SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; March 20, 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 SEOUL 000442 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; March 20, 2009 TOP HEADLINES -------------- Chosun Ilbo Current Chief of a High Prosecutor's Office Allegedly Received Money from Taekwang Industrial Chairman Park Yeon-cha JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-a Ilbo, Segye Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun, All TVs North Korea Detains Two U.S. Female Journalists Hankook Ilbo College Entrance Exam Scores to be Disclosed by Region Hankyoreh Shinmun ROKG Mulls Full Participation in Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) If North Korea Launches "Satellite" DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS -------------- According to a high-ranking ROKG official, the ROKG is considering fully participating in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) aimed at stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, if North Korea pushes ahead with launching a "satellite" between April 4 and 8 as it mentioned in its notification.(Hankyoreh) This ROKG move, if implemented, would likely spark a strong backlash from North Korea and China and would have considerable implications for the political situation on the Korean Peninsula. (Hankyoreh) The Yemeni government said on March 18 that the second bombing attack on a Korean convoy earlier in the day had specifically targeted Koreans. The ROKG, however, cautioned yesterday against reaching that conclusion, saying that it is still too early to predict if it was specifically aimed at ROK citizens or foreign nationals in general. (All) INTERNATIONAL NEWS -------------- According to sources knowledgeable about North Korean affairs, two U.S. female journalists were detained by the North Korean military on March 17 while working on a project about North Korean refugees near the China-North Korea border. (All) Some newspapers report that Washington is calling for the immediate release of the journalists through the "New York Channel" with North Korea but that Pyongyang remains silent. (Chosun, Hankook, Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul) This incident would likely serve as a "touchstone" for future U.S.-North Korea relations. Given that there is a high likelihood that Washington might send a delegation to Pyongyang to negotiate their release, this incident might be a "turning point" in resuming dialogue between the two countries, depending on how they would resolve the incident. (Chosun, JoongAng, Dong-a, Hankyoreh, Seoul, all TVs) 
 According to the Chosun Sinbo, a Japan-based, pro-North Korea newspaper, North Korea will reject the Six-Party Talks on its nuclear programs if the U.S. sanctions it over its "satellite" launch. (Segye) MEDIA ANALYSIS -------------- -Detained U.S. Journalists SEOUL 00000442 002 OF 008 -------------- North Korea's March 17 detention of two U.S. female journalists received wide coverage. Citing sources knowledgeable about North Korean affairs, the ROK media reported that the two American journalists were arrested after crossing into North Korea to report about North Korean refugees at the North Korea-China border. Conservative Chosun Ilbo, moderate Hankook Ilbo, left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun, conservative Segye Ilbo and moderate Seoul Shinmun reported that Washington is calling for the immediate release of the journalists through the "New York Channel" with North Korea but that the communist state remains silent. Most of the ROK media took note of the fact that the U.S. sent a special envoy to North Korea when a U.S. military pilot and an American citizen were detained in the North in 1994 and in 1996, respectively, and speculated that, in similar fashion, this incident might also be a "turning point" in resuming dialogue between the two countries, depending on how they would resolve this incident. Most of the media viewed this incident as a "touchstone" for future U.S.-North Korea relations. Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo headlined its story: "Will (North Korea's) Detention of Female Journalists Lead to Improved U.S.-North Korea Relations?" Conservative Dong-a Ilbo's headline read: "An Accident? Or a Premeditated Kidnapping?; North Korea Wins 'New Card' for Negotiations with the U.S." Chosun Ilbo editorialized: "If this incident is resolved through U.S. - North Korea negotiations, like in the past, those negotiations would mark the first since the launch of the Obama Administration. In this regard, this incident might serve to change the North's recent hard-line stance. North Korea should immediately release the two U.S. journalists. If it detains them for a long period of time while accusing them of spying, as it did in the past, it would turn U.S. public opinion against the North." Dong-a Ilbo editorialized: "North Korea might attempt to use the detention as a political bargaining tool. However, the North should not turn a humanitarian issue into a political matter. It should accurately clarify why the reporters were detained. Whatever the reason, since their identities have been confirmed, the North should release the journalists as soon as possible without any conditions attached. Otherwise, it is as if North Korea is proclaiming to the world that it is a dictatorship with many things to hide." Hankyoreh Shinmun's editorial, meanwhile, stated: "What is important now is the willingness of the two countries (the U.S. and North Korea) to talk. Even though the U.S. is still reviewing its North Korea policy, talks should continue between the U.S. and North Korea. This detention incident can be a good opportunity (for dialogue.) In 1996, when a Korean American illegally entered North Korea, Washington