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SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - February 9, 2009 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
¶1. Let's Not Let Assessments Hinder Denuclearization 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, February 9, 2009, Page 23) 
 
 
Features 
 
¶2. U.S. Experts Recount Visit to Korea 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 9, 2009, Page 6) 2 
¶3. Washington's First Diplomatic Homework is Afghanistan... What 
Kind of Homework Will It Become for ROK? 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 7, 2009, Page 3) 3 
¶4. "NK Wants Direct Talks with Obama" 
(JoongAang Ilbo, February 9, 2009, Page 2) 
Top Headlines 
 
Chosun IlboYangyang Airport in Gangwon Province, Built at a Cost of 
350 Billion Won, Has Had No Passengers for 99 Consecutive Days, 
a Testimony to Reckless and Inefficient ROKG Airport Projects 
JoongAng Ilbo 
JoongAng Ilbo Campaign Launched to Help Job Seekers 
"Find Jobs" 
Dong-a Ilbo 
Korea Electric Power Corp. Plans to Fire 
Poorly Performing Staff for First Time in Its History 
Hankook Ilbo 
New Economic Team to Draw Up Supplementary Budget of More Than 10 
Trillion Won Next Month 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
Unification Minister-Designate Suspected of 
Tax Evasion and Dubious Real Estate Transactions 
Segye Ilbo, All TVs 
Water Shortage Woes Worsening 
in Gangwon Province 
Seoul Shinmun 
Local Governments Lack Money to Fund 
Economy-Boosting Policies 
 
International News 
 
¶1. A group of U.S. experts, including former U.S. Ambassador to the 
ROK Stephen Bosworth, said in Beijing on Feb. 7 upon their return 
from a Feb. 3-7 visit to North Korea that the North seems to prefer 
direct talks with the U.S. to the Six-Party Talks to end North 
Korea's nuclear programs. (All) 
 
¶2. Vice President Joe Biden was quoted as saying in a Feb. 7 speech 
in Munich, Germany: "As we seek a lasting framework for our common 
struggle against extremism, we will have to work cooperatively with 
nations around the world - and we will need your help." (Dong-a, 
Hankook) This remark may indicate that the Obama Administration will 
call on U.S. allies to more proactively share responsibility for the 
U.S.-led anti-terror war. (Dong-a) 
Media Analysis 
 
Secretary of State Clinton's Visit to Seoul 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo carried an inside-page report on Saturday 
(Feb. 7) saying that there is a possibility that Secretary of State 
Hillary Clinton might raise the issue of the ROK's additional troop 
deployment to Afghanistan during her Feb. 19-20 visit to Seoul.  To 
bear this out, Dong-a noted that Secretary Clinton raised the troop 
deployment issue when she met with her British and German 
counterparts on Feb. 3, and quoted a State Department official as 
saying: "The Secretary will discuss ways to boost international 
cooperation in Seoul."  Dong-a headlined its story: "Washington's 
First Diplomatic Homework is Afghanistan... What Kind of Homework 
Will It Become for ROK?" 
 
North Korea 
The ROK media gave prominent coverage to Feb. 7 press remarks in 
Beijing by a group of U.S. experts who traveled to North Korea from 
Feb. 3-7.  Jonathan Pollack, a professor of Asian and Pacific 
Studies at the U.S. Naval War College, was widely quoted as telling 
reporters: "North Korea seems to prefer direct talks with the U.S. 
to the Six-Party Talks to end its nuclear programs."  Former U.S. 
Ambassador to the ROK Stephen Bosworth was also quoted as saying: 
"When we indicated there was concern that North Korea might be 
preparing for a missile launch, North Korean officials neither 
confirmed nor denied any such plans, only saying that we should all 
wait and see." 
 
The ROK media on Saturday (Feb. 7) gave wide attention to CIA 
Director-designate Leon Panetta's written statement to a Feb. 5 
Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that North Korea "detonated a 
nuclear weapon" in a 2006 nuclear test.  Noting that the U.S. has 
long downplayed the North's 2006 nuclear test as an explosion of a 
"nuclear device" and has avoided publicly describing it as a 
full-fledged nuclear weapon, the ROK media wondered if the U.S. may 
be poised to acknowledge the North as a de facto nuclear power.  In 
particular, left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun editorialized: "The 
Barack Obama Administration, more than any other that came before, 
has been unequivocal in pursuing a world without nuclear weapons. 
Accordingly, it is difficult to imagine the Obama Administration 
accepting North Korea's nuclear weapons and changing the goals of 
its policy on North Korea to something like preventing 
proliferation.  What is clear now is that Pyongyang has the 
intention and ability to develop nuclear weapons... and this ability 
will grow as time passes. As such, efforts to remove North Korea's 
nuclear weapons are far more important than making an assessment in 
which truth and falsehood are difficult to distinguish.  Mistaken 
assessments must not become the justification for unilateral 
actions, as occurred with the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but even if the 
information is insufficient, that should not lead to wavering in our 
ultimate goal of nuclear disarmament." 
 
