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TAGS: KPAO PGOV PREL MARR ECON KS US
SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - February 12, 2009 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
¶1. North Korea Has Nothing to Gain with a Missile Launch (Hankook 
Ilbo, February 12, 2009, Page 39) 
¶2. ROK's Preemptive Afghanistan Aid Diplomacy 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 12, 2009, Page 26) 
¶3. Noticing the North 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 12, 2009, Page 26) 
¶4. N. Korea Should Heed U.S. Warnings 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 12, 2009, Page 27) 
 
 
Features 
 
¶5. Some Koreans Have Their Children Adopted by U.S. Base Personnel 
to Enroll Them in U.S. Schools 
(Hankook Ilbo, February 12, 2009, Front Page) 
 
Top Headlines 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
North Korea Replaces Military Leadership 
with "Soldiers Skillful at Actual Warfare" 
JoongAng Ilbo 
Not a Single Ordinary High School Ranks 
Among the Top 10 Schools That Sent Most Students 
to Seoul National University This Year 
Dong-a Ilbo 
"Idle National Assembly:" Not a Single Bill Has Been 
Submitted Over the Past 10 Days 
Hankook Ilbo 
Some Koreans Have Their Children Deliberately Adopted 
by U.S. Soldiers or Employees Working in USFK Bases 
to Enroll Them in U.S. Schools 
Hankyoreh Shinmun, Segye Ilbo, All TVs 
ROK Loses More Than 100,000 Jobs in January 
Seoul Shinmun 
CNN: N. Korea Spotted Assembling Electronic Equipment Used to 
Monitor Missile Launches 
 
Domestic Developments 
 
¶1. The ROK and the U.S. will introduce a new war plan in case of a 
North Korean invasion, when they hold their annual joint military 
exercise in August. (JoongAng, Dong-a, Hankook, Segye, Seoul, KBS, 
MBC) 
 
International News 
 
¶1. According to CNN, a U.S. spy satellite captured an image within 
the last several days that showed North Korea has been assembling 
electronic equipment used to monitor missile launches. (All) 
 
¶2. In a related development, an ROKG source was quoted as saying 
yesterday: "North Korea seems to be proceeding with its preparations 
to test-fire a Taepodong-2 missile by continuously moving additional 
equipment needed for a missile launch to the Musudan-ri launch site 
it used to test-fire the missile in 2006. (Hankook, Seoul) 
 
¶3. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a Feb. 10 press conference 
at the Pentagon that Washington is ready to shoot down North Korea's 
Taepodong missile if the communist state actually fires it toward 
U.S. territory. (All) 
 
¶4.   Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, stated during a 
separate press conference at the State Department: "North Korea has 
to understand that all of the countries in East Asia have made it 
clear that its behavior is viewed as unacceptable. There are 
opportunities for North Korea and its people if the North resumes 
the Six-Party Talks." (All) 
 
¶5. Chosun Ilbo headlined its story: "U.S. Secretaries of State and 
Defense Issue Strong Warnings, with North Korea's Missile Moves 
Becoming More Acute than Expected." 
 