sent Bill Richardson, then-U.S. Congressman, to Pyongyang as a special envoy to resolve the case, and that paved the way for the two countries to improve bilateral ties. This incident could also turn the situation around if they have the will (to talk.)" -North Korea -------------- JoongAng Ilbo's Senior Columnist Kim Young-hie observed: "The U.S. often writes in its official documents that North Korea is a nuclear state, and then steps back if the ROK resists. It is becoming an irreversible fact that North Korea is indeed a nuclear state. U.S. intelligence authorities are slowly leaning toward accepting the story that the missile North Korea plans to launch is a satellite. We believe North Korea's weapons development will isolate it further. But if the U.S. takes a realistic stance without giving any notice, we may be pushed into a corner regarding North Korea and we may experience difficulties if we have a different stance from the U.S. Restoring South-North Korean relations is the appropriate way to free ourselves from these worries." Hankyoreh Shinmun front-paged a report citing a high-ranking ROKG official as saying yesterday that the ROKG is considering fully participating in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative SEOUL 00000442 003 OF 008 (PSI) aimed at stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction if North Korea pushes ahead with launching a "satellite" between April 4 and 8 as it mentioned in its notification. The report went on to say that this ROKG move, if implemented, would likely spark a strong backlash from North Korea and China and would have considerable implications for the political situation on the Korean Peninsula. Segye Ilbo, meanwhile, reported on a March 19 report by the Chosun Sinbo, a Japan-based, pro-North Korea newspaper, which said that North Korea will reject the Six-Party Talks on its nuclear programs if the U.S. sanctions it over its "satellite" launch. OPINIONS/EDITORIALS -------------- Pyongyang's Power Play (JoongAng Ilbo, March 20, 2009, Page 47) By Senior Columnist Kim Young-hie Whether Kim Jong-il muddles through with a crisis management system that relies on the military is directly related to how power will be handed over to his successor. Let's time-travel back to 40 years ago in North Korea, when it was ruled by Kim Il Sung. On Jan. 21, 1968, a band of armed North Korean guerillas got within 500 meters of the main gate of the Blue House. Two days later, the North captured the U.S.S. Pueblo and its 83 crew members in waters off Wonsan. On Oct. 30, 120 armed North Korean spies infiltrated Uljin and Samcheok on the east coast. These ventures were led by soldiers who used to be partisans and ended up in high positions in the political party and the government. That is the origin of the North's "military-first" policy. The hard-line policy of those former adventurists failed. Kim Il Sung held them accountable and purged them. Then, international politics changed drastically, in a way that would work out well for Kim. The Richard Nixon Administration, which took office in 1969, opened an era of detente through Ping-Pong Diplomacy. On July 4, 1972, South and North Korea issued a Joint Communique. By purging the first generation of partisans, an obstacle to appointing Kim Jong-il as his father's successor was removed. Kim Jong-il's rule is also dependent on military-first politics. The military puts a priority on the security of the regime over the economy. It needs nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. There are various opinions about the reason for North Korea's latest provocations, such as the opening and closing of the route to Kaesong and the announcement of its plans to launch a long-range missile in April. Some of the aggression is aimed at taming the Lee Myung-bak Administration; others say it is to pressure the Barack Obama Administration into holding negotiations with Pyongyang. But none of these explanations are good enough. Some suggest another opinion, one that takes into consideration the current situation inside the North Korean regime. This theory is worth paying attention to. Whether Kim Jong-il successfully muddles through with a crisis management system that relies on the military is directly related to how power will be handed over to his successor. The key question is whether he will hand over power to one of his sons after successfully fumbling through with military-first politics, just as his own father did. However, whichever way he chooses, the military will never give up its obsession with nuclear weapons and missiles. Kim must also know that in order to sustain his regime, it is much better to arm his state with these weapons than to give them up in return for aid from the outside that may turn out to be a Trojan horse. Since North Korea conducted missile and nuclear weapons tests in 2006, the means available to the U.S. with which to denuclearize the SEOUL 00000442 004 OF 008 North have become extremely limited. The U.S. stance on the nuclear situation in the North has retreated to this: "North Korea has nuclear weapons but the United States will not accept it." U.S. officials can say a hundred times that they won't tolerate a nuclear North Korea, but their words won't be persuasive. If North Korea succeeds in launching a satellite next month that demonstrates long-range ballistic missile technology, the argument for a pre-emptive attack on the North's nuclear and missile facilities will become meaningless. Even if United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 is enhanced, its efficacy is doubtful. Some will maintain we should participate in the U.S. missile defense system, but the argument will not go far because of the possible burden on Korea-China relations. We do not have the luxury of clinging to a minor issue