International Security - Munich Conference 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo and moderate Hankook Ilbo carried a quote 
from Vice President Joe Biden, who said in a Feb. 7 speech in 
Munich, Germany: "As we seek a lasting framework for our common 
struggle against extremism, we will have to work cooperatively with 
nations around the world - and we will need your help."  Dong-a 
interpreted this as indicating that the Obama Administration would 
call on U.S. allies to more proactively share responsibility for the 
U.S.-led war on terror. 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
Let's Not Let Assessments Hinder Denuclearization 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, February 9, 2009, Page 23) 
 
Leon Panetta, the nominee for Director of the United States Central 
Intelligence Agency, said in a Senate confirmation hearing the day 
before yesterday that "North Korea detonated a nuclear weapon in 
2006."  This is a different expression from the "detonation of a 
nuclear device" that the U.S. government has been talking about thus 
far.  In a separate report published late last year by the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff in the U.S. Defense Department and the National 
Intelligence Council, North Korea was designated for the first time 
as a nuclear weapon state, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates 
subsequently wrote a contribution to Foreign Affairs stating, "North 
Korea has built several bombs." 
 
It does not appear that this assessment by U.S. military and 
intelligence organizations is connected with changes in 
government-level policy toward North Korea's nuclear program.  This 
is because the framework for U.S. nuclear policy must change 
completely if North Korea is formally acknowledged as a nuclear 
weapon state, shaking the foundation of the Six-Party Talks.  The 
currently operating Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty system 
recognizes only five countries as nuclear weapon states -- the 
United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France -- and 
gives them privileges such as exemption from inspection.  The Barack 
Obama Administration, more than any other that came before, has been 
clearly aiming at a world without nuclear weapons.  It is difficult 
to imagine the Obama Administration accepting North Korea's nuclear 
weapons and changing the goals of its policy on North Korea's 
nuclear program to something like preventing proliferation. 
 
But there are two possible explanations for this change in 
terminology regarding the reality of North Korea's nuclear program. 
One is that it was done for security reasons, stating that a 
readiness posture is necessary under the assumption that North Korea 
has nuclear weapons.  The other is that assessments of North Korea's 
nuclear capabilities have become gradually more realistic since the 
latter half of last year.  The George W. Bush Administration tended 
to downplay the possibilities of North Korea possessing nuclear 
weapons in order to avoid acknowledging the failure of its North 
Korea policy. 
 
At this point, only North Korea knows the precise reality of its 
nuclear capabilities.  What is clear is that Pyongyang has the 
intention and ability to develop nuclear weapons and has realized 
this to a considerable extent, and that this ability will grow as 
time passes.  As such, efforts to abolish nuclear weapons are far 
more important than making an assessment in which truth and 
falsehood are difficult to distinguish.  Mistaken assessments must 
not become the justification for unilateral actions, as occurred 
with the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but even if the information is 
insufficient, that should not lead to wavering in the ultimate goal 
of nuclear disarmament. 
 
Efforts toward the real denuclearization of North Korea could 
effectively be said to start now.  The Obama Administration must 
quickly finish reexamining the U.S. policy toward North Korea and 
proceed into action with a sense of urgency.  It goes without saying 
that our government as well must strengthen its activities so that 
the Six-Party Talks and North Korea-U.S. negotiations proceed 
effectively. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
Features 
U.S. Experts Recount Visit to Korea 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 9, 2009, Page 6) 
 
By Reporter Park Seung-joon 
 
American experts on North Korean affairs, including former U.S. 
Ambassador to Seoul Stephen Bosworth, are on their way home via 
Beijing after wrapping up a visit to the North that ran from Feb. 3 
to Feb. 7.  It was the first civilian contact between the U.S. and 
North Korea since the inauguration of the Obama Administration.  The 
group consisted of seven members, including Bosworth, Jonathan 
Pollack, an East Asia security expert at the U.S. Naval War College, 
Leon Sigal, the Director of the Northeast Asia Cooperative Security 
Project, and Morton Abramowitz, the former Assistant Secretary of 
State. 
 
They were in Pyongyang for five days, during which time they met 
North Korean officials such as chief nuclear negotiator Kim Kye-gwan 
to exchange views on direct talks between Pyongyang and Washington 
and the North Korean nuclear issue. 
 
"They said we should all wait and see," Bosworth said.  "There were 
no threats, no indication that they were concerned.  They treated 
the missile issue as just a normal run-of-the-mill issue."  He was 
referring to apparent plans by the North to test-launch ballistic 
missiles. 
 
He said he felt that North Korea was preparing for both Six-Party 
Talks and bilateral talks between Washington and Pyongyang, adding 
there is no reason for the Obama Administration to avoid direct 
talks. 
 
He said the group came away with the impression that the North wants 
to continue the nuclear disablement process.  "We concluded that the 
outlook is that we can continue to move forward," he said. 
 
