SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; September 8, 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 SEOUL 001436 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; September 8, 2009 TOP HEADLINES -------------- Chosun Ilbo, Hankook Ilbo, Segye Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun Pyongyang Does Not Apologize for ROK Casualties Caused by Its Dam Discharge JoongAng Ilbo 34 Heads of Local Governments Support Mergers with Other Cities or Counties Dong-a Ilbo Government Agencies Out of Step over "Green Projects" Hankyoreh Shinmun Peace Forum Launched to Continue Engagement Policy toward Pyongyang DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS -------------- In response to the ROK's demand for an explanation for the sudden rise in water level along the Imjin River that has claimed at least three ROK lives so far, North Korea admitted Monday that it released water from one of its dams after flash flooding occurred along the river on Sunday. Seoul still expressed regret, saying that the North did not mention the casualties caused by the unannounced discharge, adding that it would seek an inter-Korean accord to prevent a recurrence. (All) Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association Sakong Il, who also heads the G-20 Summit Korea Coordination Committee, will visit the U.S. from September 8-10 as a special envoy of President Lee Myung-bak to prepare for the G20 summit. (Chosun) The Barack Obama and George W. Bush Administrations are the same in that they intend to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue within a multilateral framework and place importance on a nuclear non-proliferation policy, but the Obama Administration departs from the Bush Administration by seeking a reduction of its own nuclear stockpile and a comprehensive package deal with North Korea. (Dong-a) INTERNATIONAL NEWS -------------- The World Food Programme said in its report, which recently appeared in a magazine published by the ROK's Korea Development Institute, that a third of North Korean women and young children are malnourished and the North will run short of food by almost 1.8 million tons this year. (Hankyoreh, Seoul) MEDIA ANALYSIS -------------- North Korean denuclearization - Ambassador Bosworth's trip Conservative Dong-a Ilbo said in its inside-page feature story that the Barack Obama and George W. Bush Administrations are the same in that they intend to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue within a multilateral framework and give importance to nuclear 
non-proliferation policy, but the Obama Administration makes a departure from the Bush Administration by seeking a reduction of its own nuclear stockpile and a comprehensive package deal with North Korea. On their Monday editions, right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo and moderate Hankook Ilbo quoted Ambassador Bosworth as saying in an apparent response to Pyongyang's call for direct dialogue with the U.S., that there is no fundamental change in North Korea's attitude and, SEOUL 00001436 002 OF 008 therefore, this is not the time to start a dialogue with North Korea. He was quoted further as saying that even if (the United States has) a bilateral dialogue with the North, it will be held within the context of the Six-Party Talks. Joongang Ilbo reported that through consultations with Ambassador Bosworth, the ROK and the U.S. coordinated their stances to seek a two-track approach of sanctions and dialogue in dealing with the North. Hankyoreh Shinmun quoted a high-ranking ROKG official as saying, "We are not currently considering a visit by Ambassador Bosworth to North Korea." JoongAng Ilbo reported on Monday that the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said a black and white satellite image of the Yongbyon nuclear facility showed key parts of the reactor still in disrepair. The daily also replayed a Christian Science Monitor story saying that North Korea's uranium claim "appears as a grab for the attention of the U.S. and other major powers." In reference to North Korea's claim that it has entered the final phase of uranium enrichment, Chosun Ilbo reported on Saturday that North Korea has moved from "begging (for dialogue) to threatening." JoongAng Ilbo reported on Monday that Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a ranking U.S. Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called for the re-designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, saying that Washington's North Korea policy has failed. Afghanistan Moderate Hankook Ilbo reported that there is discord among Western troop-contributing nations over Afghan policies. While the U.S. plans to deploy additional troops to Afghanistan, the U.K, Germany, and France recently said that an international conference would be held this year to discuss the transfer of security control to the Afghan government, which can be interpreted as the three nations' desire to "wash their hands of" Afghanistan. JoongAng Ilbo and Hankook Ilbo reported on Monday that with a large number of civilian casualties in a NATO airstrike, Obama is in a difficult position regarding a new Afghan strategy. Under the headline, "Will Russia Join Hands with the U.S. in Obama's War?" Hankyoreh