ROKG STEERING CLEAR OF BURMA POLITICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 000767 SIPDIS PLEASE PASS TO LAURA SCHEIBE IN EAP/MLS. E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/12/2019 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KS BM SUBJECT: ROKG STEERING CLEAR OF BURMA POLITICAL SENSITIVITIES REF: SECSTATE 46562 Classified By: A/DCM Joseph Yun. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) In response to the reftel demarche, ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) Southeast Asia Director Kim Young-chae said on May 11 that he would convey to his superiors that the U.S. was urging international pressure on the Burmese government to end the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi. Director Kim made it very clear, however, that the ROK would encourage improvement in conditions in Burma only by indirect means if at all. The most immediate reason for this is that the Burmese prime minister will be in attendance at a summit commemorating 20 years of Korea-ASEAN relations scheduled for June 1-2 on Jeju island. The ROKG had planned to avoid sensitive issues "from the beginning" in discussions with ASEAN on a joint statement for the event; ASEAN members had evinced similar inclinations. Because the summit is meant to be a celebration, Kim said, the timing is not right for raising political issues with the Burmese. STANTON