SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; December 8, 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 SEOUL 001928 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; December 8, 2009 TOP HEADLINES -------------- Chosun Ilbo Number of Students who Get Perfect Scores on College Entrance Math Test Increases Ninefold This Year JoongAng Ilbo Senior ROKG Official: "It will be Difficult to Relocate Head Offices of Large Companies to Sejong City" Dong-a Ilbo "Last Chance to Save the Planet"... Climate Conference Opens in Copenhagen Hankook Ilbo ROKG to Present Two Alternative Development Plans for Sejong City This Year Hankyoreh Shinmun Prosecutors Did Not Summon Former National Tax Service Chief Even After Securing Testimony that the Former NTS Chief Received Money from Local Shipping Company Segye Ilbo ROKG Seeks Electrification of 19 Railways Nationwide Seoul Shinmun, All TVs Annual College Entrance Exam Results Announced DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS -------------- The ROK and the U.S. will hold their first "two-plus-two" meeting attended by director-level foreign affairs and defense officials from the two countries in Washington early next week in order to prepare for next year's ministerial-level "two-plus-two" meeting. (Dong-a) INTERNATIONAL NEWS -------------- According to the Dec. 7 issue of Japan's Asahi Shimbun, the ROK, the U.S. and Japan have begun drawing up a roadmap for denuclearizing North Korea in preparation for the North's return to the Six-Party Talks. (Hankook, Segye, Seoul) MEDIA ANALYSIS -------------- -Ambassador Bosworth's Visit to North Korea -------------- Most media gave attention to U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth's trip to North Korea today. Conservative Chosun Ilbo editorialized: "There is concern in the ROK that North Korea will not give up its nuclear ambitions and that the countries in the Six-Party Talks may move to bury the North's past nuclear activities and focus on preventing the North from proliferating its current and future nuclear weapons and technologies. Giving tacit approval to the North's past nuclear activities or putting the issue on the back burner is like throwing the ROK's future into the North's nuclear shade. ... Ambassador Bosworth should clearly realize this ROK concern before engaging in talks with North Korea." Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo editorialized: "We once again urge North Korea to express its intention to Ambassador Bosworth to SEOUL 00001928 002 OF 005 return to the Six-Party Talks. The Six-Party Talks already have a venue to discuss the issue of signing a peace treaty (on the Korean Peninsula) as requested by North Korea. Furthermore, the Six-Party Talks are prepared to offer North Korea massive economic aid and security assurances in return for its denuclearization. ... If North Korea truly intends to abandon its nuclear ambitions, there is no better place than the Six-Party Talks from which it can receive massive benefits." Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun argued in an editorial: "This (U.S.-North Korea) dialogue should not end up being a mere venue to deliver the U.S.'s position. The main reason why the Six-Party Talks have repeatedly stalled is that the two countries have different demands and different motivations for implementing their commitments. This is backed by a deep-seated mutual distrust. ... Accordingly, trust-building should be one of the big objectives of this dialogue." -Copenhagen Climate Change Conference -------------- Moderate Hankook Ilbo observed in an editorial: "It remains unclear whether countries can agree to a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a long-standing issue of contention. ... The U.S., the world's second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, has recently shown a change in its attitude, but its reduction target falls far short of what other advanced countries, including Europe and Japan, may have hoped for. Furthermore, it is realistically difficult to expect China and India, which have emerged as major carbon emitters in the future, to make proactive reduction efforts. ... It is high time for major world leaders, including President Barack Obama, to make a decision." OPINIONS/EDITORIALS -------------- BOSWORTH MUST BEAR ROK'S CONCERNS IN MIND (Chosun Ilbo, December 7, 2009, Page 35) U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth visits Pyongyang on Tuesday and Wednesday. Bosworth stopped over in Seoul before heading to North Korea and met here with Kim Sung-hwan, the Chief Presidential Secretary for National Security, and Wi Sung-lac, the ROK's point man in nuclear talks. "We will focus on listening to what North Korea has to say," Bosworth said. The U.S. government says Bosworth's objective is to get North Korea to return to the stalled Six-Party Talks and to live up to its pledges signed in the Sep. 19, 2005 statement of principles, in which (North Korea would receive) fuel and other support in exchange for scrapping its nuclear program. Iran and North Korea are the two countries clashing with the international community due to their nuclear weapons programs. The U.S., EU and even the International Atomic Energy Agency are employing various methods to resolve the nuclear standoff with Iran. But it is questionable whether the international community is exerting as much effort when it comes to North Korea. North Korea conducted a second nuclear test on May 25 involving an estimated 20 kt of fissile