SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; March 27, 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 SEOUL 000492 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; March 27, 2009 TOP HEADLINES -------------- Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun Lawmaker Park Jin to be Subpoenaed and Lawmaker Lee Kwang-jae Arrested for Allegedly Receiving Money from Taekwang Industrial Chairman Park Yeon-cha Dong-a Ilbo, Hankook Ilbo, Segye Ilbo Democratic Rep. Lee Kwang-jae Says He will Step Down Hankyoreh Shinmun Prosecutors Make Raid on "PD Diary" Staffers' Houses, Act of Suppressing Freedom of Media DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS -------------- An ROKG official said that if North Korea launches a "satellite," the ROK will raise the issue with the U.N. Security Council after consultation with other nations. (JoongAng) Meanwhile, North Korea countered that it would quit the Six-Party Talks if sanctions are imposed. (Chosun) An ROKG official said that North Korea will launch a missile in the coming weeks. An unnamed military official said that the launch may come earlier than expected. However, many observers say that North Korea will not go ahead with a missile launch ahead of the date it provided in its original notification. (JoongAng, Hankook, Hankyoreh) As all signs suggest that North Korea is to launch a missile soon, the Navy plans to send its Aegis destroyer to the East Sea to monitor North Korea's planned launch of a "rocket." (All) An ROKG high-ranking official said that the ROKG is planning to dispatch its military forces to Afghanistan, in the form of the Zaytun unit. The ROKG has not yet decided on details on the troop deployment. (Dong-a) INTERNATIONAL NEWS -------------- As North Korea has placed what appears to be a rocket on a launching pad, the U.S. and Japanese governments issued warnings against a missile launch. The Japanese government said that it is readying an order to shoot it down if North Korea launches a rocket. The U.S. government said it will go before the U.N. if Pyongyang launches a missile, adding that there will be consequences. (Chosun, JoongAng, Hankook, Segye) Secretary of State Clinton said, "We have been absolutely clear that the intention stated by the North Koreans to launch a missile for any purpose is a provocative act which we believe violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718." She warned that "there will be consequences." (Chosun, Hankook) The U.N. Human Rights Council passed a resolution on North Korean 
human rights, which the ROKG co-sponsored. (Dong-a) Yemen authorities have arrested six people suspected of committing the terrorist act against ROK tourists, which took place on March ¶15. (JoongAng) According to the Yemeni government, the suspects are al-Qaida militants. (Segye) MEDIA ANALYSIS -------------- -North Korea -------------- SEOUL 00000492 002 OF 008 Most of the ROK media gave front-and inside-page play to a report saying that North Korea has placed what appears to be a rocket on a launching pad. Moderate Hankook Ilbo reported that many observers say North Korea will not go ahead with a missile launch ahead of the date it provided in its original notification. Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun noted that North Korea will most likely launch a "rocket" on April 4 even though some speculate that the launch might come earlier than expected. The right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo reported that an ROKG official said that if North Korea launches a "satellite," the ROK will raise the issue with the U.N. Security Council after consultation with other nations. The daily said that Chief ROK Delegate to the Six-Party Talks Wi Sung-lac will visit the U.S. on March 27 and meet with Special Representative for North Korea Policy Steven Bosworth to discuss how to deal with North Korea's planned launch. Meanwhile, Chosun Ilbo reported that the ROK has been making efforts to coordinate its response to the launch with the U.S. and Japan. The daily cited an ROK official as saying that as a separate move from the U.N. sanctions, the ROK might push for its own sanctions against North Korea. Meanwhile, citing the North Korean Foreign Ministry, Chosun Ilbo stated that North Korea countered that further sanctions would cause it to quit the so-called Six-Party Talks. Chosun Ilbo reported that the Japanese government is readying an order to deploy a missile shield, including interceptors, to protect against debris that might hit Japan. Chosun Ilbo also reported that U.S. Secretary of State Clinton warned North Korea that the U.S. would go before the U.N. if Pyongyang launches a missile, saying there would be consequences. Secretary Clinton said during a visit to Mexico City, "We intend to raise this violation of the U.S. Security Council Resolution, if it goes forward, in the U.N." She added, "This provocative action in violation of the U.N. mandate will not go unnoticed and there will be consequences." In a related development, almost all newspapers carried reports that the ROK Navy plans to send its Aegis destroyer to the East Sea to monitor North Korea's planned launch of a "rocket." Conservative Dong-a Ilbo front-paged its report, saying that the ROK Aegis destroyer Sejong the Great is expected to maneuver in the eastern waters with four other Aegis warships of the U.S. and Japan. Dong-a Ilbo editorialized: Pyongyang seemingly wants direct negotiations with the Obama Administration by threatening to halt the Six-Party Talks and launching