SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; May 27, 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 SEOUL 000840 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; May 27, 2009 TOP HEADLINES -------------- Chosun Ilbo ¶N. Korea Restarts Yongbyon Reprocessing Plant JoongAng Ilbo, Hankook Ilbo, Segye Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun, All TVs Seoul Joins PSI as Full-time Member Dong-a Ilbo Seoul "Joins PSI"... N. Korea "Responds" by Firing More Missiles Hankyoreh Shinmun Former President Roh Was Not With His Security Guard When He Jumped to His Death DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS -------------- According to Blue House Spokesman Lee Dong-kwan, President Barack Obama, in a May 26 telephone conversation with President Lee Myung-bak, said that the ROK-U.S. alliance is rock-solid. The U.S. president also wished to make it clear to ROK citizens that the U.S.'s military strength and nuclear umbrella are extended wide enough to protect the ROK. (All) President Lee, meanwhile, urged President Obama not to reward North Korea's saber-rattling, referring to Pyongyang's first nuclear test in 2006 through which North Korea was rewarded, including the resumption of dialogue with the international community. (All) The ROKG announced yesterday that it will participate fully in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI),which aims to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The ROKG had delayed its full participation in PSI for fear of provoking North Korea. (All) The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told the National Assembly yesterday that North Korea may test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). NIS based this assessment on North Korean warnings from April 29 that it would conduct a second nuclear test, test-fire an ICBM and develop nuclear weapons through uranium enrichment, unless the UN Security Council apologizes for sanctioning the North for its long-range rocket launch. (Chosun) INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS -------------- North Korea fired two more short-range missiles from its east coast yesterday, a day after it tested a nuclear device and fired three other missiles. The North also appears to be preparing to launch more short-range missiles from the west coast. (All) On May 25, the UN Security Council condemned North Korea's nuclear test as a "clear violation" of Resolution 1718 from 2006 and began work on a new resolution that could result in additional sanctions against the North. (All) In particular, China and Russia, both allies of North Korea, expressed strong displeasure at the North's nuclear test. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu made it clear on May 26 that China firmly opposes the North Korean nuclear test, and Russia indefinitely postponed its planned trade meeting with North Korea. (All) According to an ROKG source, a U.S. spy satellite has detected various signs that North Korea has reactivated its reprocessing plant at Yongbyon, which had been suspended under a nuclear SEOUL 00000840 002 OF 010 disarmament agreement. (Chosun) MEDIA ANALYSIS -------------- -North Korea Nuclear and Missile Test -------------- The ROK media gave front-and inside-page play to the UN Security Council's swift condemnation yesterday of North Korea's May 25 nuclear test as a "clear violation" of Resolution 1718 and work on a new resolution that could result in additional sanctions against the North. Most ROK media, in particular, noted that China and Russia, both allies of North Korea, expressed strong displeasure at the North's nuclear test. The media cited Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu's May 26 statement that China firmly opposes the North Korean nuclear test and also cited Beijing's restraint in not directly criticizing the ROK's decision yesterday to participate fully in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI),which aims to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The media also noted Russia's indefinite postponement of its planned trade meeting with North Korea. In a related development, conservative Chosun Ilbo wrote in an editorial that China will benefit from joining in sanctions against North Korea from a long-term perspective. The editorial argued: "There is a limit to getting North Korea to give up its nuclear program by relying on the power of the U.S. alone. ... This makes China's role all the more important, since China is the North's largest trade partner and food and energy provider. Unless China participates proactively, any international sanctions against North Korea will not be successful, nor will any UNSC resolution (on North Korea) be meaningful. ... Deterring North Korea from triggering an anachronistic arms race will also serve China's security interests." Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo's editorial stated: "North Korea has gone beyond the international community's tolerance and patience. Its provocative actions are threatening peace and the global order. It is high time the international community taught the North a lesson. ... Much of the work of persuading the North will fall to China to exert its influence over its long-time communist partner." Regarding the ROKG's decision yesterday to join the U.S.-led PSI as a full-time member, the ROK media recalled North Korea's previous statement that it would consider Seoul's participation in PSI a "declaration of war," and predicted a further escalation of tensions between the two Koreas. Some ROK media raised the possibility of a North Korean provocation in the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, which the North refuses to recognize as a sea border. Moderate Hankook Ilbo editorialized: "The prevailing analysis is that North Korea is citing Washington and Seoul's hostile policies as its excuse (for the latest provocations) but that the North is taking such hard-line steps to shore up its regime and achieve a 'powerful and prosperous nation.' This move by the North will not change as long as the crisis of the regime, such as leader Kim Jong-il's ill health, continues. Therefore, this is not the time to engage in a lengthy dispute over the ROK's PSI participation, but it is rather time to respond resolutely to North Korea's exaggerated protests and threats, while keeping tensions from escalating into a crisis." Yesterday's telephone conversation between Presidents Barack Obama and Lee Myung-bak also received wide press coverage. Citing Blue House Spokesman Lee Dong-kwan, the ROK media quoted President Barack Obama: "I believe the UN Security Council needs a strong resolution against North Korea. (Washington) will work hard to get the UNSC to produce concrete measures (against North Korea.)" President Obama was further quoted: "The ROK-U.S. alliance is rock-solid. ... The U.S.'s military strength and nuclear umbrella SEOUL 00000840 003 OF 010 are extended wide enough to protect the ROK." President Lee was also reported as urging President Obama not to reward North Korea's saber-rattling, referring to Pyongyang's first nuclear test in 2006 through which North Korea was rewarded, including the resumption of dialogue with the international community. Conservative Chosun Ilbo, citing an ROKG source, front-paged a report that a U.S. spy satellite has detected various signs that North Korea has reactivated its reprocessing plant at Yongbyon, which had been suspended under a nuclear disarmament agreement. The report noted that (the reactivation) is faster than expected, given that experts have estimated that it would take two to four months for the North to resume operations at the plant. Chosun also reported on the National Intelligence Service (NIS)'s testimony to the National Assembly yesterday that North Korea may test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). NIS based this assessment on North Korean warnings from April 29 that it would conduct a second nuclear test, test-fire an ICBM and develop nuclear weapons through uranium enrichment, unless the UN Security Council apologizes for sanctioning the North for its long-range rocket launch, according to the Chosun report. OPINIONS/EDITORIALS -------------- "DON'T BLAME ANYONE" (JoongAng Daily, Page 10, May 27, 2009) The queue of mourners at the altar in front of Deoksu Palace in central Seoul on Monday afternoon seemed endless despite the sizzling heat. Although the number of visitors was much smaller than in the evening, people had to wait on average around half an hour for their turn to offer flowers before the portrait of the late President Roh Moo-hyun. The altar at Deoksu is one of 150 set up by civic and religious groups. The government has set up 31 official memorials nationwide. Although citizens may differ in their assessment of the late president, the feeling of bereavement is felt by all. People feel united in paying their last respects to a former national leader who many feel once represented all of us. Many sympathize with a man who chose to take his own life because of the agony he suffered at the end of his life. At least during the official mourning period until the funeral on Friday, the entire country will have to share the feelings of sympathy, and that will be the right thing to do. However, sorrow sometimes hampers rational judgment. Village residents and other mourners prevented National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyung-o from visiting (former President) Roh's mourning altar at Bongha Village on Sunday. He barely managed to succeed at dawn the next day. Some people there threw water and foul language at him as he turned to head back to Seoul. "We will let you in only if you bring (former President)Roh back to life," some shouted. Moon Jae-in, Roh's close confidant, tried to persuade the crowds (not to block the visitors) but Park Geun-hye of the Grand National Party and Lee Hoi-chang of the Liberal Forward Party also failed to reach the altar and pay their respects. President Lee Myung-bak had also expressed his wish to visit Bongha in person but he was dissuaded