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SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - December 30, 2008 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
¶1. "Breaking the Cycle" 
(JoongAng Ilbo, December 30, 2008, Page 30) 
¶2. "Massive Israeli Assault on Palestinians" 
(Hankook Ilbo, December 30, 2008, Page 39) 
¶3. "Israel Is Launching Indiscriminate Attacks for What?" (Hankyoreh 
Shinmun, December 30, 2008, Page 27) 
 
 
Features 
 
¶4. Kim Jong-il's Leadership "Stable" 
(Chosun Ilbo, December 30, 2008, Page 2) 
¶5. Seoul Could Buy Release of S. Koreans in North 
(Chosun Ilbo, December 30, 2008, Front Page) 
 
Top Headlines 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
National Assembly Speaker Calls for "More Dialogue," 
with No Progress Made in Negotiations between Rival Parties 
over Disputed Bills 
 
JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-a Ilbo, All TVs 
Prosecutors Find an IOU Indicating That Former President Roh 
Moo-hyun Borrowed 1.5 Billion Won from Taekwang Industrial Chairman 
Park Yeon-cha, Who Has Been Indicted for Corruption 
 
Hankook Ilbo, Segye Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun 
National Assembly Speaker Proposes: "Bills to Support People's 
Livelihood Should Be Passed This Year and 
Contentious Bills Next Year" 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
Justice Ministry Seeks to Enhance Prosecutors' Functions to Maintain 
Public Peace and Order 
 
 
Domestic Developments 
 
¶1. The Unification Ministry, in a Dec. 31 New Year's policy briefing 
to President Lee Myung-bak, will unveil its plan to provide North 
Korea with cash and materials in return for the release of ROK 
abductees and prisoners of war (POWs) still held in North Korea. 
(Chosun) 
 
¶2. Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong, meanwhile, in a Dec. 29 
luncheon meeting with reporters, said that North Korea's leadership 
is stable and that everything in North Korea is working normally. 
(Chosun) 
 
¶3. The Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS), 
affiliated with the Foreign Ministry, predicted in a Dec. 29 report 
that inter-Korean dialogue would likely resume in the second half of 
next year. The IFANS also expect the ROK's troop deployment to 
Afghanistan and ratification of the KORUS FTA to be bones of 
contention between the ROK and the U.S. (Chosun) 
 
 
International News 
 
¶1. According to a recent report by the Center for the Study of 
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) at the U.S. National Defense 
University, Washington and Seoul are working on a measure to remove 
North Korea's WMD by force, unless the North gives up its WMD. 
(Hankook) 
 
 
Media Analysis 
 
Israel's Assault on Gaza 
The Israeli actions in and around the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip 
continue to receive wide coverage.  The ROK media reported that 
Israeli warplanes bombed 300 Hamas military facilities and security 
compounds in the region yesterday, allegedly killing at least 310 
Palestinians and injuring 1,400.  The reports assess that the 
strikes are aimed at incapacitating the symbols of Hamas power. 
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak was widely quoted as declaring 
on Dec. 29: "Israel will expand its military operation in Gaza until 
all its goals are achieved.  The operation will be 'all-out war.'" 
 
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo editorialized: "Israel describes its 
strikes as retaliation for Hamas's continued rocket fire into 
southern Israel despite its repeated calls to stop.  Even if that is 
the case, retaliating for rocket fire with air strikes is like 
responding to a slingshot with a cannon.  Israeli Prime Minister 
Ehud Olmert, with legislative elections coming up in February next 
year, seems to be trying to clear away the roots of Hamas through 
these attacks.  He might reason that as long as Hamas remains, there 
is no chance to achieve peace in the region.  However, Prime 
Minister Olmert must understand that the Israel-imposed economic 
blockade, which threatens the lives of Gaza's 1.5 million residents, 
strengthens support for Hamas.  Israel's bombings cause rage and 
resentment, and spread sympathy and support for Hamas across the 
Middle East.  Israel must abolish its policy of destruction in Gaza 
and let humanitarian aid into the area.  These moves will surely 
weaken Hamas' power." 
 
Moderate Hankook Ilbo's editorial, argued: "Israel blocked the Gaza 
Strip, cutting the supply of living necessities to Palestinians in 
order to pressure the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority and to 
check Hamas in Gaza.  Accordingly, rocket fire by Hamas is nothing 
more than the expression of its willingness to fight against Israel 
and does not pose any great threat.  Nevertheless, Israel launched 
massive retaliatory attacks against Hamas, apparently to shake off 
the disgrace it suffered in the fight against Hezbollah in southern 
Lebanon in 2006 and to demonstrate its power to neighboring hostile 
forces." 
 
Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun stated in an editorial: "Israel does 
not hide its intentions to remove Hamas.  Its aim is to lay the 
groundwork for dealing with the moderate Fatah, instead of Hamas, 
expecting that the Middle East peace negotiations will resume with 
the launch of the Palestine-friendly Barack Obama Administration. 
Israel also seems to calculate Hamas will refuse to concede, 
escalating the conflict and helping win the Obama Administration to 
its side.  Israel's general elections next year also play a role. 
In short, Israel is gambling for political gains, taking the lives 
of innocent Palestinians hostage." 
 
North Korea 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo reported on its front page that the 
Unification Ministry is working on a plan to bring back ROK citizens 
abducted by North Korea and prisoners of war still held there, based 
on West Germany's policy of giving the East cash and materials in 
return for the release of political prisoners.  The report went on 
to say that the Ministry will make the announcement in a New Year's 
policy briefing to President Lee Myung-bak on Dec. 31.  The Chosun 
also quoted Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong from a Dec. 29 
luncheon meeting with reporters, stating that North Korea's 
leadership is stable and that North Korea is working normally. 
 
