VZCZCXYZ0007
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #0067 0140743
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140743Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2907

UNCLAS SEOUL 000067 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR EEB/ESC/DMONOSSON AND OES/EGC/GTHOMPSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG EUN GM KS PGOV SENV
SUBJECT: INTERIM KOREAN RESPONSE: DEMARCHE ON THE 
INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY (IRENA) 
 
REF: STATE 134385 
 
ESTH Officer delivered Reftel message requesting posts to 
explain USG opposition to IRENA and report host country 
positions to  Yoo Yeon-chul, Director of the Energy and 
Resources Cooperation Division at the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and Trade on January 14.  Director Yoo was familiar 
with the German initiative to create the IRENA, but said his 
ministry had not yet decided whether it would support the 
initiative or participate in the meeting at the end of this 
month to launch the agency.  He thanked ESTH Officer for 
explaining the USG views and said he would carefully consider 
those views in forming the South Korean position on IRENA. 
He also promised to inform ESTH Officer in the next few days 
whether South Korea would attend the IRENA launch meeting. 
STEPHENS