a rocket. Also, Japan is determined not to sit back and watch the North's nuclear and missile development. The North's missile development will encourage Japan to go nuclear. The ROK, the U.S., Japan and the international community must show that severe consequences will always follow the North's provocations. JoongAng Ilbo editorialized: North Korea has mounted its Taepodong-2 missile on a launch pad. What is most important now is that the Six-Party countries should respond cooperatively. But it is quite worrisome that there seem to be disagreements among them regarding what countermeasures to take against the North's planned missile launch. President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a summit on the sidelines of the G20 financial summit meeting in London April 2. The two leaders must cooperate to declare tough measures against North Korea's missile launch. -Afghanistan -------------- Conservative Dong-a Ilbo reported that a high-ranking ROKG official said that the ROKG will reportedly send troops to Afghanistan to help the war-torn country rebuild and secure stability, and is reviewing the scale of deployment and schedules. The daily opined that the ROKG's decision to commit its forces to Afghanistan will elevate the ROK-U.S. alliance to a higher level. The newspaper noted that the decision was made in view of the ROK's international status and its supposed role in the world. SEOUL 00000492 003 OF 008 OPINIONS/EDITORIALS -------------- WILL INTER-KOREAN RELATIONS BEGIN TO THAW AROUND SUMMER? (Seoul Shinmun, March 27, 2009, Page 31) By Seo Jae-jin, President of the Korea Institute for National Unification It has been a year since North Korea started its slander against the ROK under the pretext that the ROK is not faithfully implementing the October 4 Joint Declaration. After ratcheting up the rhetoric against the South, Pyongyang finally declared an all-out confrontation posture against the ROK on January 17. We need to examine North Korea's intentions in light of its recent moves, such as its nuclear issue and missile launch preparations. A series of moves by Pyongyang toward the ROK were thoroughly planned in advance for several important purposes. First, they are designed to create a favorable atmosphere for internal unity in the North. As continuing economic difficulties undermine the legitimacy of power and spread discontent, the North has tried to distract the attention (of North Korean people) and strengthen control over society by creating an outside enemy and fostering a confrontational atmosphere. Second, North Korea's recent moves are part of its policy toward the U.S. As the top priority for its survival, Pyongyang is seeking to normalize its ties with the U.S. Otherwise, it would be difficult for the North to revive its economy and escape its diplomatic isolation. Third, they are part of Pyongyang's policy toward the ROK. North Korea, aware that it is difficult to have negotiations with the U.S. during a transition to a new U.S. administration, is trying to create internal conflicts in the ROK society by taking a confrontational posture against the South, to pressure the ROKG to change its North Korea policy, and furthermore, to use the situation to enhance North Korea's internal solidarity. Although the North is pursuing its short-term goals by creating tension with the South, it has no choice but to improve its relations with the South in the mid- to long-term. This is because, when inter-Korean ties remain strained, dialogue between the North and the U.S. cannot proceed smoothly. In this sense, a hiatus in North Korea's slander and military threats against the South is expected to come around summer when the situation surrounding North Korea's missile launch and the ensuing sanctions subsides and the U.S.-North Korea talk resumes. Due to lack of trust between the two Koreas, inter-Korean dialogue is less likely to resume at the same time when the U.S.-North Korea dialogue starts again. However, it is highly possible that the resumption of the U.S.-North Korea dialogue will give impetus to inter-Korean dialogue, although there will be an interval of several months between the two. COUNTDOWN TO NORTH KOREA'S MISSILE LAUNCH AND ROK-U.S. SUMMIT TALKS (JoongAng Ilbo, March 27, 2009, Page 46) With North Korea's rocket launch imminent, what is more worrisome than China and Russia's expected opposition to UN sanctions against the North is actually the attitude of the U.S. The U.S. initially spoke loud and clear on this issue, but as times goes by, its voice seems to be getting softer. After Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said in Congress that he believes that a "space launch" is what they (the North Koreans) intend, all the talk about shooting it down died down. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even said that the missile issue can be taken up at the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. We do not understand what she is going to do by including the U.S.