like the Kaesong Industrial Complex. We need to consider Kaesong and tourism at Mount Kumgang within a bigger framework. There is no time to waste discussing who is to blame for North Korea's weapons development. Whether the U.S. and the international community accept it or not, if North Korea becomes a nuclear state and develops the technology to launch ballistic missiles anytime it wants, the structure of inter-Korean relations will change completely. A strategy of waiting only wastes time. For the Obama Administration, there seems no other way than to have high-level talks with the North and to push or entice Pyongyang to implement at least the three-step denuclearization process agreed to in the Six-Party Talks. There is a possibility that the United States will be satisfied with nonproliferation of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles. The U.S. often writes in its official documents that North Korea is a nuclear state, and then steps back if the ROK resists. It is becoming an irreversible fact that North Korea is indeed a nuclear state. U.S. intelligence authorities are slowly leaning toward accepting the story that the missile North Korea plans to launch is a satellite. We believe North Korea's weapons development will isolate it further. But if the U.S. takes a realistic stance without giving any notice, we may be pushed into a corner regarding North Korea and we may experience difficulties from having a different stance from the United States. Restoring South-North Korean relations is the appropriate way to be free from these worries. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) Detention of U.S. Journalists: Crisis Or Opportunity? (Hankyoreh Shinmun, March 20, 2009, Page 23) Two American journalists were detained by North Korean officials on Tuesday while in the area of the Tumen River, which forms part of the border between China and North Korea. Situations like this do not happen often. Getting the two released should be of the greatest urgency, regardless of what events led to their detention. Relations between North Korea and the U.S. are not especially poor right now, but the two countries are in an intense battle of nerves. The U.S. is saying it plans to push for United Nations sanctions if the North launches a satellite early next month as scheduled. If sanctions are indeed enacted, it is possible relations will quickly grow cold. The North just the other day suddenly refused American food aid, and we interpret that to be a preemptive move against the anticipated sanctions, leaving the U.S. without the ability to halt food aid as part of any sanction packages. Just this week the North went so far as to temporarily block South Korean access to the Kaesong Industrial Complex. Having anything go wrong with the physical well-being of the two journalists in such a situation could make it particularly hard to find a way forward for U.S.-North Korean relations. SEOUL 00000442 005 OF 008 The situation is of course not completely discouraging. The U.S. is making it clear it intends to work hard with the Six-Party Talks even if Pyongyang does launch a satellite. U.S. President Barack Obama is pursuing high-level, direct talks with the North, as he has promised to do for some time now. The North, too, is placing considerable hope in the new U.S. Administration. Aside from the issue of the satellite launch, neither the North nor the U.S. has any reason to deliberately make matters worse. What is important now is the willingness of the two countries (the U.S. and North Korea) to talk. Even though the U.S. is still reviewing its North Korea policy, talks should continue between the U.S. and North Korea. This detention incident can be a good opportunity (for dialogue.) In 1996, when a Korean American illegally entered North Korea, Washington sent Bill Richardson, then-U.S. Congressman, to Pyongyang as a special envoy to resolve the case, and that paved the way for the two countries to improve bilateral ties. This incident could also turn the situation around if they have the will (to talk.) There continues to be negative news about North Korea. The countries participating in the Six-Party Talks need to accept that these things can occur as the talks go through a transition period. They need to avoid losing sight of the larger picture (of the direction of) the talks by not jumping to react to individual incidents. The principle of (reaching for) a peaceful resolution to the nuclear and missile issue through the Six-Party Talks must not change. This is a time when all countries involved need to maintain balance and look far down the road while exercising wisdom in dealing with the situation in a composed and exacting manner. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) ¶N. Korea Must Free U.S. Reporters Now (Chosun Ilbo, March 20, 2009, Page 39) Two U.S. journalists, working for the news website Current TV, were taken into custody by North Korean soldiers on Tuesday while working on a story about North Korean refugees along the Tumen (or Duman) River, which runs along the border between North Korea and China. The two have been out of contact for three days. One of them is a Korean-American and the other a Chinese-American, and it is unclear in what circumstances they were taken by North Korean soldiers. Seoul and Washington believe North Korean authorities have detained the two. Current TV is a website created by former U.S. vice president Al Gore in 2005 and has covered the world's trouble spots and other dangerous areas. Since 1990, there have been a few incidents where U.S. citizens were detained for a prolonged period of time after accidentally crossing over the North Korean border. In December 1994, chief warrant officer Bobby Hall, whose Army helicopter was shot down after accidentally straying