Shinmun reported in its Monday edition that Russia made clear its intention to join Western allied forces in the war in Afghanistan, and the U.S. and NATO responded positively to it. Japan Chosun Ilbo, in its September 7 edition, quoted Japanese media reports as saying that although Japan's Prime Minister-elect Yukio Hatoyama picked Katsuya Okada, who has stressed a "balance" in foreign policy, instead of focusing on the U.S. , to be foreign minister, there will be no big change in pending issues, including the redeployment of U.S. troops in Japan, for the time being. OPINIONS/EDITORIALS -------------- "WE SHOULD NOT GIVE IN TO NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR THREAT" (Dong-a Ilbo, September 5, 2009, page 27) "The international community, including the UN, must consistently maintain its position that it will strengthen sanctions in response to North Korea's threat. Cooperation between the ROK and the U.S. should be, of course, watertight... The two nations should remind the North that the only solution (to the current standoff) is for the North to return to the Six-Party Talks and take a path toward denuclearization. They also need to clearly warn Pyongyang that additional provocations will only ratchet up sanctions against the North. China should now take specific actions so that the North will change its attitude." SEOUL 00001436 003 OF 008 "HOW SHOULD WE DEAL WITH NORTH KOREA, WHICH HAS NO INTENTION OF ABANDONING ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS?" (Chosun Ilbo, September 5, 2009, page 35) Conservative Chosun Ilbo editorialized (09/05): "It is more realistic to think that the North Korean nuclear issue does not depend on the outcome of the Six-Party Talks or U.S.-North Korea dialogue but on (the survival of) the North Korean regime. To date, the international community has tried to ignore a pessimistic view that Pyongyang will never give up its nuclear ambitions as long as it survives. However, a moment of truth will arrive some day, and then, everyone will have to face up to the reality... While managing the situation regarding the North with pressure and dialogue, we should prepare for the moment that will determine the fate of the Korean Peninsula." NORTH'S RIDICULOUS POSTURING (JoongAng Ilbo, September 5, 2009, page 34: Excerpts) North Korea has challenged international society once again. When the United Nations Security Council asked North Korea to explain why it violated UN resolutions, it did not present any excuses. Instead, it resorted to provocative language, increasing a nuclear threat. Pyongyang has revealed that tests to make weapons using plutonium and uranium were successful and has made clear that it will face any sanctions with "strengthened nuclear control." The attitude of North Korea is ridiculous. Its actions are like a wild child waving a weapon, cutting himself and creating a scene in the marketplace. It is a shame because the North Korean people would not have to starve anymore if the government thought about how it could (improve living conditions) with the budget that is going into developing nuclear weapons. It appears as if North Korea's actions are based on its own calculations. North Korea said it has linked its nuclear armament to what it regards as a hostile North Korea policy pursued by United States. It also said the United States should meet the demands of North Korea at negotiations to advance denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the rest of the world. The unique point about the recent incident is that North Korea went further than just the Korean Peninsula and mentioned "world denuclearization." The claim was aimed at U.S. President Barack Obama, who is pursuing international denuclearization. Success of the uranium tests was mentioned as a subtle threat, showing it could pursue the development of uranium nuclear weapons, which are more difficult to observe and trace than plutonium nuclear weapons. North Korea may have (announced that it has) new uranium nuclear developments, but its actions are not new. It says it is not against denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula or the world, but s-e-c-r-e-t-l-y it has no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons. The fact that North Korea has always found an excuse for nuclear armament and has actively pursued such a program for almost 20 years proves this point. If we take our eyes off the ball, tensions could rapidly rise on the Korean Peninsula. We need to show that we will always stand firm and we need to demand evidence that the North is genuine about denuclearization. Neglecting North Korean nuclear armament is likely to turn into a bigger problem for the ROK and international society. The only solution is for North Korea to quit its nuclear weapons program through compromise, a concept the communist country is not familiar with, but should be. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) SEOUL 00001436 004 OF 008 NORTH KOREA'S LETTER: REQUEST FOR NEGOTIATIONS (Hankyoreh Shinmun, September 5, 2009, page 23) North Korea sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday in which it criticized international sanctions and announced its intentions to improve its nuclear capabilities. Although it cannot be interpreted as a new provocation, we feel regret over any possible negative effects it may have on resuming negotiations. We are especially concerned about the effect of North Korea's declaration, "We are in the last stages of uranium enrichment." This letter was a response to the UNSC's request for an explanation about the fact that a North Korean ship was detained by the United Arab Emirates because of weapons on board. In this letter, North Korea fails to recognize UNSC resolutions related to sanctions. Moreover, North Korea focuses on direct negotiations with the U.S. by saying, "The denuclearization of the Korea Peninsula is closely related to the U.S.'s nuclear policy on the Korean Peninsula." This can be interpreted to mean that North Korea has made it clear that it will counter sanctions by improving its nuclear capability, but hopes for dialogue with the U.S. The attitude of the letter is in line with its recent behavior to improve the environment for negotiations with the ROK and the U.S. There is no precedent for evaluating North Korea's recent moves, including the content of this letter, either pessimistically or optimistically. In addition, we believe no country thinks that the matter can be solved by sanctions alone, and the resumption of negotiations regarding the nuclear issue is not going to be easy. As a result, there seems to be no other way but to find a new framework for negotiations and talks while sanctions are in place. During this process, every country involved should restrain from provoking each other. What is critical now is the creation of an effective negotiation framework in order to completely resolve the nuclear issue while controlling the factors (that might lead to) conflict. The U.S. and China talks have demonstrated these efforts, and the visit of U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth to Seoul on Saturday can be seen as related (to these efforts to create a negotiation framework.) The problem facing us now is speed and depth. It has been two months since the U.S. appointed Kurt Campbell as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and his announcement that preparations of a "comprehensive package" for North Korea were underway. Matters could proceed on a positive note once dialogue begins, however, further delay could have a negative effect. Every participating country should work with this in mind and stop waiting for a better environment to emerge. The ROKG should be making an effort to speed up dialogue as a matter of the highest priority. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) FEATURES -------------- BOSWORTH SAYS THAT NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO RESUME TALKS WITH NORTH KOREA (JoongAng Ilbo, September 7, 2009, page10: Excerpts) By Reporter Ye Yeoung-june Through consultations with U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth, the ROK and the U.S. coordinated their positions to seek a two-track approach of sanctions and dialogue in dealing with the North. The two-track approach is fundamentally different from the ones in the past in that the U.S. SEOUL 00001436 005 OF 008 will not lift sanctions even if it engages in talks with the North. An ROKG official said that, in the past, sanctions became futile when talks began with North Korea. There was a continuous pattern in which North Korea initiated talks at its will and halted them, citing excuses. This led to North Korea buying time to continue its nuclear development. The two-track approach also calls for seeking an ultimate solution through negotiation while leaving the door of dialogue open. This will remain as a guiding principle as long as the ROK and the U.S. want to solve the North Korean nuclear issue diplomatically. However, for the present, the ROK and the U.S. share the view that they should not yet hastily accept North Korea's overtures for talks even though (North Korea) expressed a keen interest (in having the talks) by making a flurry of conciliatory moves. The ROK and the U.S. are not rejecting Pyongyang's suggestion of talks but are urging North Korea to demonstrate its seriousness first. An ROKG official said that the ROK and the U.S. have not laid out any definite and concrete conditions for resuming talks but the conditions will be set in a flexible manner. But the one (condition) that has been consistently reiterated by both countries is that North Korea should return to the Six-Party Talks. BOSWORTH RESTATES NEED FOR SIX-PARTY FRAMEWORK (JoongAng Daily, September 7, 2009) By Reporter Yoo Jee-ho The U.S. Special Representative for North Korea (Policy) believes Pyongyang hasn't fundamentally changed, despite its recent conciliatory moves, and that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula remains a goal for Washington and its dialogue partners at the Six-Party table. Stephen Bosworth, who wrapped up his three-day stay in Seoul yesterday, also said the United States would have bilateral talks with North Korea only within the Six-Party framework. Bosworth, who met with ROK Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and chief nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac over the weekend, said he was "pleased" with the level of agreement and coordination between Washington