-North Korea missile talks in the Six-Party framework. If discussions about SEOUL 00000492 004 OF 008 North Korea's rocket launch at the UN Security Council fizzle out, does the U.S. plan to refer the issue to the Six-Party Talks and discuss rewarding North Korea for its moratorium on more launches? At the ROK-U.S. summit in London, ROK and U.S. Presidents must dispel this concern and make clear that there will be no difference between the ROK and the U.S. on their North Korea policies in the wake of North Korea's rocket launch. They also need to clearly draw a red line that separates what North Korea is allowed to do and what it is not allowed to do regarding the missile issue. The summit between ROK President Lee and U.S. President Obama should serve as a guideline for Six-Party nations to prepare for the situation following the rocket launch from a broad perspective. Unless the Lee-Obama summit produces those results, it may become a "failed meeting," consequently raising concern about a crack in the ROK-U.S. coordination on the North. Such a situation should not happen. ¶N. KOREA'S MISSILE LAUNCH MUST BE PREVENTED (Dong-a Ilbo, March 27, 2009, Page 31) Despite claiming it is a satellite, North Korea has mounted its Taepodong-2 missile on a launch pad on its northeast coast. The North said the test launch will come between April 4 and 8. Despite heavy global opposition led by South Korea, the United States, Japan and the United Nations, the North apparently will proceed with the controversial rocket. If it injects fuel into it, it can be launched. The North could even fire it a few days ahead of schedule. Seoul, Washington and Tokyo are now in emergency mode and are preparing cooperation with one another. Off the Korean Peninsula's east coast are two U.S. and Japanese Aegis ships each equipped with SM-3 missiles. South Korea has sent the destroyer King Sejong the Great as well. Aegis ships can track and shoot down a flying object. They will track the trajectory of the North's projectile with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, and decide whether to shoot it down. Japan will also issue an "order to destroy a ballistic missile" if the Taepodong-2 falls on its land or waters. For this, Tokyo has deployed the ground-based Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors. If Pyongyang launches the Taepodong-2, it might be crossing a bridge of no return. It has begun a countdown where its destiny is at stake. If the North launches the missile, it must bear the responsibility that comes with it. Pyongyang seemingly wants direct negotiations with the Obama Administration by threatening to halt the Six-Party Talks and launching this rocket. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned that she will not tolerate the North's nuclear development and ballistic missile activities when she visited Seoul last month. "There is no issue on which we are more united than North Korea," she said, adding that North Korea cannot have a different relationship with the United States while criticizing and refusing talks with South Korea. She even showed her determination to begin discussion on the post-Kim Jong-il era. Japan is also determined not to sit back and watch the North's nuclear and missile development. The North's missile development will encourage Japan to go nuclear. This is something raising fears in China, North Korea's guardian, and in South Korea. A nuclear arms race could start in Northeast Asia if the North develops weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear and missile development goes hand in hand. A missile is needed to carry nuclear warheads long distances. North Korea claims the rocket it plans to launch is a satellite called the Kwangmyongsong-2, asserting its "right to the peaceful use of space" and "sovereignty." Be it a satellite or missile, this violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718 that bans "all activities related to North Korea's ballistic missile program." If Pyongyang sincerely hopes to use it for peace, it must feed its hungry people with the cost of the launch. The North has spread SEOUL 00000492 005 OF 008 weapons of mass destruction before by selling ballistic missile parts to Iran. South Korea, the United States, Japan and the international community must show that severe consequences will always follow the North's provocations. President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a summit on the sidelines of the G20 financial summit meeting in Londo April 2. The two leaders must declare tough measures in unison. Hopefully, China and Russia, both of which are members of the U.N. Security Council and the Six-Party Talks, can join the efforts. If the North cancels its planned launch of the Taepodong-2 and holds talks, it will survive. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper. We replaced the translation of Secretary Clinton's quote with her original remark.) SEOUL, WASHINGTON MUST GIVE N. KOREA A FIRM WARNING (Chosun Ilbo, March 27, 2009, Page 31) South Korean and U.S. intelligence have confirmed that North Korea has set up a missile on its launch pad at the Musudan-ri test site in North Hamgyong Province. North Korea claims that the rocket will carry a "satellite" into orbit, but South Korean and U.S. officials believe the launch vehicle is actually a long-range, ballistic missile. It can be launched at any time once fueling, which takes three to four days, is completed. The countdown to the long-range missile launch has virtually begun, since North Korea has already informed the International Maritime Organization that it would launch the "satellite" between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. during Apr. 4 to ¶8. The South Korean government has dispatched its Aegis-class King Sejong the Great destroyer to the East Sea to track developments in conjunction with two U.S. naval Aegis vessels already there. Two Japanese Aegis vessels are also operating in the East Sea. Tokyo plans to convene a security council meeting on Friday to authorize the destruction of the North Korean ballistic missile, in