VZCZCXRO7511
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHPG #0104/01 0360545
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 050545Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8531
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0575
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 0719
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0315
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0208
RUEHUM/AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR PRIORITY 0009
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG PRIORITY 0009
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0207

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000104 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
G/TIP PASS TO MEGAN HALL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2017 
TAGS: PREL PHUN ELAB EZ KN
SUBJECT: CZECHS ENDING NORTH KOREAN LABORER PROGRAM BUT 
CONTINUING CONTACT WITH THE DPRK 
 
REF: A. 06 PRAGUE 1400 
     ¶B. 06 PRAGUE 1319 
     ¶C. 06 PRAGUE 420 
     ¶D. 06 PRAGUE 307 
     ¶E. 06 PRAGUE 266 
     ¶F. 06 PRAGUE 261 
 
Classified By: Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Mike Dodma 
n for reasons 1.4 b+d 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) As a result of passage of UNSCR 1718, the Czech 
Foreign Ministry has pushed through an interministerial 
decision to end the North Korean work program that has been 
in place since 1998.  No new visas will be issued, and the 
408 DPRK laborers currently in country will leave when their 
visas and work permits expire, a process that will be 
complete by the end of 2007.  The North Korean Embassy 
questioned the decision, but the DPRK Ambassador did not 
raise the issue during a recent dinner with MFA officials. 
The Czech government continues to consider humanitarian aid 
projects in the DPRK, including giving the North Koreans 
apple trees, and the DPRK regime has recently expressed an 
interest in sending a delegation to the Czech Republic to 
learn how to brew beer.  The DPRK is likely to continue to 
press the Czechs for aid and the North Korean MFA Director of 
European Affairs is planning to visit Prague in March. End 
Summary. 
 
Czechs End North Korean Laborer Program 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) News that the Czech government had decided to end 
its controversial North Korean worker program came in the 
form of a statement from the Ministry of Interior included in 
a story in the weekly newsmagazine Tyden entitled "Sew and 
Live in the Name of the Dear Leader."  Citing UNSCR 1718, 
Tomas Haisman, Director of the Department of Asylum and 
Migration at the Ministry of Interior, stated that the MOI 
had informed the Foreign and Border Police to cease issuing 
work visas and permits for North Korean laborers.  He stated 
that all 408 DPRK workers would depart the country when their 
existing permits expire, a process that would be complete by 
year end.  The article highlighted the life of the laborers 
in the Czech Republic and noted that the laborers are forced 
to give a portion of their salary to the DPRK government. 
Haisman stated that "no one could convince us that the 
salaries weren't going to fund the regime."  Poloff spoke 
with Haisman on January 29 and he confirmed the information 
in the press report. 
 
¶3.  (C) On January 31, Political Economic Counselor met with 
Jan Fury, Director of the Asian and Pacific Affairs 
Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Fury 
confirmed Haisman's statements, relaying that UNSCR 1718 
provided the government the instrument they needed to close 
down the program.  Fury stated that Deputy Foreign Minister 
Pojar, a long-time human rights champion, had pushed through 
the decision at the interministerial level late last year, 
and that the Ministries of Interior and Labor agreed with the 
decision.  Fury said that while no Czech labor laws had been 
broken by the companies employing the North Koreans, the 
Czech government had refused to issue any new North Korean 
visas in the second half of 2006 and had in fact rejected 20 
visa applications in November 2006. 
 
¶4.  (C) Fury explained that the Czechs chose not to directly 
notify the North Korean Embassy in Prague of the new decision 
but confirmed the policy change with the DPRK Embassy once 
the issue hit the press.  When questioned, Fury informed the 
North Koreans that the Czech government had no choice under 
UNSCR 1718.  Fury also noted that at a long-planned dinner 
hosted by the North Korean Ambassador on January 30, the 
issue, to his surprise, did not come up. 
 
¶5. (C) Post has worked closely with senior officials at the 
Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Labor and Interior on this 
issue in recent months (there have been no fewer than 16 
separate meetings in the last six months alone, reftels).  At 
these meetings we have been assured repeatedly that 
 
PRAGUE 00000104  002 OF 002 
 
 
government officials at all levels have been instructed to be 
alert for signs that the DPRK workers want to request asylum 
or otherwise speak privately. 
 
North Koreans Seeking Large Rabbits, Oversized Apples and Beer 
--------------------------------------------- ----------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) During his dinner with the DPRK Ambassador, Fury 
stated that he was forced to sit through a long rant on U.S. 
oppressiveness towards the North Korean regime. He said that 
the North Koreans raised the issue of a planned Czech 
humanitarian contribution of apple trees to the DPRK.  Fury 
responded that the issue was on hold until the Czech 
Ambassador in Pyongyang visited the location where the trees 
would be planted and that during the winter he would not 
likely have that opportunity.  (Note: MFA officials had 
earlier informed Poloff that the MFA had established the 
requirement of the Czech Ambassador's visit to better ensure 
that the DPRK military wouldn't be profiting from the apple 
trees.  End Note.)  The North Korean Ambassador mentioned to 
Fury that the DPRK is importing extremely large rabbits from 
a German farmer near the Czech border and wondered whether it 
would be possible to import trees that produce oversized 
apples.  The North Koreans also explored the option of having 
a delegation visit the Czech Republic to learn how to brew 
beer.  On a separate issue, Fury said that the North Korean 
Embassy has not raised the issue of missile defense since the 
United States announced its intention to build a missile 
defense radar facility in the Czech Republic. 
 
¶7.  (C) Discussing Czech-North Korean issues more broadly, 
Fury said that no change in policy is expected with the new 
Czech government.  The GOCR will continue to support the 
six-party talks and condemn North Korean efforts to obtain 
nuclear weapons, but will also take advantage of its existing 
relatively cordial relations with Pyongyang to consider 
exchanges and humanitarian efforts that would support the 
North Korean people and ultimately promote civil society. 
Fury said that no high level visits are currently planned on 
either side, but noted that his counterpart in the North 
Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs may visit Prague in March 
after attending a seminar on the Korean Peninsula in Italy. 
He also stated that the Czechs were exploring hosting an 
economics seminar in Prague for North Korean students. 
 
¶8.  (C) Fury relayed the willingness of the Czech Foreign 
Ministry to assist in any possible way in facilitating the 
resolution of current DPRK nuclear issue and solicited USG 
input on possible bilateral Czech-North Korean projects. 
GRABER