PDAS DONOVAN'S DECEMBER 2 MEETING WITH MOFAT DG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 001907 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2029 TAGS: PREL PGOV ETRD KS SUBJECT: PDAS DONOVAN'S DECEMBER 2 MEETING WITH MOFAT DG FOR NORTH AMERICAN AFFAIRS Classified By: POL M/C James L. Wayman. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) MOFAT DG for North American Affairs Chang Ho-jin on December 2 told EAP PDAS Joe Donovan the ROK was very pleased with the results of the recent POTUS visit. Chang noted the ROK had identified three potential windows for the agreed upon 2 2 ministerials to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. The event would be ideally suited to showcase a joint vision for the future of the alliance. Strategic flexibility could mark a second more comprehensive phase of the alliance, but selling the concept to the ROK public would be tricky, he cautioned. According to Chang, President Obama's handling of the press availability had proven particularly helpful to the ROKG. End Summary. Venue and Timing for 2 2 -------------- ¶2. (C) On December 2, Director General for North American Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Chang Ho-jin, told EAP PDAS Joe Donovan that his government was very happy with the success of President Obama's recent visit. Chang was particularly happy to see the agreement that Secstate and Secdef would meet their ROK counterparts to commemorate th 60th anniversary of the Korean War. Regarding scheduling of the 2 2, Chang noted Seoul's hope that the meeting could be held on the margins of Secstate's Asia visit for ARF meetings or Secdef's Asia visit for Shangri-La meetings. He opined that the 60th anniversary would be an excellent opportunity to focus public attention on the future development of the alliance. Chang stressed the ROK was not seeking to institutionalize the 2 2. 2 2 Deliverables and Future of the Alliance -------------- ¶3. (C) Chang suggested it would be important to collaborate on ideas to showcase ways in which the alliance was evolving and becoming more comprehensive. Highlighting cooperation beyond the traditional scope of defending against the DPRK threat would be a good tack, Chang believed. Donovan concurred, suggesting a forward-looking approach that emphasized the alliance role in ensuring peace on the Peninsula as a foundation and then expanded to global cooperation. Chang suggested that the concept of strategic flexibility could mark a "second phase" in the evolution of the alliance, although he was not convinced the 2 2 was the appropriate forum to discuss the concept. Selling the ROK Public on Strategic Flexibility -------------- -- ¶4. (C) Strategic flexibility was a sensitive topic in the ROK, Chang said, because opposition parties could readily exploit the issue. As an example, he suggested it would be important to keep separate discussions of strategic flexibility and Yongsan relocation. Otherwise, opposition groups could make the argument that the ROK financial burden for relocating the U.S. Army Post would somehow also be used to subsidize U.S. military missions off the Peninsula, he explained. Chang claimed that Ministry of National Defense officials still did not fully grasp the concept. He said MOFAT officials also want to better understand the U.S. proposal. Donovan noted that in a Korean contingency, the ROK would benefit greatly from U.S. force augmentation from off the Peninsula, suggesting that strategic flexibility was the concept that allowed this to happen. Summit Successes -------------- ¶5. (C) Chang said the ROKG was very happy with President Obama's recent visit for several reasons. For example, the President's response to thorny questions during the press availability had been "wonderful," Chang said. Specifically, President Obama's comments regarding U.S. support for President Lee Myung-bak's DPRK policy had helped mitigate public anxiety that there might be daylight between the two sides. President Obama's handling of questions regarding the KORUS FTA was also perfect, Chang said. He further noted that the ROKG was also very pleased with the strong political will to remove hurdles to final KORUS passage and the "serious in-depth discussions" which took place on the issue. STEPHENS