Media Analysis 
 
North Korea 
The ROK media gave prominent play to Feb. 10 press remarks by U.S. 
Secretaries of Defense and State regarding North Korea's alleged 
moves to test-fire a long-range Taepodong-2 missile.  Defense 
Secretary Robert Gates was widely quoted as saying in a press 
conference at the Pentagon that Washington is ready to shoot down 
North Korea's Taepodong missile if the communist state actually 
fires it toward U.S. territory.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 
was also widely quoted as stating during a separate press conference 
at the State Department: "North Korea has to understand that all of 
the countries in East Asia have made it clear that its behavior is 
viewed as unacceptable. There are opportunities for North Korea and 
its people if the North resumes the Six-Party Talks." 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo commented in an inside-page report that the 
two top Washington officials have issued strong warnings to North 
Korea not to test-fire a Taepodong missile, with the North's missile 
moves becoming more acute than expected.  Chosun also noted 
Secretary Clinton's remark, "There are opportunities for the North 
Korean regime and its people if the North resumes the Six-Party 
Talks," and commented that the U.S. administration has also made 
clear its intention to persuade North Korea by engaging with the 
North in the near future.  Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo 
editorialized: "The remarks by the two top American officials are 
the Obama Administration's first warning messages to Pyongyang. 
They're also a plea for patience from all parties related to North 
Korean issues and confirmation that the subject is very much on the 
administration's radar.  As Secretary Clinton said, the U.S. 
recognizes the significance of the Six-Party Talks.  The Talks have 
been progressing with an aim to solve the North's security and 
economic situation altogether, and the framework's accomplishments 
thus far must not be ignored.  In particular, the Obama 
Administration has expressed an intention to actively engage with 
the North; Pyongyang has a whole new opportunity to restart its 
diplomacy.  Testing a missile, however, would shatter any new 
hopes."  A commentary in moderate Hankook Ilbo observed: "If North 
Korea hastily uses its missile card against the Obama 
Administration, which stresses direct talks and diplomatic 
negotiations with the North, the U.S. may have no choice but to 
doubt the North's willingness to negotiate and resolve issues.  A 
missile launch by North Korea would aggravate its relations with not 
only the ROK but also the U.S., making it impossible for the North 
to have "comprehensive negotiations" with the U.S., negotiations the 
North has craved. 
 
The ROK media also gave wide attention to a CNN report yesterday 
saying that a U.S. spy satellite captured an image within the last 
several days that showed North Korea has been assembling electronic 
equipment used to monitor missile launches and that the same events 
took place during North Korea's last Taepodong missile launch in 
October 2006.  In a related development, an ROKG source was quoted 
by moderate Hankook Ilbo and Seoul Shinmun as saying yesterday: 
"North Korea seems to be proceeding with its preparations to 
test-fire a Taepodong-2 missile by continuously moving additional 
equipment needed for a missile launch to the Musudan-ri launch site 
it used to test-fire the missile in 2006. 
 
An anonymous senior Pentagon official was also cited as saying on 
Feb. 10 that U.S. Pacific Command decided to move battleships to 
locations capable of monitoring North Korea's activities and that 
the USG is monitoring the latest movements using all military 
assets. 
 
Citing the (North) Korean Central News Agency, most of the ROK media 
reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has reshuffled senior 
military leaders.  Vice Marshall Kim Yong-chun (73), Vice Chairman 
of the Defense Commission, was reported as being appointed as 
Minister of People's Armed Forces or Defense Minister and Gen. Ri 
Yong-ho, Commander of the Pyongyang Defense Command, as the new 
Chief of the North Korean Army's General Staff.  In particular, 
conservative Chosun Ilbo quoted an ROK intelligence officer as 
saying, "It is unusual for North Korea to reshuffle key military 
leaders in a situation where it is increasing the threat of armed 
conflict by showing signs of preparing for a long-range missile 
test.  We are carefully analyzing why North Korea has replaced the 
key officials."  Chosun also quoted experts as commenting: "Both 
leaders used to serve in the field army and are good at actual 
combat operations.  It seems that North Korea wants to create a 
wartime atmosphere to consolidate its control over the people and 
put pressure on the ROK." 
 
Israel Elections 
The ROK media carried inside-page reports saying that Foreign 
Minister and ruling Kadima Party leader Tzipi Livni and hard-line 
rival Bejamin Netanyahu, leader of the hawkish Likud Party, both 
claimed victory in Israel's Feb. 10 parliamentary elections. 
Accordingly, the ROK media said that a third candidate, 
ultra-nationalist Avigdor Lieberman, would likely single-handedly 
determine the country's next leader with his decision of whom to 
join.  Most of the ROK media expected Israel's foreign policy to 
become tougher, including on the Gaza issue, as right-wing parties 
have made strong showing in the elections. 
 