from doing so because of security risks. SEOUL 00000840 004 OF 010 These politicians may not enjoy the same views or occupy the same political ground but their intention to honor the dead was the right thing to do. (Former President) Roh wouldn't have wanted visitors to be blocked. As he said in his last message, "Don't blame anyone." What is of greater concern is the action of groups wanting to make political capital out of the grief people feel for the former President. Next to the altar at Deoksu Palace, pro-Roh groups are collecting signatures in support of impeaching President Lee. The people's funeral scheduled for Friday at Gwanghwamun should not become an assembly point for protest groups. Instead, the political circle should be trying to embrace the mood of the nation in this mourning period, and uniting for the future. "POST-PSI PARTICIPATION" SITUATION IS MORE IMPORTANT (Hankook Ilbo, May 27, Page 35) In the wake of North Korea's second nuclear test, the ROKG announced its full participation in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) aimed at preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction. This has been expected although the ROKG had delayed announcing officially that it will join the PSI as a full-time member, in consideration of inter-Korean relations. Accordingly, North Korea, which had considered the ROK's PSI full participation as a 'declaration of war', will very likely voice fierce opposition, ratcheting up tensions. Moreover, this will fuel controversy over the ROK's North Korea policy. However, we need to correctly understand the current situation in which North Korea's nuclearization is an established fact, and should devise our strategy against North Korea's nuclear programs within a bigger framework. The significance of the ROKG's full participation in PSI is evident, considering remarks by U.S. President Obama, who said emphatically that the ROK's full participation in PSI is very important, while vowing to take strong and united steps against North Korea's nuclear test. President Obama considers the former Bush Administration's North Korea policy as a failure but seeks to institutionalize the PSI which lacks a basis under international law. The Bush Administration pushed for the hard-line policy that the U.S. would eliminate the threat of weapons of mass destruction from rogue states, but failed to block North Korea's nuclear development. Accordingly, the Obama Administration is focused on preventing North Korea from spreading its nuclear weapons to a third country rather than vaguely seeking to scrap its nuclear program. Unlike in the past when the U.S. exaggerated North Korea's nuclear ambitions as a direct threat to the country, (now) it is pursuing a realistic policy aimed at curbing nuclear proliferation which threatens world peace. Therefore, observers have noted objectively that the Obama Administration appears to accept North Korea's nuclearization as an established fact and is pursuing a long term goal of (having North Korea) dismantle its nuclear programs. They indicate that, although the Obama Administration does not recognize the status of North Korea as a nuclear state, it is no longer obsessed with hypocritical negotiations, where the U.S. engages in a tug of war with the North over rewards for Pyongyang's nuclear dismantlement. President Obama's statement that the U.S.'s nuclear umbrella is strong enough to protect the ROK appears premised on North Korea's "nuclear possession." The USG and the ROKG are responding this way because North Korea is seeking to become a "nuclear state," regardless of any existing negotiation frameworks such as the Six-Party Talks. The prevailing analysis is that North Korea is citing Washington and Seoul's hostile policies as its excuse (for the latest provocations) but that the North is taking such hard-line steps in order to shore up its regime and achieve a 'powerful and prosperous nation.' This SEOUL 00000840 005 OF 010 move by the North will not change as long as the crisis of the regime, such as leader Kim Jong-il's ill health, continues. Therefore, this is not the time to engage in a lengthy dispute over the ROK's PSI participation, but instead it is time to respond resolutely to North Korea's exaggerated protests and threats, while keeping tensions from escalating into a crisis. Besides this, we should let (the North Koreans) know that we understand their desperate situation and are willing to help them survive, and persuade them (to abandon their nuclear ambitions). STANDING UP TO PROVOCATION (JoongAng Ilbo, May 27, 2009, Page 42) The international community has speedily embarked on coordinated, punitive steps against North Korea after it flouted international warnings and conducted another nuclear test. The United Nations Security Council, in a meeting held shortly after the surprise nuclear test on Monday, condemned the action, characterizing it as clear defiance of an earlier warning, and vowed to map out a new resolution imposing stronger sanctions on the recalcitrant communist regime. Soon after he heard the news, President Barack Obama declared that the United States and its allies would "stand up" to North Korea and he held a press conference at the White House early Monday morning, local time. The latest North Korean provocation has drawn a harsh rebuke even from countries relatively sympathetic towards the Pyongyang regime. On Monday, China said it was "resolutely opposed" to the nuclear test. Russia and Vietnam also joined the chorus of criticism. The South Korean government announced Tuesday that it will become a full participant in the Proliferation Security Initiative. Seoul has been wavering in its decision to join the U.S.