first
steps."
All of the countries are participants in the Six-Party Talks aimed
at scrapping the North's nuclear program. The last formal session
of the Beijing-based negotiations was held in December.
North Korea announced after a long-range rocket launch in April that
it would quit the often-troubled talks. The North also conducted a
second nuclear test in May, prompting the U.N. Security Council to
adopt a resolution imposing a robust set of sanctions on it.
In the latest measure against the North, a U.N. Security Council
committee imposed a travel ban on five North Korean officials and
asset freezes on five more entities for their involvement in missile
and nuclear weapons development.
"We believe there have to be consequences," Campbell said, citing
the U.S. efforts to implement the resolution. "We're looking at a
full range of particular steps designed to put pressure on North
Korea."
He said sanctions are already proving to be effective. He said the
recent turnback of a North Korean cargo ship, Kang Nam 1, is an
example.
The Kang Nam 1 was suspected of carrying illegal weapons to be
exported, probably to Myanmar. After its voyage was closely
monitored by the U.S. Navy for weeks, the ship reversed its course
and returned to North Korea. The U.N. Security Council Resolution
1874, adopted after the North's nuclear test on May 25, authorizes
member countries to take measures to stop the North's arms trade by
air, land, and sea.
Campbell said it sent a message to North Korea and "caused some pain
to the leadership."
He said it is North Korea that should change its course as it has
chosen "lies, greater tensions, greater hardship for its people,
more isolation and a lack of engagement in the international
economy."
On a proposed five-way meeting without North Korea, meanwhile,
Campbell said it is unlikely to be held in the near future.
"I think the U.S. and South Korea have explored the option of a
five-party meeting at some point. Preparations need to be taken for
such a meeting. I'm not sure we'll be ready to do it in Phuket," he
said. Some said that the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to be held in
the Thai resort island next week may set the stage for such a
five-way event. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her
counterparts from South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia are
scheduled to attend the ARF.
"But the U.S. and South Korea are busy coordinating our respective
positions and ensure that all the members have an opportunity to
interact, if not in a collective setting, then bilaterally in
Thailand," he added.
South Korea supports such a five-way gathering for discussions on
how to bring the North to the disarmament talks but China, which
chairs the negotiations, takes a lukewarm stance apparently due to
concerns that it will make the North Koreans feel more isolated and
have a negative impact on the Six-Party format.
The U.S. official plans to hold a series of meetings with other top
South Korean officials including Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and
SEOUL 00001142 007 OF 010
Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, on Monday before heading to
Thailand later in the day.
Campbell said he will "consult on a wide range of issues,
particularly relating to North Korea to make sure of our common
strategy."
His trip comes as the North shows no signs of bowing to the
international pressure.
On Saturday, Pyongyang's official news agency KCNA belatedly
reported comments by the country's number two leader Kim Yong-nam at
the Non-Aligned Movement summit of 118 nations in Egypt earlier this
week.
"Noting that not only the peace and security of the country but also
the dignity of the nation and sovereignty of the DPRK (North Korea)
have been grossly violated by the high-handed acts of the U.S., Kim
asserted that if such acts of the U.S. are allowed to go on, the
DPRK would be totally deprived of the legitimate right to use
space," the KCNA said, referring to the international condemnation
of its failed satellite launch in April.
"The DPRK can never accept dialogue or negotiations minus the
principle of respect for sovereignty and equal sovereignty," Kim was
quoted as saying. "The prevailing situation compelled the DPRK
government to take decisive steps to bolster up its nuclear
deterrence."
KURT CAMPBELL CALLS ON NORTH KOREA TO ABANDON ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM AS
(PRECONDITION) FOR PROVIDING ATTRACTIVE PACKAGE
(JoongAng Ilbo, July 20, page 13; EXCERPTS)
By Reporter Ye Yong-joon
On his visit to the ROK, Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State
for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said that (the U.S.) will pursue
a "two-track strategy" as a framework of its North Korea policy.
Under the strategy, the U.S. will attempt to sanction North Korea,
while seeking to hold talks with the North.
