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TAGS: KPAO PGOV PREL MARR ECON KS US
SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - January 21, 2009 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
 
¶1. Good luck, President Obama 
(JoongAng Ilbo, January 21, 2009, Page 30) 
¶2. ROK-U.S. Alliance Needs Constant Care 
(Chosun Ilbo, January 21, 2009, Page 30) 
¶3. High Expectations for Obama's Era 
(Hankook Ilbo, January 21, 2009, Page 39) 
¶4. A New Beginning for America 
 (Chosun Ilbo, January 21, 2009, Page 31) 
¶5. A New America, A New World 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, January 21, 2009, Page 27) 
 
 
Top Headlines 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
America Has Been Reborn; Obama Inaugurated 
as 44th U.S. President 
 
JoongAng Ilbo, All TVs 
Five Protesters and a Police Officer Dead in Fire 
during Police-Tenant Standoff 
 
Dong-a Ilbo, Hankook Ilbo, Hankyoreh Shinmun, 
Segye Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun 
Reckless, Massive Police Crackdown on Protesters 
Blamed for the Tragedy 
 
 
Domestic Developments 
 
¶1. The ROK's Deputy Nuclear Envoy Hwang Joon-kook returned to Seoul 
yesterday, ending his trip to North Korea where he hoped to discuss 
the ROK's possible purchase of unused fuel rods stored at North 
Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facilities.  At a press briefing, Hwang 
stated: "North Korea was very cooperative during the visit. We 
inspected three nuclear facilities that are under disablement, 
including the nuclear fuel rod producing factory where unused fuel 
rods are stored." (All) 
 
¶2. The ROK envoy, however, did not meet any of the North's senior 
nuclear negotiators, including North Korea's Chief Nuclear Envoy, 
Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan. (All) 
 
¶3. The ROK's Cabinet yesterday approved a government plan to send a 
naval ship and forces to waters off the coast of Somalia to protect 
international commercial vessels from piracy. (All) 
 
 
International News 
 
¶1. Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the U.S. on 
Jan. 20 (Washington time). In his inaugural address, the new U.S. 
president called on Americans to unite as one nation in order to 
overcome the challenges facing the country, including the economic 
crisis, and to begin the work of remaking America. He stressed a 
"new era of responsibility," optimism and his promise for a new 
America. (All) 
 
¶2. According to the Blue House, President Lee Myung-bak sent a 
congratulatory letter to Barack Obama yesterday. (Segye, Seoul) 
 
 
Media Analysis 
 
Obama Inauguration 
Barack Obama's Jan. 20 (local time) inauguration as the 44th U.S. 
President received prominent coverage.  Carrying the headline, 
"America has been reborn," conservative Chosun Ilbo's front-page 
report quoted the new U.S. president, in his inaugural address, as 
calling on Americans to unite as one nation and to begin the work of 
remaking America.  Chosun Ilbo's Washington Bureau Chief Yang 
Sang-hoon described the inauguration as a "change of history," not a 
"change of government."  Other newspapers, including right-of-center 
JoongAng Ilbo and conservative Dong-a Ilbo, also quoted Obama as 
stressing "new era of responsibility," optimism and his promise for 
a new America. 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo editorialized: "President Obama's top 
priority, economic recovery, can gain momentum when it is pursued 
within the framework of international cooperation.  Recently, 
important figures in the Obama Administration, including Secretary 
of State-designate Hillary Clinton, raised the need to renegotiate 
the KORUS FTA on the pretext of protecting the U.S. auto industry, 
sparking concerns that the new U.S. administration might be headed 
for 'protectionism.'  As seen in the Great Depression in 1934, 
competitive protectionism among countries only aggravates an 
economic crisis.  The U.S. should show leadership in establishing a 
global trade structure that is more open than now.  The same goes 
for the North Korean nuclear issue.  In the run-up to the launch of 
the Obama Administration, Pyongyang has been launching various 
campaigns to assert itself.  The ROK and U.S. governments should 
start a dialogue regarding the nuclear issue and a new vision of the 
ROK-U.S. alliance as early as possible." 
 