Pollack, meanwhile, said, "I got an impression that North Korea 
prefers direct talks with Washington to multilateral talks, even 
though it is well aware of the importance of the Six-Party Talks." 
North Korean officials did not seem to expect quick progress or any 
breakthrough in the Six-Party Talks. 
 
The visiting group said that the health issue of North Korean 
leader, Kim Jong-il was not mentioned at all during the visit, also 
adding that since it was a civilian visit, they did not have any 
message from President Obama to North Korea, or vice versa. 
 
* We have compared the English version on the website with the 
Korean version and made some changes to make them identical. 
 
Washington's First Diplomatic Homework is Afghanistan... What Kind 
of Homework Will It Become for ROK? 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 7, 2009, Page 3) 
By Reporter Kim Young-sik 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit the ROK on 
February 19-20 to attend a meeting with the ROK foreign minister and 
to pay a courtesy call to President Lee Myung-bak.  Since the new 
U.S. administration is in its initial days, the ROKG explains, 
Secretary Clinton is expected to listen to the opinions of allies, 
rather than having detailed discussion on specific issues.  However, 
the ROK has concerns because there is a possibility that during her 
visit, Secretary Clinton may raise the issue of Seoul's aid to 
Afghanistan.  When Secretary Clinton met with her British and German 
counterparts on February 3, she mentioned additional troop dispatch 
to Afghanistan, and the Department of State also said, "In Seoul, 
Secretary Clinton will meet with senior leaders to discuss our 
expanding global cooperative partnership with our ally, the Republic 
of Korea." 
 
Washington's Afghanistan initiative and Seoul's response 
 
In addition to a U.S. troop pullout from Iraq, turning around the 
situation in Afghanistan is cited by U.S. President Barack Obama as 
one of the priorities of his foreign military policy.  Secretary of 
Defense Roberts Gates also said at a January 27 hearing of the 
Senate Armed Services Committee, "There is little doubt that our 
greatest military challenge right now is Afghanistan."  Therefore, 
the U.S. is desperate for cooperation from its allies and partners. 
This is why the ROKG does not rule out the possibility that the U.S. 
may ask for the deployment of ROK combat troops. 
 
An expert, who has recently returned from Washington, noted on 
February 6, "Each U.S. government agency has different demands to 
the ROK," adding, "The Department of Defense said that it hopes the 
ROK will 'come in combat boots,' and the Department of State said 
that the ROK could 'come in men's shoes.'" 
 
An ROKG source explained, "The reason why a government team led by 
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Lee Yong-joon, 
conducted a fact-finding mission on the activities of Provincial 
Reconstruction Teams (PRT) in Afghanistan is to come up with 
countermeasures in view of Washington's policy priorities and the 
global situation." 
 
For the moment, the ROKG's position is to contribute to Afghan 
reconstruction efforts by expanding the PRTs, which are mainly led 
by civilians.  Seoul plans to increase the number of PRT personnel 
at medical and vocational training centers in Bagram Air Force Base 
and to send people to help train police and firefighters. 
 
This takes into account a growing voice in the Pentagon for a 
revision of the U.S.'s Afghan strategy.  In the situation where 
Washington's response to the Afghan war can change at any time, 
Seoul judges that any talk of troop dispatch is too hasty. 
 
Professor Yoon Duk-min of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and 
National Security said, "For now, it is more appropriate for the ROK 
to show willingness to provide help (to the U.S. efforts in 
Afghanistan] as an ally than to make specific promises." 
 
"NK Wants Direct Talks with Obama" 
(JoongAang Ilbo, February 9, 2009, Page 2) 
 
Former U.S. high-ranking officials and American experts on North 
Korean affairs including former Assistant Secretary of State Morton 
Abramowitz came to Seoul on Feb. 8 after their visit to Pyongyang. 
They said, "North Korea wants direct talks with the Obama 
Administration and expects a change in the new administration's 
policy toward North Korea."  After his visit to North Korea with 6 
members including former U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Stephen Bosworth, 
Abramowitz said, "We exchanged views on overall U.S-NK relations 
several times with the North Korean Foreign Ministry officials, 
military personnel and economic bureaucrats during a five-day visit 
to Pyongyang that started from Feb. 3." 
 
Jonathan Pollack, professor at the U.S. Naval War College said, "I 
got an impression that North Korea prefers direct talks with 
Washington to the multilateral Six-Party Talks."  Regarding North 
Korea's preparations to test-fire missiles, he said that North Korea 
is not in a hurry and the missile launch is not likely to happen 
soon. 
 
This visit by former Ambassador Bosworth grabbed attention as the 
first visit to North Korea paid by officials closely related to the 
Obama Administration since the inauguration of the new 
administration.  Former Assistant Secretary of State Abramowitz 
said, "This was a civilian visit and thus we did not have any 
message from President Obama or deliver any invitation to the North 
Korean officials.  Tony Namkung, an Advisor to the Governor of New 
Mexico added, "We will brief the ROKG officials on discussions made 
during the visit."  The visiting group that arrived in Seoul via 
Beijing is scheduled to depart to Japan on Feb. 9. 
 
 
Stephens 
1