Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SEOUL1152
2009-07-22 05:37:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Seoul
Cable title:
SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; July 22, 2009
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SEOUL 001152
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; July 22, 2009
TOP HEADLINES
--------------
Chosun Ilbo, All TVs
Ruling GNP Poised to Railroad Disputed Media Reform Bills by Having
National Assembly Speaker Invoke Authority to Put the Bills to Vote
JoongAng Ilbo
GNP's Final Version of Media Reform Bills Calls for Newspaper
Companies with Only Less than 25 Percent of the Country's Total
Readership to be Allowed to Enter Broadcasting Industry
Dong-a Ilbo
ROKG Issues New Unification Education Guidelines Describing N.
Korea's Political System as "Regressive"
Hankook Ilbo
Countdown to "Big Clash" at National Assembly
Opposition DP Lawmakers Threaten to Resign En Masse if Ruling GNP
Railroads Media Reform Bills
Hankyoreh Shinmun
Ruling Party Bent on Opening the Way for Major Conservative
Newspapers to Control Broadcasting Industry
Segye Ilbo
Sources Knowledgeable about N. Korea: "There is Nothing Wrong with
Kim Jong-il's Health"
Seoul Shinmun
Signs of Inflation in ROK Asset Markets
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
--------------
Officials from the U.S.-based Lockheed Martin and Hyundai Heavy
Industries said yesterday that they would jointly produce an Aegis
midsized high-tech guided missile vessel and sell it to a third
country. (JoongAng, Dong-a, Hankyoreh, Seoul)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
--------------
Foreign ministers of the five countries of the Six-Party Talks,
excluding North Korea, gathered in Phuket, Thailand yesterday for
the first time since North Korea's second nuclear test to attend the
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). The foreign ministers are likely to
discuss a "comprehensive package" for North Korea's
denuclearization, which was mentioned in Seoul by Kurt Campbell,
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific
Affairs. (JoongAng)
In a related development, a North Korean delegation to the ARF was
quoted as saying, when asked about whether they would meet with the
U.S. side, "It will depend on the situation." (JoongAng, Hankook,
Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul)
MEDIA ANALYSIS
--------------
-ASEAN Regional Forum/ N. Korea
--------------
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo ran an inside-page report noting that
the July 22-24 ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Phuket, Thailand will
provide an opportunity for the five countries of the Six-Party
Talks, excluding North Korea, to come together for the first time
since the North's second nuclear test. The report speculated that
the foreign ministers of the five countries are likely to discuss a
"comprehensive package" for North Korea's denuclearization, which
SEOUL 00001152 002 OF 002
was mentioned in Seoul by Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of
State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
In a related development, most ROK media quoted a North Korean
delegation to the ARF as saying, when asked about whether they would
meet with U.S. officials at the ARF, "It will depend on the
situation."
Moderate Hankook Ilbo and Seoul Shinmun carried a quote from
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said in a July 20 ABC
interview that she is "very hopeful" that the two American
journalists detained in North Korea will be freed. The newspapers
interpreted this remark as indicating that behind-the-scenes
negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea to release the
journalists may be yielding tangible results.
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
--------------
NO MORE RASH OFFERS TO N. Korea
(Chosun Ilbo, July 22, 2009, Page 27)
Citing comments made in a recent video meeting between the Financial
Supervisory Commission and U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs, the
Financial Times reported Tuesday that South Korea is preparing a
US$40 billion aid fund to lure North Korea back to nuclear
disarmament talks. A government official denied the FT report,
saying no specific plans were mentioned during that meeting, but the
official added it "marks the start of efforts to draw global
interest in 'Vision 3000: Denuclearization and Openness.'" (Vision
3000] was an election pledge of President Lee Myung-bak that calls
for boosting North Korea's per capita national income to $3,000 in a
decade in return for denuclearization and opening.
Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs, said in Seoul earlier this week, "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." In
other words, the U.S. government would continue to use pressure and
sanctions to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and
missiles, but dialogue must resume at some point to end the nuclear
standoff; South Korea and the U.S. are considering major incentives
for North Korea if it complies.
The "Vision 3000" statement contains plans such as: nurturing 100
North Korean export companies; training 300,000 workers; and
(constructing] a new highway connecting Seoul and Pyongyang. These
projects dwarf all previous South Korean aid to North Korea in terms
of size and cost. There is speculation that Lee may announce this
plan during his speech commemorating Independence Day on Aug. 15.
The government must heed, however, the lessons of past failed
efforts that used carrots to entice North Korea to abandon its
nuclear weapons. Nor can South Korea be left paying 70 percent of
the costs, as it ended up doing as part of the 1994 Geneva Accords,
a process to which the South was not even allowed to attend. What
is needed is a rational division of costs, involving international
organizations as well as the other countries in the Six-Party Talks.
President Lee said recently, "We gave huge amounts of money to
North Korea over the past decade, but there are suspicions that the
money was used to arm North Korea with nuclear weapons, rather than
helping it open itself to the outside world." The main reason why
previous administrations get such criticism is that support for
North Korea did not result from a widespread public consensus in
South Korea, and that the process was not transparent. This
administration must not repeat those mistakes.