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo's editorial called Obama's 
inauguration a "historic event" indicating that the U.S. has taken a 
first step toward a new era of "change and hope," leaving behind the 
past marked by discord between races and ideologies and political 
enemies, and argued: "For Koreans, the North Korea nuclear issue and 
the pending KORUS FTA are of the utmost interest.  The U.S. should 
try to balance resolving the North's nuclear issue through close 
cooperation with the ROK while at the same time adopting a tough 
diplomatic stance.  The Obama Administration needs to decide whether 
delaying ratification of the bilateral trade deal and pursuing 
protectionism will serve U.S. national interests and the spirit of 
the ROK-U.S. alliance." 
 
Moderate Hankook Ilbo commented in an editorial: "The reason why 
countries around the world welcome Obama's inauguration is that they 
sincerely hope that he will overcome the economic crisis and lead 
the world toward peace and stability by realizing his slogan of 
'bold hope' and 'change.'" 
 
Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun editorialized: "Officials from the 
Obama camp agree to resolve pending North Korean issues 
comprehensively, which range from the dismantlement of North Korea's 
nuclear programs, normalization of U.S. - North Korea relations, 
economic and energy aid to the North, and establishment of a peace 
regime on the Korean Peninsula.  Given this, the incoming 
administration should enter into negotiations with North Korea after 
confirming the North's willingness to resolve the problem by 
exchanging special envoys with the communist regime.  If there is 
prompt progress on the nuclear issue, it would be easy for the Obama 
Administration to focus on other international issues, including the 
Middle East conflict." 
 
Meanwhile, conservative Chosun Ilbo noted in an inside-page report 
that Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State-designate for East 
Asian and Pacific affairs, Wallace Gregson, the nominee for 
Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asian and Pacific affairs, 
and Jeffrey Bader, a Senior National Security Council 
Adviser-designate for Asian Affairs will handle issues concerning 
the Korean Peninsula under the Obama Administration, and commented: 
"Although they maintain close relations with their Korean 
acquaintances and are well aware of the importance of the ROK-U.S. 
alliance, greater importance will likely be given to China and 
Japan, because Campbell and Gregson are known as Japan experts and 
Bader as a China specialist."  The report went on to speculate: 
"During the Bush Administration, China and Japan were apparently 
unhappy because Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and 
Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill had been Ambassador to Seoul, but 
during the Obama Administration, it could be the ROK that feels left 
out."  In a related development, Chosun Ilbo's Washington 
Correspondent Lee Ha-won wrote: "USG officials have said that there 
is not much difference between an alliance and a partnership.  Some 
experts also argue that it is unreasonable to compare the ROK-U.S. 
alliance with Japan, which deepened its relationship with America 
through the 1996 U.S.-Japan Joint Declaration on Security.  However, 
it would be undesirable if the ROK was habitually being described 
not as a sworn ally but a mere partner.  The ROK and the U.S. agreed 
to upgrade their relationship to a '21st century strategic 
partnership' at their Camp David summit in April last year. 
However, that was mere rhetoric.  The fact that we dispatched 
3,000-plus troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to assist the U.S. in its 
E 
'war on terror' is already being forgotten in America.  The ROK 
ranked second only to Britain in troop deployment, but the U.S 
treatment of Japan and Australia, both of which dispatched less than 
1,000 troops each and ranked fifth and eighth, is rather different." 
 
 
North Korea 
The ROK media gave wide attention to ROK Deputy Nuclear Envoy Hwang 
Joon-kook's return to Seoul yesterday from his trip to North Korea 
during which he discussed with North Korean officials Seoul's 
possible purchase of unused fuel rods stored at the North's main 
nuclear facilities at Yongbyon.  The ROK envoy, however, was not 
able to secure meetings with any of the North's senior nuclear 
negotiators, including the Chief North Korean Nuclear Envoy, Vice 
Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan.  Deputy Nuclear Envoy Hwang was 
quoted as saying at a press briefing: "North Korea was very 
cooperative during the visit. We inspected three nuclear facilities 
that are under disablement, including the nuclear fuel rod producing 
factory where unused fuel rods are stored." 
 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
Good luck, President Obama 
(JoongAng Ilbo, January 21, 2009, Page 30) 
 
Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th president of the United 
States.  The dream of America's founding fathers, that everyone is 
born equal, has finally come true. 
 
