VZCZCXYZ0009
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #0772 0690736
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 100736Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6487
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 5920
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0226
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 7156
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0308
RUEHUM/AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR 1109
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J5 SEOUL KOR
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J2 SEOUL KOR
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA SCJS SEOUL KOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 000772 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2015 
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM KS KN TH
SUBJECT: ROK BRIEFED ON USG NEXT STEPS ON PROCESSING NORTH 
KOREAN REFUGEES 
 
REF: A. STATE 37908 
 
     ¶B. SEOUL 682 
     ¶C. STATE 31610 
 
Classified By: POL M/C Joseph Y. Yun.  Reasons 1.4 (b), (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) On March 10, poloffs delivered ref a demarche, which 
discussed Thailand's recent indication it would work with the 
USG on discreet case-by-case resettlement of North Korean 
refugees, to Kim Ki-woong, Director of the Inter-Korean 
Policy Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 
 Director Kim suggested that at the next USG-ROKG bilateral 
on refugee issues we address travel documentation and custody 
issues of North Koreans who would be proceeding from Thailand 
to the United States.  For example, would UNHCR, Red Cross, 
or other officials prepare travel documents for North Koreans 
accepted for USG resettlement and would RTG officials 
safeguard those awaiting resettlement?  Kim preferred early 
April for the USG-ROKG bilateral in Seoul because his boss, 
Director-General Nam Gwan-pyo, would attend the North-South 
ministerial talks currently set for March 28-31 in Pyongyang. 
 
¶2.  (C) Director Kim said he expected to deliver the official 
South Korean response to our ref c proposal to process 
refugees in Thailand, Mongolia, or Russia next week after the 
return of senior ROKG officials from trips abroad. 
VERSHBOW