Campbell's remarks are significant in that the U.S. North Korea
policy, which the Obama Administration has reviewed for six months
since its inauguration, was revealed. Previously, on July 17, when
questioned by foreign reporters about whether now is the time to
change the U.S. approach to North Korea, Assistant Secretary of
State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley said that the U.S. has
what could be called a "new approach."
Assistant Secretary Campbell's remarks about providing a
"comprehensive package" in return for North Korea's abandoning its
nuclear ambitions are not much different from the North Korea policy
which the U.S. has espoused so far. However, he made it clear that
the U.S. will draw the line between (the current approach) and the
"pattern" of the second term of the former Bush Administration in
terms of strategies or negotiation styles.
Campbell noted that it is important to continue to sanction North
Korea, put pressure on the North through international cooperation,
and bring North Korea back to the negotiating table.
In particular, it is noteworthy that Campbell called on North Korea
to take some steps first, stressing that North Korea should be the
first to take action. This approach is different from the "action
for action" principle underscored by North Korea in the Six-Party
Talks and accepted by the U.S. This indicates that (the previous)
phased approach to resolve North Korean issues and to provide
rewards to the North could be under review. His emphasis on
irreversible steps is starkly different from the negotiation pattern
of the second term of the Bush Administration.
The Obama Administration is reviving the terms that have disappeared
from the Six-Party Talks for quite a while. This is interpreted to
SEOUL 00001142 008 OF 010
mean that (the Obama Administration) cool-headedly evaluated the
Six-Party Talks process of the previous government, which focused on
rewarding North Korea in return for its disablement of the Yongbyon
nuclear facilities. Since North Korea's second nuclear test,
criticism has been mounting in the U.S. that North Korea often
delayed the nuclear disablement or reversed course by returning to
the original status. This led to five countries, including the ROK
and the U.S., being dragged (about) by North Korea.
U.S. MAY PROVIDE "COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE" (TO NORTH KOREA)
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, July 20, page 6; EXCERPTS)
By Reporter Lee Yong-in
It is, in fact, the first time since North Korea's long-range rocket
launch and its second nuclear test, that a high-ranking U.S.
official officially said that (the U.S.) may provide a
"comprehensive package." Assistant Secretary Campbell's remarks on
a comprehensive package that would be "attractive" to North Korea
could be interpreted as an indication of the U.S.' strong overtures
for dialogue.
It seems that Campbell's approach is in the planning stage. A
senior ROK official said that the U.S. has not yet laid out detailed
plans or road maps, adding that it will take time. Also, while
stating that (the U.S.) could put together a comprehensive package
that would be attractive to North Korea, Kurt Campbell, Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, called on
North Korea to take sincere steps first. This should be coordinated
between the U.S. and North Korea. It is not yet known what first
steps Campbell demanded the North take. However, there is a high
possibility that the first steps will include North Korea's promise
not to aggravate the situation further and stop developing nuclear
programs such as the reprocessing of plutonium.
The Obama Administration pursues dialogue and pressure at the same
time, and will take resolute action against North Korea's
provocations. Therefore, it seems too early to expect that the U.S.
and North Korea will (soon) enter into negotiations.
U.S. SEEKS COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION FOR N. KOREA NUKES
(Chosun Ilbo, July 20, 2009, Page 1, 4)
By Reporter Lim Min-hyul
The U.S. is looking for a comprehensive solution to the North Korean
nuclear problem instead of the step-by-step approach previously
favored.
The new approach was suggested by Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who visited
Seoul on Saturday. After meeting Deputy Foreign Minister Lee
Yong-joon on Saturday, he told reporters, "If North Korea is
prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., the ROK,
Japan, China and others will be able to put together a comprehensive
package that would be attractive to North Korea."
Asked about incentives for North Korea to return to the Six-Party
Talks, Campbell said none are necessary and that North Korea has to
pay the price for provocations. He said the North will find its
isolation and economic plight unbearable and eventually come to
dialogue. At the same time, he added, it is important to convey a
message to the North that the door is open when it wants to return
to the negotiation table.