accordance with Japan's self-defense law. If the North Korean rocket is confirmed to be a ballistic missile, Japan plans to intercept it with SM3 missiles. And if this fails, Japan intends to use its PAC3 missiles, based with its Self Defense Forces, to intercept it once it re-enters the atmosphere. North Korea has declared it would retaliate against such moves, ratcheting up tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean government has shifted from efforts to resist the launch to formulating post-launch measures. South Korea's top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac is visiting Washington D.C. on Friday to discuss measures with U.S. government officials. Since February, when North Korea began preparing for its missile launch, South Korea and the U.S. have been engaged in diplomatic efforts to stop the launch. But they failed. Seoul was unable to take do anything since its communication channels with the North have been cut off, and the Obama Administration does not seem to have a full understanding of the seriousness of the situation. South Korea and the U.S. must use this crisis as an opportunity to revamp their cooperative system for dealing with North Korea and publicly announce what consequences the North stands to face if it pushes ahead with the missile launch. And diplomatic efforts must be made to get China and Russia to take part in this warning. The warning must be firm to be effective, and it must be made in good time to prevent the situation from worsening beyond control. One possibility is boosting sanctions as part of UN Security Council Resolution 1718 issued after North Korea's nuclear test in October 2006, so that the regime can feel the resolute determination of the international community. Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Barack Obama, who are holding their first summit at the G20 meeting in London on Apr. 2, must issue a final warning to North Korea against a misjudgment. The entire world is watching what the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. will do in case the communist country pushes the button just as the two SEOUL 00000492 006 OF 008 presidents meet. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) FEATURES -------------- KOREA TO REDEPLOY TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN: SOURCE (Dong-a Ilbo, March 27, 2009, Front Page) By Reporters Kim Young-sik and Yoon Sang-ho The government will reportedly send troops to Afghanistan to help the war-torn country rebuild and secure stability, and is reviewing the scale of deployment and schedules. The dispatch will be done in the same way as the Zaytun unit, which conducted a peacekeeping mission in Iraq, a high-ranking Korean government source said. "As 42 countries have dispatched troops to Afghanistan, Korea, a close ally of the United States and a country with both economic and military prowess, can no longer delay troop dispatch or turn a deaf ear to the U.S. request," the official said. "Though we`ve yet to get an official request from Washington, it has asked for our help directly and indirectly. So the (Korean) government has decided to send troops." Like the Zaytun unit, military engineers will comprise most of the unit`s members and the number will likely be under 1,000," he added. A diplomatic source said on condition of anonymity, "Government officials made preliminary contact with their U.S. counterparts over the proposed troop dispatch to Afghanistan last week and full-fledged discussion among relevant ministries has started." "Chances are that U.S. President Barack Obama will bring up the issue at his first meeting with President Lee Myung-bak on the sidelines of the (Group of 20) summit in London April 2. As part of the preparation for the summit, the (Korean) government has decided to send troops." Seoul will make a final decision on the number of troops, a date for the dispatch, and the region where the troops will be stationed after reviewing the situation in Afghanistan and public opinion here. A detailed plan will be finalized around June when a Korea-U.S. summit is expected and sent to the June extra parliamentary session in Korea for approval. The dispatch will likely take place in the latter half of the year under this schedule. At an international conference on Afghanistan in The Hague Tuesday, the United States is likely to make an official request to Korea for the dispatch after coming up with concrete strategies and an international cooperation system to stabilize Afghanistan. Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myung-hwan will attend the conference and discuss guaranteeing sustainable security and achieving economic and social development. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) ¶N. KOREA THREATENS END TO 6-PARTY TALKS (Chosun Ilbo, March 27, 2009, Page 4) By Reporter Ahn Yong-hyun SEOUL 00000492 007 OF 008 North Korea on Thursday threatened if the UN Security Council takes even a minor action against what it claims is a satellite launch, it will mean the end of Six-Party Talks and denuclearization. In an interview with the official Korea Central News Agency, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said "even a word" by the UN Security Council about "the peaceful launch of a satellite" would constitute "violent hostility." The moment that the "spirit of mutual respect and equality" enshrined in the Sept. 19, 2005 statement of principles for scrapping the North's nuclear program is denied, the Six-Party Talks are over. Progress made thus far will also be