and Seoul, and said, "We are agreed entirely that denuclearization, complete and verifiable, of the Korean peninsula remains our core interest in engagement with the North Koreans." Bosworth, former U.S. Ambassador to the ROK, added the United States and its partners "remain committed to the Six-Party process." "As we've indicated in the past, we're prepared to engage bilaterally as well with the North Koreans, but only in the context of the Six-Party process," Bosworth added. The diplomat also noted that there has not been any fundamental change on North Korea's part, despite the recent release of the two American journalists from Pyongyang's detention. "Our primary interest remains the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Bosworth said, "and we continue to look for opportunities to reinitiate this process." Bosworth arrived in Seoul on Friday, the same day North Korea announced that its uranium enrichment program for nuclear weapons development was in its final phase. Bosworth called the nuclear program "a subject of concern" and added the issue "would have to be addressed if we are going to deal comprehensively with the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." "Clearly, it is another manifestation of the problems posed by North Korea's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons," he said. "This is not the first we've heard of (uranium enrichment). It may not be the last." SEOUL 00001436 006 OF 008 An ROK source with knowledge of Bosworth's meeting with Wi said yesterday that the two diplomats agreed that North Korea hasn't changed its position on possessing nuclear weapons and that the United States and the ROK would continue to pursue both sanctions and dialogue in dealing with the nuclear standoff. "This sort of approach is something that will take a while to be effective," the source said. "North Korea may have made some concessions of late, but in areas other than nuclear weapons. The goal is to try to persuade North Korea to make some conciliatory moves in nuclear weapons, too." Russia is prepared to join the ROK and the United States in pressuring North Korea to return to the Six-Party setting, according to a Moscow news report. "Russia is ready to continue working to reach the common goal for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula ... and the creation of conditions for the stable socio-economic development of all the countries in the region," Alexei Borodavkin, Russia's top nuclear representative, told Interfax news agency. "These goals should be reached through negotiations with the participation of the six nations," he added, referring to Russia, the United States, China, Japan and the two Koreas. BOSWORTH ARRIVAL IN SEOUL SIGNALS MAINTENANCE IN TWO-TRACK APPROACH (Hankyoreh Shinmun, September 7, 2009, page 2) By Reporter Lee Je-hoon While U.S. and S. Korea look for stronger signs of North Korea's will to denuclearize, Bosworth leaves open the possibility of a visit to Pyongyang and bilateral North Korea-U.S. talks. Stephen Bosworth, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy, said Sunday that while North Korea's freeing of two U.S. journalists was a welcome development, he believes there has been no fundamental change in North Korea's attitude concerning denuclearization. During a press conference with reporters at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul, Bosworth said that the U.S. and the ROK agree that the core issue is the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and that the nuclear issue requires a multilateral solution. He also added that signs of North Korea's continuing nuclear program, including highly enriched uranium (HEU), are cause for worry, and that the U.S. would deal with the issue in a comprehensive way. He stressed that he has been satisfied with the level of cooperation with the ROK and other partners in executing United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1874, which calls for the inspection of cargo vessels to and from North Korea if states have "reasonable grounds" to believe they contain prohibited items. A high-ranking ROK official who spoke with Bosworth also said that while North Korea's recently moves appear to be conciliatory, since North Korea has revealed that it continues to make progress in developing their nuclear capabilities, there does not appear to be a fundamental change in its attitude. The official also said the ROK has decided to continue working closely with relevant nations to further the goal of bringing North Korea back to the Six-Party Talks. These statements from both Bosworth and the ROK government official suggests that, while North Korea has recently seemed open to a dialogue with the U.S. and the ROK, Washington and Seoul do not believe there has been a meaningful change concerning Pyongyang's will to denuclearize. The statements also suggest a feeling that now is not the time to change the key strategy of the "two track" policy promoting both simultaneous dialogue and sanctions based on UNSC Resolution 1874. The high-ranking ROK official's comments SEOUL 00001436 007 OF 008 underscore (the point) that the Lee Administration's North Korea policy has changed. The ROK and the U.S. also reportedly discussed a response to