Prior to this, Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary of Public
Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, said during a July 17
(local time) press briefing in Washington, "If North Korea wants to
return to the denuclearization process, we'll be supportive of
that," adding, "We are not waiting for North Korea. We are
aggressively doing things where (the North Koreans) pay a price for
this recalcitrance." He also noted, "We have what I would call a
SEOUL 00001142 009 OF 010
new approach."
These statements suggest that Washington's North Korea strategy is
to create a situation, through tough sanctions under UN Security
Council Resolution 1874, where Pyongyang has no choice but to return
to the table and, when dialogue starts, to find a swift and complete
resolution through a comprehensive package deal.
The U.S. seems to have in mind a package settlement in which all
available bargaining chips are placed on the same table: From the
U.S., the establishment of diplomatic relations with the North, a
security guarantee to the North, economic and energy assistance to
Pyongyang; and from the North, nuclear weapons, programs and
facilities, and missiles.
It was reported that the U.S. has not devised the details of the
comprehensive package yet. An ROKG official said on July 19,
"Because the current situation is still focused on sanctions, rather
than on dialogue, the U.S. has just provided a large framework. As
to what may be included in the package or how to approach it,
consultations with related nations are necessary." However, the ROK
and the U.S. seem to have discussed this issue in advance. An (ROK)
foreign policy and security official said, "When I met with key Blue
House officials after the ROK-U.S. summit last month, they told me,
'President Lee Myung-bak said that he was interested in a package
deal to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and asked me what I
thought of the deal,'" adding, "There seemed to be some kind of
proposal from the U.S."
An ROKG official noted, "The comprehensive package stemmed from a
reconsideration of the phased approach led by former U.S. Chief
Negotiator to the Six-Party Talks Christopher Hill." In other
words, the current USG intends to shorten the timeframe (to resolve
the nuclear issue) while taking a direct approach to "nuclear
dismantlement."
Although the September 19, 2005, Joint Statement, produced by former
Assistant Secretary Hill, set the goal, it did not have agreement on
specific ways to implement it. Therefore, (the related parties) had
to reach an agreement at every stage on how to implement the steps.
Consequently, whenever specific roadmaps, such as the February 13,
2007 Agreement and the October 4, 2007 Agreement, were created,
North Korea changed its words and made new demands. Furthermore,
after the North rolled back its disablement process, (the September
19 Joint Statement) became a mere scrap of paper.
In this context, the term "CVID (Complete, Verifiable, and
Irreversible Nuclear Dismantlement)" is carrying more weight these
days. The CVID, the early Bush Administration's principle on the
North Korean nuclear issue, was once considered as exclusively
belonging to the neo-cons and thus was almost excluded from the
Six-Party Talks, but the current Democratic administration in the
U.S. is actively raising the need for the principle.
Of course, there is a long way to go before the comprehensive
package plan is realized. To date, under the phased approach,
Pyongyang has successfully pretended to join the negotiations,
pocketed benefits, and then retracted its promises. However, under
the comprehensive package, it is impossible to renege on promises
later. Therefore, although North Korea's "intention of abandoning
nuclear programs" is absolutely needed for the comprehensive
package, it does not appear easy for the North to make such a
decision in the current situation. A diplomatic source said, "Due
to uncertainty over North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's health and the
growing influence of the North Korean military leadership, the
situation may become more difficult."
(Editor's Note: We have compared the English version on the website
with the Korean version and added some paragraphs to make them
identical. The same story was also reported by the Dong-a Ilbo and
the Hankook Ilbo. Under the headline, "With 'Sticks' in One Hand,
Washington Sends Pyongyang Signal for Dialogue," the Hankook Ilbo
reported: "There is still a pessimistic view on the possibility that
U.S.-North Korea negotiations may resume in the near future.
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Washington's position is that North Korea should first take steps
toward denuclearization, and Pyongyang cannot easily accept this.
Some observers say that Washington's "new approach" is a "more
direct and tough" response based on the judgment that North Korea is
pursuing nuclear programs in order to become a nuclear-possessing
state, instead of gaining an edge over the U.S. at the negotiation
table.")
STEPHENS