-led campaign to stop global trafficking in weapons of mass destruction for fear of provoking the North, which continues to detain a South Korean worker and is threatening to overthrow the inter-Korean business partnership in the Kaesong Industrial Complex - but the nuclear test has forced Seoul's hand. North Korea has gone beyond the international community's tolerance and patience. Its provocative actions are threatening peace and the global order. It is high time the international community taught the North a lesson. In a telephone call with President Obama, President Lee Myung-bak emphasized that the U.S. and its allies should not give in to the North's brinkmanship and repeat the pattern of rewarding belligerent Pyongyang with dialogue and economic aid, as has been done in the past. President Obama agreed to work for stronger international pressure through a UN Security Council resolution. We welcome the two leaders' coordinated and resolute response, and we urge the government to put forth its best diplomatic efforts in organizing international cooperation to send a consistent and resolute message to North Korea. Much of the work of persuading the North will fall to China to exert its influence over its long-time communist partner. Still, we expect the North to heighten its bellicosity, employing all possible means to push back against the international consensus against it. President Obama assured his South Korean counterpart that the U.S. military and its nuclear power would provide protection against any potential provocations from the North. We need to reconfirm our security capabilities through next month's South Korea-U.S. summit and other diplomatic channels with our allies. Our military forces should be on full alert to act promptly against any provocation from North Korea. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) NEW STRATEGIES TO COUNTER NK NEEDED SEOUL 00000840 006 OF 010 (Dong-a Ilbo, May 27, 2009, Page 31) North Korea's second nuclear test Monday has forced South Korea to seriously consider the establishment of a new security framework for survival. Until now, the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has been pursued through negotiations centered on the Six-Party Talks. Such peaceful means, however, have produced no results and have only bought time for the North to develop nuclear weapons. The dialogue has clearly shown its limitations. Many are urging the U.N. Security Council to devise strong and effective measures to punish the communist country, while certain experts want Seoul to consider securing its own nuclear deterrent, as well as strengthen its military alliance with Washington. The way South Korea responds to the North's military provocations should also be changed. Along with the nuclear test, Pyongyang fired three short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan Monday and two more Tuesday. Preparation for another missile launch in the Yellow Sea was also detected. If the North breaches the Northern Limit Line, the de facto border in the Yellow Sea, South Korea must show a renewed determination to sternly deal with the provocation by harshly punishing the North. In this regard, the Lee Myung-bak Administration's announcement to join the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative, a campaign against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, is a welcome change in Seoul's way of dealing with Pyongyang. Three proposals have appeared for the South to counter the North's nuclear weapons: inducing Pyongyang to renounce its nuclear development program via negotiations or compulsory means; Seoul possessing its own nuclear weapons for self-defense; and reliance on the U.S. nuclear umbrella. The North's latest nuclear test clearly demonstrates that Pyongyang will not renounce its nuclear ambition unless its nuclear facilities are attacked and destroyed. The argument for South Korea going nuclear is based on the premise that a nuclear attack can be deterred only by nuclear weapons. This is out of the question, however, given international relations and agreements that South Korea has signed. Therefore, protection under the U.S. nuclear umbrella is the best practical countermeasure. To get such protection, a robust South Korea-U.S. alliance is a prerequisite. Since the Roh Moo-hyun Administration, however, doubt has lingered among both the South Korean