(This translation was provided by the newspaper, and with our edits
is identical to the Korean version.]
STEPHENS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; July 22, 2009
TOP HEADLINES
--------------
Chosun Ilbo, All TVs
Ruling GNP Poised to Railroad Disputed Media Reform Bills by Having
National Assembly Speaker Invoke Authority to Put the Bills to Vote
JoongAng Ilbo
GNP's Final Version of Media Reform Bills Calls for Newspaper
Companies with Only Less than 25 Percent of the Country's Total
Readership to be Allowed to Enter Broadcasting Industry
Dong-a Ilbo
ROKG Issues New Unification Education Guidelines Describing N.
Korea's Political System as "Regressive"
Hankook Ilbo
Countdown to "Big Clash" at National Assembly
Opposition DP Lawmakers Threaten to Resign En Masse if Ruling GNP
Railroads Media Reform Bills
Hankyoreh Shinmun
Ruling Party Bent on Opening the Way for Major Conservative
Newspapers to Control Broadcasting Industry
Segye Ilbo
Sources Knowledgeable about N. Korea: "There is Nothing Wrong with
Kim Jong-il's Health"
Seoul Shinmun
Signs of Inflation in ROK Asset Markets
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
--------------
Officials from the U.S.-based Lockheed Martin and Hyundai Heavy
Industries said yesterday that they would jointly produce an Aegis
midsized high-tech guided missile vessel and sell it to a third
country. (JoongAng, Dong-a, Hankyoreh, Seoul)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
--------------
Foreign ministers of the five countries of the Six-Party Talks,
excluding North Korea, gathered in Phuket, Thailand yesterday for
the first time since North Korea's second nuclear test to attend the
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). The foreign ministers are likely to
discuss a "comprehensive package" for North Korea's
denuclearization, which was mentioned in Seoul by Kurt Campbell,
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific
Affairs. (JoongAng)
In a related development, a North Korean delegation to the ARF was
quoted as saying, when asked about whether they would meet with the
U.S. side, "It will depend on the situation." (JoongAng, Hankook,
Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul)
MEDIA ANALYSIS
--------------
-ASEAN Regional Forum/ N. Korea
--------------
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo ran an inside-page report noting that
the July 22-24 ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Phuket, Thailand will
provide an opportunity for the five countries of the Six-Party
Talks, excluding North Korea, to come together for the first time
since the North's second nuclear test. The report speculated that
the foreign ministers of the five countries are likely to discuss a
"comprehensive package" for North Korea's denuclearization, which
SEOUL 00001152 002 OF 002
was mentioned in Seoul by Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of
State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
In a related development, most ROK media quoted a North Korean
delegation to the ARF as saying, when asked about whether they would
meet with U.S. officials at the ARF, "It will depend on the
situation."
Moderate Hankook Ilbo and Seoul Shinmun carried a quote from
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said in a July 20 ABC
interview that she is "very hopeful" that the two American
journalists detained in North Korea will be freed. The newspapers
interpreted this remark as indicating that behind-the-scenes
negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea to release the
journalists may be yielding tangible results.
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
--------------
NO MORE RASH OFFERS TO N. Korea
(Chosun Ilbo, July 22, 2009, Page 27)
Citing comments made in a recent video meeting between the Financial
Supervisory Commission and U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs, the
Financial Times reported Tuesday that South Korea is preparing a
US$40 billion aid fund to lure North Korea back to nuclear
disarmament talks. A government official denied the FT report,
saying no specific plans were mentioned during that meeting, but the
official added it "marks the start of efforts to draw global
interest in 'Vision 3000: Denuclearization and Openness.'" (Vision
3000] was an election pledge of President Lee Myung-bak that calls
for boosting North Korea's per capita national income to $3,000 in a
decade in return for denuclearization and opening.
Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and
Pacific Affairs, said in Seoul earlier this week, "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." In
other words, the U.S. government would continue to use pressure and
sanctions to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and
missiles, but dialogue must resume at some point to end the nuclear
standoff; South Korea and the U.S. are considering major incentives
for North Korea if it complies.
The "Vision 3000" statement contains plans such as: nurturing 100
North Korean export companies; training 300,000 workers; and
(constructing] a new highway connecting Seoul and Pyongyang. These
projects dwarf all previous South Korean aid to North Korea in terms
of size and cost. There is speculation that Lee may announce this
plan during his speech commemorating Independence Day on Aug. 15.
The government must heed, however, the lessons of past failed
efforts that used carrots to entice North Korea to abandon its
nuclear weapons. Nor can South Korea be left paying 70 percent of
the costs, as it ended up doing as part of the 1994 Geneva Accords,
a process to which the South was not even allowed to attend. What
is needed is a rational division of costs, involving international
organizations as well as the other countries in the Six-Party Talks.
President Lee said recently, "We gave huge amounts of money to
North Korea over the past decade, but there are suspicions that the
money was used to arm North Korea with nuclear weapons, rather than
helping it open itself to the outside world." The main reason why
previous administrations get such criticism is that support for
North Korea did not result from a widespread public consensus in
South Korea, and that the process was not transparent. This
administration must not repeat those mistakes.
(This translation was provided by the newspaper, and with our edits
is identical to the Korean version.]
STEPHENS