SEOUL - MEDIA REACTION

UNCLAS SEOUL 000772 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KMDR KS US SUBJECT: SEOUL - MEDIA REACTION EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC: DPRK -------------- "U.S. MUST TREAD CAREFULLY IN DEALING WITH NORTH KOREA" Conservative Chosun Ilbo editorialized (05/14): "North Korea, which had long desired to hold direct talks with the U.S., has unilaterally boycotted the Six-Party Talks. In this situation, if the U.S. hurries talks with North Korea, giving the impression that it is impatient to hold such talks, it could be seen as another type of 'compensation' for North Korea and could undermine the U.S.'s bargaining power. ... The U.S. should limit its agenda for direct talks with North Korea to the resumption of the Six-Party Talks. North Korea may have many agenda items in mind, but the first and foremost task at hand for the U.S. is to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea. The most pressing item on the agenda is to resolve the problem of taking nuclear samples from North Korea for verification, which the North verbally promised former Chief Negotiator Christopher Hill in October last year, but later refused, claiming that it had not been signed on paper. Things will get more complicated if North Korea seeks to set the agenda for the next phase of the Six-Party Talks in advance. This needs to be discussed with the other countries participating in the Six-Party Talks." STANTON