Afghanistan 
The ROK media reported that Taliban fighters, carrying assault 
rifles and wearing suicide vests, simultaneously attacked three 
government buildings in Kabul yesterday, killing 26 people.  Most of 
the ROK media noted that the coordinated attacks came on the eve of 
a planned visit by President Barack Obama's Special Envoy to the 
region, Richard Holbrooke.  In particular, conservative Dong-a Ilbo 
headlined its story: "Taliban Attacks, Timed to Coincide with 
Holbrooke's Visit, Presage a Bumpy Road Ahead for Obama's Afghan 
Policy." 
Opinions/Editorials 
North Korea Has Nothing to Gain with a Missile Launch 
(Hankook Ilbo, February 12, 2009, Page 39) 
 
By Kyungnam University Prof. Kim Geun-sik 
 
The Korean Peninsula is in a precarious situation.  North Korea is 
fiddling with the missile card against the U.S., while putting 
pressure on the ROK. 
 
A missile launch would not be advantageous to the North at all.  By 
resorting to bluffs multiple times, North Korea has grabbed the 
attention of the Obama Administration  recently appointed to office 
and has proclaimed the gravity of the Korean Peninsula issue.  The 
North should not conduct a potentially lethal missile launch when it 
should already be content with such tangible gains it has made in 
the games.  Otherwise, this would eliminate a chance for the U.S. 
and North Korea talks and jeopardize the Six-Party Talks which have 
barely survived.  If North Korea hastily plays the missile card 
against the Obama Administration which stresses direct talks and 
diplomatic negotiations with the North, the U.S. may become dubious 
about the North's willingness to negotiate and resolve issues.  The 
negotiators dealing in North's affairs with good intentions would be 
forced to cave in to hawkish demands.  A missile launch by North 
Korea would strain its relations with not only the ROK but also the 
U.S., thus making it impossible for the North to have "comprehensive 
negotiations" with the U.S., which the North has craved. 
 
Keeping in mind that the second year of the February 13 Agreement is 
approaching, North Korea and U.S. should draw a lesson from the 
success of reaching a consensus at that time.  The February 13 
Agreement led to a breakthrough in the long-stalled Six-Party Talks, 
and paved the way for tangible improvements in nuclear issues. The 
North and U.S. were involved in a confrontation due to the nuclear 
test by North Korea and subsequently the UN's sanctions against the 
North.  However, based on the February 13 Agreement, they embarked 
on full-fledged negotiations in order to settle contentious issues. 
In the Berlin Talks between North Korea and the U.S., they frankly 
discussed most of the key issues and reached a mutual compromise. 
 
The U.S. and North Korea should show their willingness to negotiate. 
 
 
The Obama Administration and North Korea should actively display 
their steadfast willingness to negotiate.  They should hurry to 
initiate bilateral talks based on trust.  Secretary of State Clinton 
should add more weight to the North-U.S. bilateral talks than the 
Six-Party Talks.  North Korea should show its firm willingness to 
negotiate rather than resort to reckless brinkmanship. 
 
ROK's Preemptive Afghanistan Aid Diplomacy 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 12, 2009, Page 26) 
 
By editorial writer Bae Myung-bok 
 
U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to visit East 
Asian countries from next week and Richard Holbrook, an envoy to 
Afghanistan, is touring the region in his charge.  Holbrook is to 
report new Afghanistan policies to President Obama within 60 days 
after a reviewing process.  The outline is that the U.S. will deploy 
more troops in Afghanistan instead of curtailing the stationed 
forces in Iraq.  The U.S. government will increase the presence of 
33,000-strong U.S forces to 60,000, while requesting the North 
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to participate. 
Presently, a total of 70,000 soldiers from 41 countries are 
stationed in Afghanistan.  The U.S. government plans to ask NATO 
members to send more combat troops but will request other allies to 
provide auxiliary assistance such as intelligence, monitoring, 
surveillance, transportation, medical aid and training. 
 
The ROK pulled 210-strong forces from the Dasan Engineering Unit and 
the Dongui Medical Unit out of Afghanistan since late 2007 when a 
hostage incident broke out.  The hostage taking in Afghanistan still 
lingers in our mind and thus re-deployment of troops would not 
garner public consensus.  We have to seek other alternatives. 
 