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party, the broad spectrum of 
people of various origins that make up the nation, men and women, 
youths and their elders, support Obama because they see in him a 
chance that America can change. 
 
Since winning the U.S. presidential election last November, Obama 
has pursued integrative leadership and embraced his political 
enemies.  He has proven that his slogan for bipartisan politics was 
more than a collection of words.  He has selected suitable people 
for his cabinet and adjusted his election pledges in response to an 
ever-changing world. 
 
Needless to say, Obama will have to take on the grave responsibility 
of executing concrete and coherent policies to unify his country. 
But as he has emphasized before, this responsibility should be borne 
on the shoulders of all Americans, not just his own. 
 
Overcoming the economic crisis is the most urgent issue he has to 
face.  In addition, the festering Israeli-Palestinian crisis in Gaza 
must be resolved and at the same time, sustainable solutions must be 
prepared.  Withdrawing troops from Iraq and intensifying the 
military campaign in Afghanistan must not be delayed.  Resolving the 
North Korean and Iranian nuclear issues must be resolved as soon as 
possible.  Another urgent matter is climate change, which the U.S. 
has neglected so far.  As these issues compete for Obama's 
attention, the world will watch how he exerts "smart power," a 
concept Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton promoted during 
her recent confirmation hearing. 
 
For Koreans, the North Korea nuclear issue and the pending 
Korea-U.S. free trade agreement are of the utmost interest.  The 
U.S. should try to balance resolving the North's nuclear issue 
through close cooperation with South Korea while at the same time 
adopting a tough diplomatic stance. 
 
The Obama Administration needs to decide whether delaying approval 
of the bilateral trade deal with Korea and pursuing protectionism 
will serve U.S. national interests and the spirit of the Korea-U.S. 
alliance. 
 
It is natural that Obama prioritizes U.S. interests.  Therefore we 
may be disappointed sometimes.  However, it is clear that the U.S. 
cannot do everything by itself.  Obama must seek ways for both 
America and the world to prosper in peace. 
 
We truly hope Obama's presidency will be blessed with success. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
ROK-U.S. Alliance Needs Constant Care 
(Chosun Ilbo, January 21, 2009, Page 30) 
 
By Washington Correspondent Lee Ha-won 
 
In U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's contribution in the 
July-August 2008 edition of Foreign Affairs in early June last year, 
I stumbled on her remarks about Asia.   Titled, "Rethinking the 
National Interest: American Realism for a New World," she describes 
Japan and Australia as "alliances."  Japan gets particularly high 
marks, for sharing values and a democratic alliance with the U.S. 
 
The ROK gets a subtly different shading.  "South Korea, too, has 
become a global partner whose history can boast an inspiring journey 
from poverty and dictatorship to democracy and prosperity," she 
writes. 
 
At the time, I wrote about my concern that the terminology could 
mark a turning point.  I remember discussing the matter in depth 
with some officials in the Bush Administration. 
 
Regrettably, the differentiation is likely to persist in the Barack 
Obama Administration. 
 
Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State-designate, in her Jan. 13 
confirmation hearing, showed that her perception is identical to 
Rice's.  The U.S.-Japan alliance, based on common values and mutual 
interests, is a core element to maintain peace and prosperity in the 
region, she stressed, but the ROK figures among the also-rans.  "We 
also have crucial economic and security partnerships with the ROK, 
Australia, and other friends in ASEAN," she said. 
 