Moderate Hankook Ilbo gave play to a recent report by the Center for 
the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) at the U.S. National 
Defense University, which said that Washington and Seoul are working 
on measures to remove North Korea's WMD by force, unless the North 
gives up its WMD. 
 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
"Breaking the Cycle" 
(JoongAng Ilbo, December 30, 2008, Page 30) 
 
"Israel describes its strikes as retaliation for Hamas's continued 
rocket fire into southern Israel despite its repeated calls to stop. 
 Even so, retaliating for rocket fire with air strikes is like 
responding to a slingshot with a cannon.  Israeli Prime Minister 
Ehud Olmert, with legislative elections coming up in February next 
year, seems to be trying to clear away the roots of Hamas through 
these attacks.  He might reason that as long as Hamas remains, there 
is no chance to achieve peace in the region.  However, Prime 
Minister Olmert must understand that the Israel-imposed economic 
blockade, which threatens the lives of Gaza's 1.5 million residents, 
strengthens support for Hamas.  Israel's bombings cause rage and 
resentment, and spread sympathy and support for Hamas across the 
Middle East.  Israel must abolish its policy of destruction in Gaza 
and let humanitarian aid into the area.  These moves surely would 
weaken Hamas' power." 
 
 
"Massive Israeli Assault on Palestinians" 
(Hankook Ilbo, December 30, 2008, Page 39) 
 
"Israel blocked the Gaza Strip, cutting the supply of living 
necessities to Palestinians in order to pressure the West Bank-based 
government, the Palestinian Authority, and to check Hamas which 
controls Gaza.  Accordingly, rocket fire by Hamas is nothing more 
than the expression of its willingness to fight against Israel and 
does not pose any great threat.  Nevertheless, Israel launched 
massive retaliatory attacks against Hamas, apparently to shake off 
its disgrace suffered in the fight against Hezbollah guerrillas in 
southern Lebanon in 2006 and to demonstrate its power to neighboring 
hostile forces." 
 
 
"Israel Is Launching Indiscriminate Attacks for What?" 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, December 30, 2008, Page 27) 
 
"Israel does not hide its intention to remove Hamas.  Its aim is to 
lay the groundwork for dealing with the moderate Fatah instead, 
expecting that Middle East peace negotiations will resume with the 
launch of the "Palestine-friendly" (sic) Barack Obama 
Administration.  Israel also seems to calculate Hamas will refuse to 
concede, escalating the conflict and helping win the Obama 
Administration to its side.  Israel's general elections next year 
also play a role.  In short, Israel is gambling for political gains, 
taking the lives of innocent Palestinians hostage." 
 
 
Features 
 
Kim Jong-il's Leadership "Stable" 
(Chosun Ilbo, December 30, 2008, Page 2) 
 
By Reporter Ahn Yong-hyun 
 
Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong on Monday said that the North 
Korean leadership seems "stable."  He based his opinion on a flurry 
of official North Korean reports showing ailing leader Kim Jong-il 
inspecting various sites. 
 
The Unification Minister made the remarks at a luncheon meeting with 
reporters on the Ministry beat, citing North Korean media reports 
that Kim Jong-il has engaged in public activities on 22 occasions 
since Oct. 4.  "We should conclude that everything is normal in 
North Korea," he added. 
 
"In the new year, North Korea will understand our sincerity and come 
to the dialogue table," the minister predicted.  "We'll keep calling 
for dialogue, no matter how much North Korea accuses us."  He said 
that, while some experts believed the hardline North Korean military 
was behind the North's recent saber-rattling, "Others say that the 
military is not involved in external affairs yet." 
 
The minister said the government will continue to ask domestic 
activists to refrain from releasing anti-Communist leaflets into the 
North. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
Seoul Could Buy Release of S. Koreans in North 
(Chosun Ilbo, December 30, 2008, Front Page) 
 
By Reporter Ahn Yong-hyun 
 
Seoul is to develop a plan to bring back South Koreans abducted by 
North Korea and prisoners of war still languishing there.  The 
scheme will be modeled on the former West Germany's policy of giving 
cash and materials to the East in return for the prisoner releases. 
The Unification Ministry is to make the announcement in a New Year's 
policy briefing at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday. 
The Ministry also will lay out plans to supply daily necessities to 
help improve the quality of North Korean life in addition to food 
and fertilizer aid to the North. 
 
A presidential official said, "Including the families of the 
abduction victims and POWs in reunion events for separated families 
is not a basic solution.  We've asked the Unification Ministry to 
come up with a way to make some progress on this issue after 
studying the German case." 
 
Some 490 South Korean abduction victims and about 560 POWs are 
believed by the ROK government to be still alive in the North.  The 
North denies their existence. 
 
From 1963 to 1989, the West German government brought about 34,000 
East German political prisoners to the West in return for 3.44 
billion Deutschmarks (about W1.7 trillion, US$1=W1,279).  At first, 
Bonn gave cash but gradually replaced it with crude oil, copper, and 
coffee.  Regarding humanitarian aid to the North, an intelligence 
agency official noted, "North Korea is in desperate need of daily 
necessities, such as sanitary napkins and soap.  If we provide such 
goods, it will be well-received by North Korean residents." 
 
The ministry apparently plans to use various contact channels with 
the North to resume talks.  If that happens, the government is 
expected to expand inter-Korean economic cooperation, including a 
gas pipeline from Russia.  During the policy briefing, the ministry 
also reportedly said that it will strengthen its efforts to persuade 
people in order to prevent "internal conflicts in the South" over 
Seoul's North Korea policy from intensifying. 
 
* We have compared the English version on the website with the 
Korean version and added some sentences to make them identical. 
 
 
Stephens 
1