government and its people over whether the United States will readily come to the rescue. In particular, it is uncertain whether Washington will keep its commitment to protect (South Korea) after it transfers wartime operational command to Seoul and the Combined Forces Command is dissolved on April 17, 2012. In this context, the argument for reconsidering the transfer's timing and the command's dissolution sounds convincing. Seoul must bring this up and put efforts into negotiations with Washington. In addition, the U.S. nuclear umbrella will be a deterrent only when the North realizes that the United States will not sit idly by if the North launches a nuclear attack on the South. Experts say the Defense Reform 2020 plan drawn up under the Roh Administration is designed to deal with a North Korea armed with conventional weapons, not a nuclear arsenal. They suggest procurement of high-tech weaponry, improvement of precision attack capability, development of new weapons, and drastic enhancement of operational systems. Others say defense-oriented strategies should also be adjusted to incorporate aggressive and active features. The Missile Technology Control Regime, the only multilateral missile nonproliferation arrangement, which bans missiles with a range exceeding 300 kilometers, prevents South Korea from properly reacting to North Korea's missile threat, experts say. So this limitation should be dealt with through negotiations with the United States. In addition, South Korea is restricted in the use of nuclear power despite being the world's sixth-largest producer of nuclear energy. Since the conclusion of the 1991 inter-Korean declaration on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the South has given up uranium enrichment programs. The North, however, SEOUL 00000840 007 OF 010 has breached the agreement and extracted weapons-grade plutonium by reprocessing nuclear fuel. Seoul, which has abided by the agreement, has yet to realize its nuclear power potential. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) CHINA CAN ONLY GAIN FROM BEING TOUGH ON N. KOREA (Chosun Ilbo, May 27, 2009, Page 27) After North Korea conducted its second nuclear test on Monday, the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting that condemned the test and began searching for a new resolution. Russia, which chairs the council, as well as the other permanent members of the council, including the U.S. and China, are strongly criticizing the North. The atmosphere is quite different from (the atmosphere) in April, when North Korea fired a long-range rocket: at that time, the Security Council failed to arrive at a resolution and issued only a chairman's statement. In a phone call with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama said a strong resolution from the Security Council was necessary. China said it "strongly opposes" North Korea's nuclear test. But it also stressed the need to "maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia," hinting at its desire to set certain limits to the level of pressure the council puts on the North. UN Security Council Resolution 1718, adopted after North Korea's first nuclear test in October of 2006 and focused on economic sanctions, has been ineffective. It was nonbinding, and UN member countries did not participate in its implementation. China in particular claimed that the sanctions could corner North Korea and have negative repercussions and continued to offer its ally economic aid. Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told Fox TV on May 19 that if China, Japan, Russia and the U.S. do not exert enough pressure on North Korea and fail to convince it to give up its nuclear weapons program, there would be no point in supporting an international framework. Kissinger advised President Obama on his vision of a world free of nuclear weapons along with former Secretary of State George Shultz, former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn, and former Defense Secretary William Perry. Kissinger said the task facing the international community is to remove North Korea's nuclear weapons and to come up with penalties and rewards, as well as a balance of diplomacy and pressure to make that happen. There is a limit to getting North Korea to give up its nuclear program by relying on the power of the U.S. alone. If the military option is taken off the table, then the options in terms of punishment and pressure are limited. This makes China's role all the more important, since China is the North's largest trading partner and food and energy provider. Unless China participates proactively, any international sanctions against North Korea will not be successful, nor will any UNSC resolution (on North Korea) be meaningful. China needs to take a firm stance not only because of its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, with major responsibilities in maintaining global security, but because allowing North Korea to develop nuclear weapons and missiles could be detrimental to its own diplomatic interests. Beijing will not be able to ignore the fact that Japan, which has been wary of China's growing military might, has used North Korea's provocation as an excuse to bolster its own military power. Deterring North Korea from triggering an anachronistic arms race will also serve China's security interests. