VZCZCXYZ0005
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPF #0925 1910705
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 100705Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8686
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 2351
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2463
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0639
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1611

C O N F I D E N T I A L PHNOM PENH 000925 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR PRM, EAP, MLS AND EAP/K 
BANGKOK ALSO FOR REFUGEE COORDINATOR 
GENEVA FOR RMA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/10/2017 
TAGS: PREF PREL KS KN CB
SUBJECT: SOUTH KOREANS AGREE TO VET NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES 
 
REF: PHNOM PENH 0839 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Political Officer Janet E. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) a 
nd (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) On July 9, the DCM called on Embassy of the Republic 
of Korea Counselors Nak-Young OH and Gon-Jong JANG regarding 
the five North Korean refugees seeking resettlement in the 
United States (reftel).  The DCM passed biographical 
information and fingerprints of the five individuals to the 
Koreans who agreed to transmit the information to the ROK 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul for name checks.  The 
ROK will perform background security checks and determine 
whether the individuals have previously been resettled in 
South Korea as refugees. 
 
¶2. (C) Comment.  It appeared that the South Korean Embassy 
had not received instructions from the ROK MFA.  We suggest 
that U.S. Embassy Seoul communicate with relevant contacts in 
the ROK government to alert them that the refugees' 
biographical data and fingerprints are forthcoming from the 
ROK Embassy in Phnom Penh.  OH and JANG ambiguously took on 
the task of investigating the five North Koreans and Post is 
uncertain whether the ROK Embassy will definitively proceed. 
The Counselors were preoccupied with conveying their desire 
that the ROK pipeline for North Korean refugees not be 
publicly revealed and remain separate from any U.S. refugee 
processing pipeline for North Koreans.  The DCM stated that 
this is also the intention of the U.S.G.  End comment. 
MUSSOMELI