SEOUL - MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SEOUL 000704 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KMDR KS US SUBJECT: SEOUL - MEDIA REACTION East Asia and Pacific: DPRK -------------- "CAN PRESSURE AND NEGLECT HELP KEEP NORTH KOREAN IN CHECK?" Conservative Chosun Ilbo editorialized (05/04): "The outline of the Obama Administration's North Korea policy is becoming clearer. The North recently threatened to conduct another nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests and to renew its clandestine uranium enrichment program. The U.S. Administration, however, declined to respond directly but countered with UN sanctions. It is a tactic of 'pressure and neglect.' The [U.S.] choice is understandable. U.S.-North Korea dialogue and the Six-Party Talks have been criticized for not punishing but rewarding the North's provocations, while Pyongyang has continued to foster its nuclear and missile capabilities. It is time to break this vicious cycle. ... The ROKG should first talk to the U.S. about how to handle situations when the North exacerbates the crisis through provocations such as an additional nuclear test, rather than simply going along with the 'pressure and neglect' tactic. If the Six-Party Talks no longer function properly, the ROK and the U.S. should discuss if there is any other alternative to the multilateral talks." "THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD MAKE IT CLEAR THAT NO AID WILL BE POSSIBLE IF NORTH KOREA REJECTS THE SIX-PARTY TALKS" Conservative Dong-a Ilbo editorialized (05/04): "Observers say that Secretary Clinton's clear response is attributable to the lesson learned from 20 years of negotiations with North Korea. Although the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations placated the North with concessions in response to its bad behavior, they failed to prevent the North from crossing the nuclear threshold in the end. ... This lesson the U.S. has learned should also apply to the ROK, China, Japan and Russia. ... If the five nations of the Six-Party Talks show no response while North Korea resumes reprocessing spent fuel rods -- violating the spirit of the Six-Party Talks (which began in August 2003),the February 13 and the October 3 Agreements of 2007 -- it would mean that those five nations are avoiding their obligations. If the five parties back down again, no one will have any expectation that the Six-Party Talks can resume, never mind resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. The ROK, China, Japan and Russia should actively follow the position of the U.S. that should the North reject the [Six-Party] Talks, that they will provide no aid. If the five nations drag their feet, they will once again be taken in by the North." STANTON