U.S. officials have been trying to downplay this, saying there is 
not much difference between an alliance and a partnership.  Some 
experts argue it is unreasonable to compare the Seoul-Washington 
alliance with Japan, which deepened its relationship with America 
through the 1996 U.S.-Japan Joint Declaration on Security. 
 
But it would be undesirable if the ROK was habitually being 
described not as a sworn ally but a mere partner. 
 
That Clinton differentiated the ROK from Japan as her predecessor 
means Seoul has yet to recover credibility in U.S. eyes. 
 
The ROK and the U.S. agreed to upgrade their relationship to a "21st 
century strategic partnership" at their Camp David summit in April 
last year.  But that was mere rhetoric.  Officials here claimed that 
was taking the alliance to a whole new level from the strained 
relations of the Roh Moo-hyun Administration.  But nearly a year 
later, nothing specific has happened. 
 
The fact that we dispatched 3,000-plus troops to Iraq and 
Afghanistan to assist the U.S. in its "war on terror" is already 
being forgotten in America.  The ROK ranked second only to Britain 
in troop deployment, but the U.S treatment of Japan and Australia, 
both of which dispatched less than 1,000 troops each and ranked 
fifth and eighth, is rather different. 
 
George Schultz, Reagan's Secretary of State, likened diplomacy 
between friendly countries to gardening, requiring constant 
attention and weeding out of insignificant issues.  Now, the Obama 
Administration is taking office.  It is time for the ROKG to examine 
if it has neglected to care for the ROK-U.S. alliance by assuming 
that declaring the "strategic alliance" was all that needed to be 
done for the garden. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
High Expectations for Obama's Era 
(Hankook Ilbo, January 21, 2009, Page 39) 
 
Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States 
early this morning amid more hearty cheers and higher public 
expectations than any of his predecessors have ever had.  Although 
the symbolic significance of President Obama as the first 
African-American President in U.S. history made people all the more 
emotional, the reason why countries around the world welcome him is 
not that they blindly admire his success story.  Rather, it is 
because they sincerely hope to see President Obama overcoming the 
economic crisis and leading the world toward security and peace by 
realizing his slogans of "hope" and "change." 
 
His "pragmatism and balance" are expected to be prominent in U.S. 
foreign policy.  Reflecting on the unilateralism of the Bush 
Administration, President Obama emphasizes multilateralism and 
international cooperation.  In order to address global issues, such 
as climate change, weapons of mass destruction, international 
finance and trade order, he gives priority to a compromise with 
enemies as well as allies.  Furthermore, he has presented the 
concept of "power of balance" as the basic principle for U.S. 
foreign policy. 
 
This concept is not clear, but it is noteworthy that (Secretary of 
State-designate Clinton) recently said, "America cannot solve the 
most pressing problems on our own, and the world cannot solve them 
without America."  This indicates that the Obama Administration will 
focus on overcoming the crisis facing the U.S., while not neglecting 
to keep its leading status and interest in the areas of security and 
trade.  This can be more challenging to us.  We should be thoroughly 
prepared for a change, pinning our hopes on the success of the 
incoming President and a brand new start of the United States. 
 
 
A New Beginning for America 
(Chosun Ilbo, January 21, 2009, Page 31) 
 
President Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the 
United States on Monday.  Close to two million people went to 
Washington D.C. to witness his inauguration, demonstrating the level 
of interest in America's first African American president and the 
expectations of the U.S. public in his ability to guide the country 
out of its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. 
According to a poll in 17 countries by the BBC, positive 
expectations of the United States have risen 20 percentage points 
compared to last year, to 67 percent.  Dissatisfaction and 
disappointment with the outgoing Bush Administration, which divided 
the world according to America's standard of good and evil and 
attempted to force America's will onto other countries, has led to 
high hopes for Obama, who has criticized the "unilateral diplomacy" 
of outgoing President George W. Bush. 
 