Pyongyang's invitation to Bosworth to North Korea. A high-ranking ROK official says although Bosworth is not currently thinking of visiting North Korea, if conditions materialize where such a visit would aid the situation, a trip is always possible rather than sending North Korea the wrong signal. The official added that conditions must progress further for such bilateral North Korea-U.S. talks to take place. Meanwhile, Bosworth left open the possibility of a visit to North Korea and bilateral North Korea-U.S. talks, and emphasized that such a visit is not immediately possible. Attention is now focusing on North Korea's response. Bosworth arrived in the ROK on Friday and met with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, Unification Minister Hyun In-taek and Wi Sung-lac, Six-Party Talks chief negotiator. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) NORTH KOREA PUTS PRESSURE ON U.S. TO CHOOSE DIALOGUE OR SANCTIONS (Hankyoreh Shinmun, September 5, 2009, page 4) By Reporter Lee Yong-in Although N. Korea appears to be making concessions, analysts say its letter to the UNSC references uranium enrichment capabilities and presses U.S. to choose dialogue In a letter sent to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday in the name of North Korea's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the country accepted some of the conditions set by the U.S. for dialogue while also attempting to apply reverse pressure on the U.S. to choose between dialogue and sanctions. Around the time of former U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit to North Korea which took place from July 4 to July 5, North Korea urged the U.S. to participate in bilateral dialogue through various channels. It also carried out efforts to create conditions conducive to bilateral dialogue, including making active moves to thaw cold inter-Korean relations such as granting a meeting between Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and the release of the detained Hyundai Asan employee, Yu Seong-jin. Although the U.S. has taken a positive view of these actions by North Korea, (the U.S.) has adhered to the fixed position that these actions are unrelated to the essential issue of North Korea's denuclearization. The U.S. is seeking a political promise of denuclearization from North Korea and an agreement to return to the Six-Party Talks as conditions for dialogue. North Korea's "letter" shows a certain degree of responsiveness to these demands. With regard to an expression of intent to denuclearize, the letter states that it has "never disavowed the denuclearization of the Joseon (Korean) Peninsula and of the world in and of itself." Analysts are speculating that Kim Jong-il made a statement along similar lines during former President Clinton's visit, but this is the first time it has been formalized in a written document. It is also appears to represent a significant retreat from claims made in a statement by North Korea's Foreign Ministry on June 15 objecting to UNSC Resolution 1874 (which established) sanctions against North Korea. In that statement, the Foreign Ministry said, "Denuclearization has become something that can absolutely, utterly never be realized." In connection with the condition of "agreeing to return to Six-Party Talks," the letter says that what North Korea objected to was the "composition of the Six-Party Talks." Analysts are interpreting SEOUL 00001436 008 OF 008 this as a nuanced indication that North Korea has refused to participate in the talks because it opposes the arrangement of five nations against one. "North Korea indicates some flexibility with regard to the format of the talks," says Kim Yeon-cheol, head of the Hankyoreh Peace Research Institute. However, the letter also indicates North Korea's strong aversion to the U.S.'s "two-track strategy" of simultaneously pursuing both sanctions and dialogue and counters that the U.S. has to choose one or the other. Analysts are saying North Korea's announcement that it is extracting and weaponizing plutonium and that its uranium enrichment tests have entered their final stage could be seen as a strategy to draw the U.S. into bilateral dialogue by stressing that time is not on the U.S.'s side. References to uranium enrichment raise an especially sensitive issue, as it is not known precisely what level of technology North Korea possesses. North Korea is saying that the enrichment is for "light water reactor development," but some analysts are expressing concern that if the enrichment process continues, it could also be diverted to military use. There was also a dispute between North Korea and the U.S. over whether North Korea possessed a nuclear weapon-grade uranium enrichment program (UEP) which set off the "second North Korean nuclear crisis" in 2002. "North Korea's open mention of something that they could be doing in secrecy is part of their typical 'discursive diplomacy' intended to maximize their negotiation cards," said a one-time senior official in foreign affairs and national security. "There is no other way to find out the level of North Korea's uranium enrichment capabilities except through discussions and dialogue," the former official added. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) TOKOLA