Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09SEOUL63
2009-01-13 08:09:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Seoul
Cable title:
PRESS BULLETIN - January 13, 2009
how-toVZCZCXYZ0006 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHUL #0063/01 0130809 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 130809Z JAN 09 FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2899 RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 7994 RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC//DDI/OEA// RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//FPA// RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DB-Z//
UNCLAS SEOUL 000063
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/K, EAP/PD, INR/EAP/K AND INR/IL/P
TREASURY FOR OASIA/WINGLE
USDOC FOR 4430/IEP/OPB/EAP/WGOLICKE
STATE PASS USDA ELECTRONICALLY FOR FAS/ITP
STATE PASS DOL/ILAB SUDHA HALEY
STATE PASS USTR FOR IVES/WEISEL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PGOV PREL MARR ECON KS US
SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - January 13, 2009
Top Headlines
Chosun Ilbo
Illegal Use of State and Public Land Increases Fivefold
in Four Years
JoongAng Ilbo
Ruling Camp Officials: "Heads of National Intelligence Service,
National Police Agency and National Tax Service
will be Replaced"
Dong-a Ilbo
Wife of Detained Former National Tax Service (NTS) Chief Puts
High-Priced Painting for Sale, and Claims: "I Received It
from Wife of Current NTS Chief in Early 2007,
when My Husband was Still in Office"
Hankook Ilbo, All TVs
Lee, Aso Agree to Help Japanese Companies Invest in ROK Industrial
Complexes for Parts Production
Hankyoreh Shinmun
Foreign Media: Israel Even Aims to Devastate Underground Hamas
Military Facilities if Its Ground Incursion
into Downtown Gaza City Ends
Segye Ilbo
President Lee Expected to Reshuffle Four to Eight Cabinet Ministers,
Including Finance Minister Kang Man-soo
Seoul Shinmun
ROKG Considers Selling Ssangyong Motor Co. after Strengthening Its
SUV Unit; Ssangyong, ROK's Fifth-Largest Automaker, Filed for Court
Receivership Last Week
Domestic Developments
UNCLAS SEOUL 000063
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/K, EAP/PD, INR/EAP/K AND INR/IL/P
TREASURY FOR OASIA/WINGLE
USDOC FOR 4430/IEP/OPB/EAP/WGOLICKE
STATE PASS USDA ELECTRONICALLY FOR FAS/ITP
STATE PASS DOL/ILAB SUDHA HALEY
STATE PASS USTR FOR IVES/WEISEL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PGOV PREL MARR ECON KS US
SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - January 13, 2009
Top Headlines
Chosun Ilbo
Illegal Use of State and Public Land Increases Fivefold
in Four Years
JoongAng Ilbo
Ruling Camp Officials: "Heads of National Intelligence Service,
National Police Agency and National Tax Service
will be Replaced"
Dong-a Ilbo
Wife of Detained Former National Tax Service (NTS) Chief Puts
High-Priced Painting for Sale, and Claims: "I Received It
from Wife of Current NTS Chief in Early 2007,
when My Husband was Still in Office"
Hankook Ilbo, All TVs
Lee, Aso Agree to Help Japanese Companies Invest in ROK Industrial
Complexes for Parts Production
Hankyoreh Shinmun
Foreign Media: Israel Even Aims to Devastate Underground Hamas
Military Facilities if Its Ground Incursion
into Downtown Gaza City Ends
Segye Ilbo
President Lee Expected to Reshuffle Four to Eight Cabinet Ministers,
Including Finance Minister Kang Man-soo
Seoul Shinmun
ROKG Considers Selling Ssangyong Motor Co. after Strengthening Its
SUV Unit; Ssangyong, ROK's Fifth-Largest Automaker, Filed for Court
Receivership Last Week
Domestic Developments
1. President Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso
agreed during yesterday's summit meeting in Seoul to put aside
historical disputes and enhance bilateral cooperation to deal with
the global economic crisis. The two leaders also stressed the
importance of maintaining the Six-Party framework to resolve the
North Korean nuclear issue and agreed to work closely with the
incoming Obama Administration. (All)
International News
1. President George W. Bush, during his last official press
conference on Jan. 12 (local time),said that North Korea is still a
problem. President Bush was quoted as saying: "One of my concerns is
that North Korea might still be pushing for its alleged highly
enriched uranium (HEU) program." (Hankyoreh, Seoul, all TVs)
Media Analysis
North Korea
Most of the ROK media gave play to President George W. Bush's last
official press conference at the White House on Jan. 12 (local
time),in which he said that North Korea is still a problem.
President Bush was quoted as saying: "In order to advance our
relations with North Korea, the North must honor the commitments it
made to allow for strong verification measures to be in place so as
to ensure that they do not develop a highly enriched uranium
program. One of my concerns is that North Korea might still be
pushing for the alleged program."
In a related development, the ROK media reported that President Lee
Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, during their summit
meeting in Seoul yesterday, stressed the importance of maintaining
the Six-Party framework to rid North Korea of nuclear weapons and
agreed to work closely with the incoming Obama Administration.