into North Korea, was released by North Korean authorities after 13 days in captivity. In August 1996, Evan Hunziker, whose mother was South Korean and father American, was detained by North Korean authorities for almost three months after he swam across the Yalu River into the communist country. In both cases, then Congressman and incumbent New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson won the release of the Americans following long negotiations with North Korean officials. In July 1999, a Korean-American woman in her 50s was caught crossing over into North Korea from China. She was released about a month later after negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. If this incident is resolved through U.S. - North Korea negotiations, like in the past, those negotiations would mark the first since the launch of the Obama Administration. In this regard, this incident might serve to change the North's recent hard-line SEOUL 00000442 006 OF 008 stance. North Korea is preparing to launch a rocket despite warnings from the U.S. and the international community. It declined a visit by U.S. Special (Representative) Stephen Bosworth and has rejected American food aid. If North Korea keeps behaving this way, even the Obama administration, which made clear it wants to talk to the North, will have no choice but to take a harder line as well. If North Korea pushes ahead with the missile launch, it will gain nothing but UN sanctions, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula will become more unstable. North Korea should immediately release the two U.S. journalists. If it detains them for a long period of time while accusing them of spying, as it did in the past, it would turn U.S. public opinion against the North. It is an internationally deplorable act to hold journalists captive. The appropriate thing for Pyongyang to do would be to release them immediately and show the world a new side. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) Detained U.S. Journalists Are Not Subjects for Political Deal (Dong-a Ilbo, March 20, 2009, Page 31) North Korea has detained two female U.S. journalists working near its border with China. The New York Times Reported that the detainees work for the online media outlet Current TV. The Times also said that one of them is a Chinese-American and the other is a Korean-American. The detention adds to the complexity of the current situation. Tensions between the ROK and North Korea, and the U.S. and North Korea have been rising due to the U.S.-ROK joint military exercise "Key Resolve" and the North's preparations for a missile launch. Some sources say that when the journalists were videotaping a scene near the North's border, North Korean soldiers crossed the border into China and took them into custody. Also, there is a possibility that they accidently crossed into North Korea. It is not yet certain what exactly happened. But if North Korean soldiers deliberately crossed the border into China to arrest the journalists, this infringes on China's territory and sovereignty. Therefore, this may spark serious diplomatic conflicts between North Korea and China. In 1996, North Korea arrested a Korean-American, who s-e-c-r-e-t-l-y entered North Korea across the Yalu River, as a spy. He was released three months later, after then-U.S. Congressman Bill Richardson negotiated with North Korea. Now, North Korea might attempt to use this detention as a political bargaining tool. However, North Korea should not turn a humanitarian issue into a political matter. The U.S. called for early release of the journalists through the "New York Channel" with North Korea just after the incident broke out. North Korea should clarify why the reporters were detained. Whatever the reason, since their identities have been confirmed, the North should release the journalists as soon as possible without any conditions attached. Otherwise, it is as if North Korea is proclaiming to the world that it is a dictatorship with many things to hide. Why should Koreans be Targets of Terrorism? (Hankyoreh Shinmun, March 20, 2009, Page 23) In the wake of a terrorist act that cost the lives of four ROK tourists on March 15, a bomb went off near a convoy carrying ministry officials and families of the victims on March 18. It seems that these terrorist acts are aimed at ROK tourists. An ROKG official said that we should consider the possibility that the attacks may be specifically targeting our people. SEOUL 00000442 007 OF 008 It is urgent that we accurately analyze why ROK citizens became a target of al-Qaida, and countermeasures should be devised accordingly. The fact that al-Qaida is an international Islamist terrorist organization further stokes concerns among ROK people. So far, the ROK has been in line with U.S. policy on the Middle East and deployed its troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. But we experienced tragic kidnappings in 2004 and in 2007. At that time, kidnappers called on the ROKG to pull its troops out of the regions. Now, the ROK has no military presence in those regions. However, the new U.S. administration wants ROK forces to be dispatched again to Afghanistan in a bid to weed out al-Qaida terrorist organizations. Therefore, some speculate that terrorists targeted Koreans in Yemen in order to ignite opposition at home and abroad to the troop deployment to Afghanistan. Of course a country's foreign policy should not be affected by terrorist threats. But we need to review whether our policy toward the Middle East has been appropriate. There are signs that the Obama Administration may change its policy on the Middle East. However, the former Bush Administration's antagonistic policy toward Islamic countries generated a host of terrorists. It seems that the ROKG, which stood by this policy of