VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #3656 2992241
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 262241Z OCT 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2765
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5833
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7050

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 003656 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: SOUTH KOREA 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their 
coverage October 26 on the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral 
races; on the controversial party assets bill, which will be 
discussed in the Legislative Yuan on Friday; and on the decision by 
Chinatrust Financial Holding Company Vice Chairman Jeffrey Koo, Jr., 
who is allegedly involved an illegal merger case, about whether he 
should return early from an Eisenhower fellowship in the U.S.  The 
pro-unification "United Daily News" front-paged its latest survey on 
the December Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections; it showed that 
support for Taipei KMT candidate Hau Lung-pin has risen from 34 
percent to 41 percent, while support for Chen Chu, a DPP candidate 
in Kaohsiung, has dropped from 28 percent to 23 percent. 
 
¶2.  The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" is the only 
paper today to run a news story on North Korean sanctions; it lead 
its page three with the headline "Taiwan to Follow U.N. Sanctions 
against North Korea."  A column in the mass-circulation "Apple 
Daily" commented on South Korea's development of cruise missiles, 
saying that President Roh Moo-Hyun is double-dealing with North 
Korea - showing goodwill on the one hand while holding a stick 
behind his back.  End summary. 
 
"The Stick Behind South Korea" 
 
Columnist Antonio Chiang noted in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" 
[circulation: 500,000] (10/26): 
 
"... South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun has been proactively 
calling for independent diplomacy ever since he rose to power.  On 
the one hand, he wants to retrieve the power of command during 
war-time from the United States, while on the other hand, he has 
been actively adopting a friendly policy toward North Korea.  The 
relationship between Washington and Seoul has gradually fallen to a 
low tide.  The two look like a perfect couple on the surface, but in 
reality, they have been separated for a long time.  Pyongyang's 
nuclear test this time proved that [Seoul's] North policy has 
failed, and it has got itself stuck in a dilemma. ... 
 
"Seoul's development of cruise missiles was aimed at addressing the 
threats posed by North Korea.  But a more important reason for South 
Korea is that the missiles can be used as a strategic weapon to its 
neighboring countries once unification between North and South Korea 
is realized.  Seoul was worried that such a move would stimulate 
China and Japan, so it kept it top secret.  But now South Korea has 
been forced to deliberately leak this information to the media, due 
to changes in the situation. ... 
 
"Judging from this perspective, Roh is also double-dealing towards 
Pyongyang.  He has been trying his best to show his goodwill to 
Pyongyang on the one hand, while in the meantime, he has been 
holding a stick behind his back, because there will be no real peace 
without real strength to support it." 
 
YOUNG