After the euphoria of the inauguration has calmed down and Obama 
enters the Oval Office of the White House on 1400 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, a number of tasks, both big and small, await him at his 
desk.  The most pressing is to recover America's leadership.  Even 
though it is bogged down in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan amid an 
unprecedented global economic crisis, the U.S. is still the world's 
most powerful nation and will maintain that status for a significant 
length of time.  Many people say the U.S. is in decline, but nobody 
is able to project what the world will be like after the American 
era. 
 
Economic recovery, which is the top priority of Obama, can gain 
momentum if it is achieved within the framework of global 
cooperation.  Recently, worries have surfaced over a possible 
protectionist stance by the new U.S. administration, following 
comments by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for a 
renegotiation of the ROK-U.S. Free Trade Agreement to protect the 
American auto industry.  As was demonstrated during the Great 
Depression in 1934, protectionist policies by countries around the 
world can only exacerbate the economic crisis. The U.S. must show 
leadership in creating a more open global trade system. 
 
And the world does not move according to the Obama timetable.  That 
is particularly true for the North Korean nuclear problem.  North 
Korea has already made various gestures to bring itself to the 
world's attention in time for the inauguration of the new U.S. 
president. Seoul and Washington must waste no time in beginning 
talks over a new vision for the bilateral alliance and over the 
North Korean nuclear standoff.  There must be no repeat of the 
mistakes made in March of 1993 by the newly inaugurated 
administrations in Seoul and Washington after North Korea withdrew 
from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
A New America, A New World 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, January 21, 2009, Page 27) 
 
There are high hopes in the United States for President Barack 
Obama, who was sworn in well before sunrise in Korea.  His domestic 
approval rating is above 80 percent, the highest for any president 
right before being inaugurated.  An opinion survey in 17 countries 
preformed by the BBC indicated that 67 percent of respondents think 
the United States will move to improve its relations with the world, 
up from the 47 percent who said the same six months ago.  Excluding 
Japan and Russia, more than 50 percent shared that view.  The rise 
in that perception was particularly sharp in the Islamic world. 
This hope is for President Obama a great asset and also a form of 
debt. 
 
As someone who was elected on the promise of change, he now has a 
responsibility to create a new America and a new world.  The 
historic mission he bears on his shoulders largely falls into three 
categories.  First, he must create an economic order that is a new 
alternative to the bankrupt neoliberal system.  He has to change the 
economic system so that it supports the just and sustainable 
coexistence and development of diverse economic actors.  Secondly, 
he needs to effectively resolve international concerns that include 
the Middle East and the North Korean nuclear issue.  Multi-party, 
realpolitik diplomacy that does not insist on unilateral supremacy 
will be what supports the establishment of future-oriented 
international relationships.  Finally, he must endeavor to spread 
the ideal of a fair and equal society in the United States and 
abroad.  This will fit well with his identity as America's first 
African-American President. 
 
As noted by Obama's designee for Secretary of State, Hillary 
Clinton, the North Korean nuclear issue is an "urgent" one.  His 
advisers are said to share a favorable view of a "package solution" 
that includes Pyongyang disarming itself of its nuclear 
capabilities, normalized ties between the United States and North 
Korea, energy and economic aid for North Korea, and the 
establishment of a peace regime for the Korean Peninsula.  That 
being the case, the shortcut to progress would be exchanging 
mutually trustworthy special emissaries to confirm each side's 
intentions and then immediately entering into negotiations with the 
North Koreans.  The earlier that sense can begin to be made on the 
North Korean nuclear issue, the easier it will become for Obama to 
concentrate on other international issues like the Middle East. 
 
The start of the Obama Administration carries significant meaning as 
the start of a new era of progressivism in modern world politics. 
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that only progressive 
answers can resolve difficult problems like the financial crisis, 
create jobs, and respond to global warming.  But hardened customs 
and resistance from the Washington elite could become big obstacles 
to achieving the "audacity of hope" of which Obama so often speaks. 
He needs to pursue reconciliation but also have the courage and 
wisdom to change reality, and to do so with a clear vision.  More 
than anything else, we would hope that he uses his assets to change 
America and win the world's confidence. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
Stephens 
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