the Bush Administration, put our innocent people at risk. In this situation, it is unreasonable that some ROKG officials call for re-deployment of ROK forces in Afghanistan. What also worries us is that the second terrorist act erupted in a region with relatively stable security. The ROKG should urge Yemen authorities to take special measures to prevent terrorist attacks targeting Koreans. A government bears responsibility to protect its citizens wherever they live. FEATURES -------------- ROK's Expanded PSI Participation Could Lead To Military Confrontation Between Two Koreas (Hankyoreh Shinmun, March 20, 2009, Page 3) By Reporter Son Won-je Former government participated in it as only an observer to avoid further fracture inter-Korean relations. The ROKG is toying with the idea of increasing its participation in the Proliferation Security Initiative on weapons of mass destruction if North Korea launches a projectile. A core government official said, "Whether it's a missile or a satellite, what North Korea is launching is a weapon of mass destruction," adding that "because the PSI was formed in the interests of preventing the proliferation of WMDs, there is a growing need" to join in efforts for military security. The ROK is currently participating in the PSI in the status of observer, engaging in only five of the PSI's eight activities. This follows repeated requests in early 2006 from the George W. Bush Administration. Since then, in spite of constant calls by the United States for expanded participation, it has held off on the remaining three activities, namely providing material support during interdiction exercises within the region, providing material support for such exercises outside the region, and formally declaring its participation. Full participation in the PSI could easily lead to disaster in inter-Korean relations. If a vessel suspected of carrying WMD-related materials such as nuclear substances enters the territorial waters of a nation formally participating in the PSI, that nation is required to mobilize its military and coast guard, stop the vessel and search it. If this search turns up such materials, the nation takes measures such as confiscation and expulsion. SEOUL 00000442 008 OF 008 North Korea is a major target of the PSI, and if it objects to these measures, it could lead to an armed clash between the ROK and North Korea. In an October 2006 research report entitled "North Korea and the Proliferation Security Initiative on Weapons of Mass Destruction," the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses stated that "North Korea's response to the PSI will be offensive and omnidirectional." The report also predicted that there was a strong possibility North Korea would "apply military pressure, for example, mobilizing its military might to attempt provocations at the Northern Limit Line, in order to hinder the participation of the ROK." And on October 27, 2006, while he was serving as First Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, current Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan said at the National Assembly that "If we carry out the PSI on weapons of mass destruction in the waters around the Korean Peninsula, there is a strong possibility of a military clash due to the situation of military confrontation and, as a result, we are not participating in it." Material support during interdiction exercises within and outside the region could also give the appearance of the ROK's cooperation in a blockade of North Korea. If multinational military and coast guard vessels congregate to search suspicious vessels in the ROK's territorial waters adjacent to those of North Korea or in the surrounding sea area, North Korea could mobilize its naval forces in response. It was for this reason that the Roh Moo-hyun Administration drew a clear line when the possibility of full ROK participation in the PSI was examined as a plan for sanctions against the North immediately after its 2006 nuclear test. "Our policy is to decide the level of our measures related to expanded participation in the PSI under the principle of not taking measures aimed at a maritime blockade of North Korea," said then Cheong Wa Dae National Security Advisor Song Min-soon at the time. But changes in this current have been detected since the Lee Myung-bak Administration took office. It began in January 2008 when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated in an operational report for the presidential transition team that there was "a need to examine formal participation as a PSI member country." And Minister of National Defense Lee Sang-hee hinted at an intent to participate fully during a National Assembly inquiry on February 16, saying, "With North Korea developing long-range missiles and nuclear capabilities, the time has come to reexamine participating militarily in the PSI." Opposition parties have pointed out the need for circumspect measures in consideration of inter-Korean relations. Lawmaker Moon Hak-jin, a Democratic Party member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, said that there was "a sense that the government is rushing into things." Moon stated the need to "deal with the situation after giving it deep consideration." Democratic Labor Party spokesperson Woo Wi-young criticized what she called the "fire-back tactics" of using the PSI in response to North Korea's satellite launch, saying that it "doesn't help the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula at all." And New Progressive Party spokesman Kim Jong-cheol urged the government to withdraw its plans to examine participation in the PSI, saying, "What is needed now is not the PSI but sincere dialogue to relieve the hardening of inter-Korean relations." (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) STEPHENS