Gaza
Conservative Chosun Ilbo ran an inside-page report saying that after
12 days of fighting in Gaza, Israel now faces a choice - pursue a
ceasefire or push ahead with the kind of messy, door-to-door urban
fighting to remove Hamas, which might cause the death toll to rise
dramatically among both Palestinian civilians and its own soldiers.
Chosun went on to say that the Israeli prime minister and the
defense minister are differing over whether to escalate the two-week
offensive, with the former supporting pushing ahead with the
offensive while the latter is arguing for a ceasefire, citing
deteriorating international opinions. Right-of-center JoongAng
Ilbo's headline read: "Israel Enlists Reserves... Gaza Offensive
Reaches Its Final Stages." Conservative Dong-a Ilbo wrote in the
headline: "Israel Pushes the Offensive into a Third and Final Phase
in which the Army Takes Over Larger Areas of Gaza." Left-leaning
Hankyoreh Shinmun headlined its story: "Israel Even Ready to
Devastate Underground Hamas Military Facilities if Its Ground
Incursion into Downtown Gaza City Ends; Is Israel's Final Objective
to Reoccupy Gaza?"
Stephens
1
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/K, EAP/PD, INR/EAP/K AND INR/IL/P
TREASURY FOR OASIA/WINGLE
USDOC FOR 4430/IEP/OPB/EAP/WGOLICKE
STATE PASS USDA ELECTRONICALLY FOR FAS/ITP
STATE PASS DOL/ILAB SUDHA HALEY
STATE PASS USTR FOR IVES/WEISEL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PGOV PREL MARR ECON KS US
SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - January 13, 2009
Top Headlines
Chosun Ilbo
Illegal Use of State and Public Land Increases Fivefold
in Four Years
JoongAng Ilbo
Ruling Camp Officials: "Heads of National Intelligence Service,
National Police Agency and National Tax Service
will be Replaced"
Dong-a Ilbo
Wife of Detained Former National Tax Service (NTS) Chief Puts
High-Priced Painting for Sale, and Claims: "I Received It
from Wife of Current NTS Chief in Early 2007,
when My Husband was Still in Office"
Hankook Ilbo, All TVs
Lee, Aso Agree to Help Japanese Companies Invest in ROK Industrial
Complexes for Parts Production
Hankyoreh Shinmun
Foreign Media: Israel Even Aims to Devastate Underground Hamas
Military Facilities if Its Ground Incursion
into Downtown Gaza City Ends
Segye Ilbo
President Lee Expected to Reshuffle Four to Eight Cabinet Ministers,
Including Finance Minister Kang Man-soo
Seoul Shinmun
ROKG Considers Selling Ssangyong Motor Co. after Strengthening Its
SUV Unit; Ssangyong, ROK's Fifth-Largest Automaker, Filed for Court
Receivership Last Week
Domestic Developments
1. President Lee Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso
agreed during yesterday's summit meeting in Seoul to put aside
historical disputes and enhance bilateral cooperation to deal with
the global economic crisis. The two leaders also stressed the
importance of maintaining the Six-Party framework to resolve the
North Korean nuclear issue and agreed to work closely with the
incoming Obama Administration. (All)
International News
1. President George W. Bush, during his last official press
conference on Jan. 12 (local time),said that North Korea is still a
problem. President Bush was quoted as saying: "One of my concerns is
that North Korea might still be pushing for its alleged highly
enriched uranium (HEU) program." (Hankyoreh, Seoul, all TVs)
Media Analysis
North Korea
Most of the ROK media gave play to President George W. Bush's last
official press conference at the White House on Jan. 12 (local
time),in which he said that North Korea is still a problem.
President Bush was quoted as saying: "In order to advance our
relations with North Korea, the North must honor the commitments it
made to allow for strong verification measures to be in place so as
to ensure that they do not develop a highly enriched uranium
program. One of my concerns is that North Korea might still be
pushing for the alleged program."
In a related development, the ROK media reported that President Lee
Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, during their summit
meeting in Seoul yesterday, stressed the importance of maintaining
the Six-Party framework to rid North Korea of nuclear weapons and
agreed to work closely with the incoming Obama Administration.
Gaza
Conservative Chosun Ilbo ran an inside-page report saying that after
12 days of fighting in Gaza, Israel now faces a choice - pursue a
ceasefire or push ahead with the kind of messy, door-to-door urban
fighting to remove Hamas, which might cause the death toll to rise
dramatically among both Palestinian civilians and its own soldiers.
Chosun went on to say that the Israeli prime minister and the
defense minister are differing over whether to escalate the two-week
offensive, with the former supporting pushing ahead with the
offensive while the latter is arguing for a ceasefire, citing
deteriorating international opinions. Right-of-center JoongAng
Ilbo's headline read: "Israel Enlists Reserves... Gaza Offensive
Reaches Its Final Stages." Conservative Dong-a Ilbo wrote in the
headline: "Israel Pushes the Offensive into a Third and Final Phase
in which the Army Takes Over Larger Areas of Gaza." Left-leaning
Hankyoreh Shinmun headlined its story: "Israel Even Ready to
Devastate Underground Hamas Military Facilities if Its Ground
Incursion into Downtown Gaza City Ends; Is Israel's Final Objective
to Reoccupy Gaza?"
Stephens
1