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) SEOUL 00000840 008 OF 010 PSI MEMBERSHIP REQUIRES STRATEGIC THINKING (Chosun Ilbo, May 27, 2009, Page 27) The government on Tuesday declared that Korea is joining the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). The government had originally intended to join the PSI shortly after North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket on April 5. But the announcement was postponed due to concerns by officials within the government over agitating the North. Before the announcement, President Lee Myung-bak explained his government's policies in a phone call to U.S. President Barack Obama, who said that Seoul's participation was extremely important and he believed Lee had demonstrated international leadership in making the decision. North Korea has said it would consider South Korea's membership in the PSI to be a "declaration of war." The PSI is a global initiative launched in May 2003 at the suggestion of 11 countries, including the U.S., Japan and Russia, to prevent the illicit dealing or spread of weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear weapons and missiles. At present, 94 countries are taking part in the PSI. If South Korea joins (the PSI),its patrol ships can force North Korean vessels in the South's territorial waters to stop, or search its confines. Opponents claim that such incidents could lead to armed clashes. The South Korean government's position is that a maritime pact signed with North Korea in 2004 already contains the same provisions so that joining the PSI will not lead to more dangerous situations and would have the effect of suppressing the North's illicit trade in weapons. There is a strong chance that North Korea will resort to more provocations. Armed clashes could occur along the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea, while the future of the Kaesong Industrial Complex could also be jeopardized. The government must be fully prepared to deal with any provocations by North Korea. It had said its joining the PSI was unrelated to its policies toward North Korea, but it joined at a time when UN sanctions are being pursued in response to North Korea's nuclear test. In other words, it has tacitly admitted that the aim (of joining the PSI) is to impose restrictions on North Korea. The government changed its mind several times, with the Foreign Ministry supporting it and the Unification Ministry opposing it. We need to find out how such confusion and conflict could have arisen involving a diplomatic and national security issue as important as this one, find those responsible for the problems and make sure that these mistakes are not repeated. Most importantly, the government must thoroughly review its North Korea policy following the North's nuclear test and PSI membership. At a time when the entire international community is moving toward sanctioning North Korea, inter-Korean relations will also reflect this trend. But the U.S. and Chinese governments can always opt to open dialogue with North Korea. This has happened repeatedly in the past. The government must be precise in its response to the present situation, but if its view is limited to the present situation, we could lose sight of the big picture and end up isolated. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) FULL PARTICIPATION IN PSI AND WORSENING INTER-KOREAN RELATIONS (Hankyoreh Shinmun, May 27, 2009, Page 27) South Korea announced its full-scale participation in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) on Tuesday. The punitive response for North Korea's second nuclear test on Monday is inappropriate. Of course, it is appropriate to hold North Korea accountable for SEOUL 00000840 009 OF 010 conducting a second nuclear test following its long-range rocket launch. A United Nations Security Council meeting was immediately convened to begin discussions on sanctions for North Korea's bad behavior. However, the most critical thing to do now is to find a solution. North Korea's second nuclear test indicates that it is moving closer to becoming a fully-fledged nuclear-armed state. North Korea's rise as a nuclear state creates a tense situation and could threaten regional security and peace. Historically, North Korea's nuclear capabilities have grown stronger during times of pressure and sanctions, and weaker during times of dialogue and negotiations. The 1994 Geneva Agreement, the 2005 Sept 19 Joint Declaration and the 2007 Feb 13 Agreement represented agreements exchanging North Korean nuclear restraint for relief and were all products of dialogue. On the other hand, North Korea responded to the rise in tensions with the U.S. over the Banco Delta Asia issue with a long-range missile launch in July 2006, and its first