SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; November 24, 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SEOUL 001846 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; November 24, 2009 TOP HEADLINES -------------- Chosun Ilbo Seoul Holds Forum with Delegates from Africa JoongAng Ilbo ROKG Vows Not to Alienate Other Special Zones in Developing Sejong City into Self-Sufficient City of Science, Business and Education Dong-a Ilbo ROK to Join Donors Club Tomorrow; Seoul to Give Top Priority to Aiding Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam Hankook Ilbo ROKG Accepts Seoul National University (SNU)'s Demands for Making SNU Into an Independently Incorporated Institution; Suspicion that ROKG Gave Special Treatment to SNU In Return for Second SNU Campus in Sejong City Hankyoreh Shinmun Questions Raised about Effectiveness of Sejong City Segye Ilbo, All TVs ROKG Considers Designating Sejong City as National Industrial Complex to Make It Eligible for Government Subsidies for Basic Infrastructure and Other Benefits Seoul Shinmun ROKG Plans to Attract 22 Domestic and Foreign Institutes to Sejong City Domestic Developments A year after the U.S. Visa Waiver Program took effect on Nov. 17, 2008, the number of Koreans who were refused entry into the U.S. has doubled to 361 this year from 196 last year; most of them concealed their past record. (Dong-a) International News According to a senior ROKG source, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth is expected to visit North Korea from Dec. 8-10. The source also said that Ambassador Bosworth is likely to visit Seoul before or after his visit to Pyongyang. (Dong-a, Hankook, Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul, all TVs) Media Analysis -N. Korea -------------- Most ROK media carried reports quoting a senior ROKG source as claiming yesterday that U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth is expected to visit North Korea from Dec. 8-10. Most media recalled USG officials' previous remarks that Ambassador Bosworth will stay in Pyongyang for one and a half days, and conjectured that this one-day extension may suggest the possibility of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Moderate Hankook Ilbo headlined its article: "Will Bosworth Meet Kim Jong-il?" Conservative Segye Ilbo carried an analysis entitled "U.S. Extends Bosworth's Stay to Two Nights and Three Days. Why?" It said: "Diplomatic sources say that even a one-day extension could mean a stark change in bilateral talks. ... The prolonged talks could involve in-depth negotiations to find a common ground between SEOUL 00001846 002 OF 002 the two countries on the nuclear issue, despite the Obama Administration's repeated statement that the talks would be nothing more than a chance to ascertain the North's intentions to return to the Six-Party Talks." FEATURES -------------- NUMBER OF KOREANS WHO WERE REFUSED ENTRY INTO U.S. DOUBLES THIS YEAR (Dong-a Ilbo, November 24, Page 14) By Reporter Cho Jong-yop Attorney Kim Seung-kyo, the co-director of the organization "Solidarity for Practice of the South-North Joint Declaration" arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on November 12 under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP),but was denied entry and had to return home. He is on trial at home for violating the National Security Law in 2008. Even though the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) Web site for VWP travel does not stipulate that a person who is being tried for violating the National Security Law cannot enter without a visa, the U.S. has the right to decide whether to allow entry. Since the VWP, which allows citizens of certain countries to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa, took effect on November 17, 2008, the number of Koreans who were refused entry into the U.S. has doubled. According to the Korea Immigration Service, from January 2008 to October 2008, 677,240 Koreans departed for the U.S. and 196 were denied entry. However, from January 2009 to October 2009, after the VWP was implemented, 617,047 Koreans left for the U.S. and 361 did not receive admission. There are various reasons for being denied entry into the U.S.: the past record of being refused a visa, the possibility or past record of illegally staying in the U.S., an uncertain or false purpose of a visit, and a criminal record. An official at the Korea Immigration Service said, "They are not allowed to travel under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and should obtain a visa, as they did before. However, when requesting entry into the U.S. under the VWP, most of them conceal their past records at the ESTA Web site and therefore are denied entry at a U.S. airport." An immigration official has advised that persons who may be denied entry (under the VWP) should obtain a visa before departure, which will prevent them from being turned away at a U.S. airport. In this regard, Lee Jung-kwan, the Director General of the Foreign Ministry's Overseas Koreans and Consular Affairs Bureau, said, "Although those who were denied entry to the U.S. increased in number, the entry refusal rate among VWP travelers stands at 0.2 percent, which is lower than the 4 percent visa refusal rate for Koreans before the ROK's admission into the VWP." STEPHENS