materials. The first test in 2006 involved only 0.8 kt. ROK and U.S. officials believe North Korea has enough plutonium to make six to eight nuclear weapons and has been operating a uranium enrichment program as well. North Korea is demanding that the international community accept it as a nuclear state. The primary focus of the Sep. 19 statement, which Bosworth will ask North Korea to live up to, involves freezing and disabling the nuclear programs and facilities. The main focus is to prevent North Korea from making nuclear arms. The North is required to voluntarily report its plutonium stockpiles and nuclear warheads. Considering the limitations in its missile SEOUL 00001928 003 OF 005 and nuclear technology, the North's achievements so far may not pose a serious threat to the U.S., and China and Russia may believe North Korea will not aim its missiles at them. Japan is sensitive to North Korea's nuclear arsenal for geographic and diplomatic reasons, but does not face the same threat as the ROK. There is concern in the ROK that North Korea will not give up its nuclear ambitions and that the countries in the Six-Party Talks may move to bury the North's past nuclear activities and focus on preventing the North from proliferating its current and future nuclear weapons and technologies. Giving tacit approval to the North's past nuclear activities or putting the issue on the back burner is like throwing the ROK's future into the North's nuclear shade. If the Six-Party Talks fail to address them, the ROK will have no choice but to look at a range of fundamental measures to overcome the nuclear imbalance. Ambassador Bosworth should clearly realize this ROK concern before engaging in talks with North Korea. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) BUILDING TRUST IN THE N. KOREA-U.S. BILATERAL DIALOGUE (Hankyoreh Shinmun, December 8, 2009, Page 35) Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, visits North Korea today as a special envoy of U.S. President Barack Obama. This marks 10 months since the launch of the Obama Administration, and four months since former U.S. President Bill Clinton visited North Korea. Since sufficient time has passed for preparations for this dialogue, we are hoping for positive results. The U.S. and ROK governments say the agenda for the talks is to press for resuming Six-Party Talks and ensure the execution of the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement of the Fourth Round of the Six-Party Talks. They have also drawn a line, saying this is not a "bilateral negotiation" as demanded by North Korea. This claim (that it is not a bilateral negotiation) is reasonable since, if the U.S. and North Korea were to conduct give-and-take negotiations when North Korea has not clearly expressed its intention to return to the Six-Party Talks, it could obscure the future of the Six-Party Talks and the North Korea nuclear issue as a whole. This (U.S.-North Korea) dialogue should not end up being a mere venue to deliver the U.S.'s position. The main reason why the Six-Party Talks have repeatedly stalled is that the two countries have different demands and different motivations for implementing their commitments. This is backed by a deep-seated mutual distrust. It would be difficult to hope for smooth progress, even if the Six-Party Talks restart, if basic trust cannot be secured at this time. Accordingly, trust-building should be one of the big objectives of this dialogue. More than anything, Bosworth must convincingly present North Korea with what it could hope to gain. Even if actual talks do not resume until later, only when the two sides are able to create a consensus about the big picture will it be likely that North Korea will decide to return to the Six-Party talks. In addition, in regards to the related issues of signing a peace treaty and building a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, as discussed recently by North Korea, we hope that these are not aimlessly delayed as some future task. Indeed, we hope, instead, that the U.S. presents its ideas and draws in North Korea's agreement. North Korea must know that now is the right time to return to the Six-Party Talks. Ever since President Obama has pledged a "world without nuclear weapons," the will of participating nations to denuclearize is higher than ever. The Obama Administration is also more open to negotiations on the North Korea nuclear issue than any previous U.S. administration. Moreover, the international community will be watching what attitude North Korea adopts and deciding SEOUL 00001928 004 OF 005 whether to continue with sanctions. Some quarters are predicting that following this dialogue the two sides will meet one more time and will raise the level of the bilateral talks. Even if there ends up being such a need, the two sides must use this time to conduct conversations sufficient enough to draw out a framework. Also, relevant nations, of course, including ours, must actively cooperate to ensure that the two countries' dialogue is productive. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) ¶N. KOREA MEETS BOSWORTH; ITS ONLY CHOICE IS SIX-PARTY TALKS (JoongAng Ilbo, December 8, 2009, Page 38) U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth and his team will visit Pyongyang today in order to persuade the North to rejoin the Six-Party Talks, which were stalled last December, and to urge the communist state to fulfill its denuclearization promise. Ahead of Ambassador Bosworth's visit to Pyongyang, however, the North is talking nonsense, stressing through The Choson Sinbo that a peace treaty between the U.S. and North Korea is the biggest pending issue. As the ROKG is also concerned that the North may raise the issue of signing the U.S.