ROK ADVOCATES REGIONAL APPROACHES AGAINST PIRACY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 000939 SIPDIS STATE FOR PM/PPA DAVID FORAN, IO/UNP JOSEPH FITZGERALD E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2019 TAGS: EWWT MARR PHSA PHUM PREL KS SUBJECT: ROK ADVOCATES REGIONAL APPROACHES AGAINST PIRACY REF: SECSTATE 58579 Classified By: ADCM Joseph Yun for reasons 1.4 (b,d). (C) In response to reftel, Lee Jaejune of MOFAT's International Security Affairs Division on June 12 said that despite the ROKG's neutral position on the proposed International Piracy Court, the ROKG was not expecting changes to its focus on using existing measures, (including bilateral agreements or MOUs),and on increasing the capacity of regional states to prosecute pirates as the preferred legal mechanisms for processing captured pirates. Lee said that the ROKG would use cost-benefit analysis in its decision on which programs to advocate, and that an international piracy court would be costly and time-consuming to set up. In addition, Lee said that international courts were traditionally reserved for genocide, not pirates. Lee did not know if the ROKG would make any announcement on the issue, but was aware that the legal working group of the Contact Group would likely discuss the issue in late August in Copenhagen. Lee also said that the Russians came to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade during the week of June 1-5 to present their arguments supporting the establishment of an international piracy court. STANTON