reversed, and North Korea will take "strong measures necessary to protect itself," the spokesman said. He added some media were representing the hostility of the UN Security Council against North Korea as mere "sanctions or resolutions." But he said this was a "foolish trick by hostile forces trying to castigate our satellite launch under the name of the UN Security Council while avoiding the responsibility that follows." (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) WARSHIPS DISPATCHED AS N. KOREA ROCKET LAUNCH NEARS (Chosun Ilbo, March 27, 2009, Front Page) By Reporters Yoo Yong-won and Lim Min-hyuk South Korea, Japan and the United States dispatched five Aegis class vessels, including the South's King Sejong the Great destroyer, to track down a rocket North Korea is poised to launch. The missile has apparently been set up at a launch pad in Musudan-ri, North Hamgyong Province. A South Korean military source on Thursday said Seoul decided to immediately deploy the King Sejong the Great in the East Sea when it became clear the North had set up the rocket. The ship is South Korea's first Aegis class naval vessel and equipped with radar that can track ballistic missiles as far as 1,024 km away. The U.S. Navy has deployed two of its own Aegis vessels - the USS Chaffee (DDG-90) and the USS John McCain (DDG-56) - to track the missile following their participation in joint military drills with South Korea. Japan has also deployed two Aegis vessels in the East Sea - the Kongo and Chokai - which are equipped with SM-3 interceptor missiles. U.S. intelligence officials are apparently finding it difficult to determine whether the rocket is a ballistic missile or a satellite-launch vehicle, since the North Koreans have placed a tarpaulin over the warhead. Intelligence agencies believe the first stage of the missile has a stronger thrust than originally believed, since it was made by combining five to six Rodong missile rockets into one. South Korea's top nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lak is scheduled to visit the U.S. on Friday to meet with Stephen Bosworth, the special representative for North Korea policy, and Sung Kim, Washington's top envoy to the Six-Party Talks, to discuss North Korea's missile launch. Japan's chief nuclear negotiator Saiki Akitaka is also visiting Washington during that period. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) "PD DIARY" STAFF ARRESTED, HOMES RAIDED IN PROBE (Dong-a Ilbo, March 27, 2009, Page 12) By Reporters Chung Seong-chul and Cho Jong-yup SEOUL 00000492 008 OF 008 Prosecutors yesterday raided the homes of the staff of the MBC TV investigative program "PD Diary" on suspicion of exaggerating fears over American beef and the risk of mad cow disease. The Seoul District Prosecutors' Office sent investigators to the homes of four producers and two writers and seized computers, videotapes and papers related to the controversial program. Producer Lee Chun-geun was arrested Wednesday and questioned on whether he intentionally edited or modified the scripts or video footage to exaggerate fears over mad cow disease. Refusal for interrogation Prosecutors took several people into custody and seized materials shortly after members of the program's staff snubbed a summons, concluding they were unwilling to help the investigation. The former chief producer of the program Jo Neung-hee and fellow producers Lee and Kim Bo-seul defied a summons Tuesday and Wednesday. Four of the six targeted for investigation were summoned three times last year, but never showed up for questioning. Prosecutors said a further and thorough investigation is inevitable since government officials, including former Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun, filed a defamation complaint against the program's staff. Investigators said they need to talk to the program's producers and staff to find out if they had any reason to believe they reported the truth and if they knew they reported the wrong information, to determine whether they defamed government officials. Prosecutors are considering measures to detain other staff at the program participating in a sit-in demonstration inside the MBC building. Potential raid on MBC In July last year, prosecutors suggested the possibility that PD Diary staff intentionally mistranslated parts of a video clip broadcast in English to imply that Downer cows - ones that can`t walk on their own - were infected with mad cow disease. The program's staff is also suspected of intentionally misinterpreting the interview of a mother whose daughter died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and deadly nerve disease. A prosecutor said the program might have led viewers to the erroneous conclusion that the girl died of vCJD, the human form of mad cow disease. Prosecutors have requested that the producers and staff provide the original material. In an interview with MBC radio yesterday, producer Kim said, "The original materials mostly consist of interviews. If prosecutors want to say we distorted the material, it'd be better for them to ask the interviewees what their intention was." A prosecutor shot back by saying, "We'll judge whether we need the original materials or not. If they were not at fault, they have no reason not to provide the materials." Producers of MBC's documentary department have also refused to work on any program to protest the arrest of producer Lee. Since higher-ranking producers will replace demonstrators, the programs "No Complaints" and "MBC Special" will air as scheduled. STEPHENS