-North Korea peace treaty, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan recently proclaimed, "A peace treaty should be signed by the ROK and the North, with the U.S. and China participating as the parties to the armistice." Although this is the first time in a year that the nuclear issue will be discussed with North Korea) the related countries are engaging in an intensive war of nerves even before the start of dialogue. Discussions on the North Korean nuclear issue made progress on two occasions: the 1994 Geneva Agreed Framework between the U.S. and North Korea and the September 19, 2005, Joint Statement by the Six-Party Talks. However, each agreement fell apart in the middle. In the meantime, North Korea staged two nuclear provocations, and the international community pressured the North by adopting the UN Security Council resolution sanctioning North Korea. Now, the international community is calling on North Korea to return to the Six-Party Talks. However, it is unclear whether Bosworth's visit to Pyongyang will pave the way for the North to rejoin the Six-Party Talks. Even Ambassador Bosworth is not optimistic about the outcome of the bilateral talks, saying no one knows how North Korea will respond. We once again urge North Korea to express its intention to Ambassador Bosworth to return to the Six-Party Talks. The Six-Party Talks already have a venue to discuss the issue of signing a peace treaty (on the Korean Peninsula) as requested by North Korea. Furthermore, the Six-Party Talks are prepared to offer North Korea massive economic aid and security assurances in return for its denuclearization. These are stipulated by the September 19 Joint Statement. (Participants of the September 19 Joint Statement) include the U.S., Northeast Asia powers, such as Japan, China and Russia, and the ROK which has the greatest interest in the North's nuclear dismantlement. The Six-Party Talks are the framework that can satisfy the North's demands if they are reasonable. If North Korea truly intends to abandon its nuclear ambitions, there is no better place than the Six-Party Talks from which it can receive massive benefits. FEATURES -------------- U.S. SAYS IT IS REVIEWING KORUS FTA AND ROK CALLS FOR HASTENING ITS RATIFICATION (Korea Economic Daily, December 8, Page 4) By Reporter Yu Seung-ho SEOUL 00001928 005 OF 005 Wendy Cutler, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan, Korea and APEC Affairs, said on December 7 that the U.S. is reviewing the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA),adding that the USG will work together with the U.S. Congress and various interested parties to draw the broadest support for the deal. She reaffirmed the U.S.'s previous position that it needs to renegotiate some parts of the deal, including auto clauses. Cutler participated in a forum discussing the change in world trade after the (economic) crisis which was hosted by the Korea International Trade Association and the U.S.-based Peterson Institute for International Economics. She said that there has been an intense debate over the KORUS FTA since it was signed and that the Obama Administration has been reviewing the pact. Cutler noted that the U.S. is reviewing the KORUS FTA due to concerns raised by interested parties including the auto industry and the U.S. congress. She said that U.S. and ROK leaders are greatly committed to ratifying the FTA. Cutler emphasized that the U.S. intends to move the trade deal forward swiftly by discussing issues of concern with the ROK in a constructive and creative manner. Asked if a delay in the effectuation of the ROK-U.S. FTA is causing damage to U.S. companies, Assistant USTR Cutler answered, "Some industries are concerned," adding, "At least, we hope that the ROK-U.S. FTA will take effect around the same time as the ROK-EU FTA, so that U.S. companies will not be put at a disadvantage over European companies." In this regard, Lee Hye-min, the ROK's Deputy Minister for Trade and Chief FTA Negotiator, emphasized a need for an early ratification of the (ROK-U.S.) FTA without direct mention of renegotiating the pact. He remarked, "Since the ROK-U.S. FTA will bring practical benefits for both nations, we should waste no time ratifying the deal." Saying, "I hope that the ROK-U.S. FTA and the ROK-EU FTA will be ratified almost at the same time," he explained, "The ROK's comprehensive FTAs can play a role in supplementing the World Trade Organization's efforts at multilateralism." He went on to say, "Early next year, we plan to launch a feasibility study on an FTA between the ROK, China, and Japan." (Editor's note: The same story was also carried by JoongAng Ilbo under the headline, "Assistant USTR: 'The USG Is Collecting Opinions of U.S. Auto Industry on KORUS FTA.'" The article reports: "Regarding the ratification of the ROK-U.S. FTA, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler said on December 7, "The USG is currently collecting concerns and opinions of interest groups, including the auto industry," adding, "We will discuss with the ROK and move forward (on this issue) as quickly as possible." She also noted, "We are reviewing whether there is any difference between the ROK-EU FTA and the ROK-U.S. FTA, and whether an earlier effective date for the ROK-EU FTA would have any impact on the U.S.") STEPHENS