nuclear test in October 2006. Even if one gets angry at North Korea's provocations, dialogue remains the most realistic option. Lee Myung-bak's Administration has condemned North Korea's first nuclear test, attributing it to inter-Korean economic cooperation relations during Roh's period, and has worked to differentiate itself from Roh Moo-hyun Administration's appeasement of North Korea by maintaining a policy of pressure on North Korea since its inauguration. North Korea's second nuclear test shows us once again that pressure, rather than resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, has just worsened the situation. During the Roh Administration, when inter-Korean relations were better, the South Korean government at least had some room to negotiate a solution to the nuclear issue. In contrast, the Lee Administration has completely lost any inter-Korean contact, and is in the worst position for negotiating the nuclear issue. North Korea informed both the U.S. and China of the second nuclear test just before it occurred, but the South Korean government had no idea. This is a good example of how an issue involving the Korean Peninsula is being resolved without (the involvement of) the South Korean government. In response to this situation, the government has decided to fully participate in PSI, something North Korea says it would consider a "declaration of war." Given North Korea's past behavior, which regularly puts its words into action, it is clear that the possibility of an armed clash between the Koreas has grown. Even if this does not prove to be the case, the fate of the already-troubled Kaesong Industrial Complex will become even murkier and the release of the Hyundai Asan employee who is being detained by North Korea will become more difficult. From the beginning, full-scale participation in PSI was not something to be discussed as a means to pressure North Korea. This is because it has nothing to do with a solution to the nuclear issue and will only worsen inter-Korean relations, although it might let the far right and conservatives who want to vent their wrath at North Korea feel better. In fact, full-scale participation in PSI will further narrow the South Korean government's ability to speak on the North Korea nuclear issue. This will be even more so if the Obama Administration steps up to engage in bilateral dialogue with North Korea. The Lee Administration has made another bad move. (This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is identical to the Korean version.) FEATURES -------------- ¶N. KOREA RESTARTS REPROCESSING PLANT (Chosun Ilbo, May 27, 2009, Front Page) By Military Affairs Reporter Yu Yong-won North Korea has apparently restarted a fuel reprocessing facility at Yongbyon. Steam has recently been seen coming from the facility. This is noteworthy because the move came earlier than expected. Experts had earlier speculated that it would take two to four months SEOUL 00000840 010 OF 010 for the North to resume operations at the plant. An ROKG source said on May 26, "A surveillance satellite has detected various signs, including steam, that North Korea has reactivated its reprocessing plant at Yongbyon, which had been suspended under a nuclear disarmament deal." Fuel reprocessing extracts plutonium, the raw material for nuclear weapons, from spent fuel rods. The fact that the North has started the reprocessing work indicates that it has crossed the "red line," thereby upsetting the nuclear negotiations that have been held so far. North Korea has some 8,000 spent fuel rods at the Yongbyon nuclear facility. If it reprocesses them, it could obtain an additional 6 to 8 kg of plutonium, enough to make one nuclear weapon. However, it has not been confirmed yet whether ROK and U.S. devices detected krypton gas, which is released when spent fuel rods are reprocessed. The U.S. frequently deploys its surveillance plane WC-135 to the Sea of Japan to detect krypton in the air, and the ROKG can detect the gas with its krypton detector installed near the DMZ. Meanwhile, North Korea launched another two short-range missiles on Tuesday afternoon. A South Korean military source said intelligence agencies found that the North launched two short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan from an area near Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province on Tuesday afternoon. The missiles were a ground-to-air missile and a ground-to-ship missile. The North fired three missiles on Monday afternoon - an SA-5 missile with a maximum range of 250 km from Musudanri, North Hamgyong Province and two KN-01 ground-to-ship missiles with a range of 160km from Wonsan, Gangwon Province. It is also apparently getting ready to launch more KN-01 ground-to-ship missiles on the west coast as well, having declared an area in the Yellow Sea off Jungsan-gun in South Pyongan Province off limits to ships from Monday until Wednesday. * We have compared the English version on the website with the Korean version and added some paragraphs to make them identical. STEPHENS