Against this backdrop, remarkably, the ROK and Japanese foreign 
ministers yesterday agreed on a detailed Afghanistan joint aid 
program.  The two countries decided to establish a job training 
center by utilizing Official Development Assistance (ODA).  They 
also agreed to jointly develop bean species to suit local conditions 
in Afghanistan.  Also, it is known that the ROK government is to 
expand the number of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) 
personnel to up to 100.  To its credit, the ROK pledged to form a 
united front in Afghanistan aid diplomacy with Japan which the Obama 
Administration considers as its key ally in East Asia.  In addition, 
the ROK made a wise decision to increase the scale of aid only at 
the private level. 
 
The ROK and Japan made a wise decision to take joint 
countermeasures. 
 
Two Korean soldiers lost their lives in Afghanistan; one was killed 
in the incident and the other was sacrificed in a suicidal attack. 
Two of the 23 church volunteers taken as hostages also were 
regrettably killed.  Afghanistan is different from Iraq's Kurdistan 
where Zaytun troops were stationed.  Realistic and palpable danger 
exists in Afghanistan.  Therefore, the ROK government should block 
the Obama government's call for aid beyond the non-combat civilian 
level.  We cannot emphasize too much the significance of joint 
countermeasures orchestrated between the ROK and Japan. 
 
Noticing the North 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 12, 2009, Page 26) 
 
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates indicated yesterday that 
should North Korea fire a missile in the direction of American 
territory, the U.S. is ready to shoot it down if deemed necessary. 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will visit East Asia next 
week, told reporters in Washington earlier that countries in the 
region are seriously concerned about the latest development in North 
Korea. 
 
These recent remarks by American senior government officials are the 
Obama Administration's first warning messages to Pyongyang.  They're 
also a plea for patience from all parties related to North Korean 
issues, and confirmation that the subject is very much on the 
administration's radar. 
 
North Korea has been raising so many red flags lately in order to 
grab the attention of the U.S.  Pyongyang fears that Washington will 
otherwise sidestep North Korean issues due to preoccupation with 
problems such as its battered economy and conflicts in the Middle 
East.  Through its pointed statements, the administration is 
acknowledging the threat of the North's missiles. 
 
If North Korea were to indeed launch a missile, security in 
Northeast Asia would grow tremendously turbulent.  The Six-Party 
Talks will lose momentum, and the international community will 
intensify its criticism of the North.  Pyongyang could even expect 
to be slapped with more punitive measures.  The already-troubled 
country will be left even more isolated politically and 
economically, which will further deepen its deprivation. 
 
North Korea's tattered economy and increasing political instability 
is the outcome of its reclusive attitude that has ignored the 
fast-changing global economy.  Its decades-long brinkmanship is 
clearly an ill-advised strategy.  Then there's the fact that it has 
spent massively to develop various weapons, which are aimed only at 
spooking neighbors to get what it wants.  North Korea would be in a 
far better situation had it used the money spent to develop nuclear 
weapons and missiles on its economy instead. 
 
As Secretary Clinton said, the U.S. recognizes the significance of 
the Six-Party Talks on denuclearizing the North.  The Talks have 
been progressing with an aim to solve the North's security and 
economic situation altogether, and the framework's accomplishments 
thus far must not be ignored.  In particular, the Obama 
Administration has expressed an intention to actively engage with 
the North; Pyongyang has a whole new opportunity to restart its 
diplomacy. But testing a missile would shatter any new hopes. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
¶N. Korea Should Heed U.S. Warnings 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 12, 2009, Page 27) 
 
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Tuesday said shooting down 
a Taepodong 2 missile launched by North Korea remains an option for 
his government.  Gates added it would be advisable for North Korea 
to focus on sending a positive message about progress in 
denuclearization and verification.  Gates said the U.S. decided to 
deploy battleships to locations where they can track North Korean 
activities, while a spokesman for U.S. Pacific Command said all 
military resources were being mobilized to closely monitor the 
situation. 
 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will visit Seoul on Feb. 19, 
said, "North Korea has to understand that all of the countries in 
East Asia have made it clear that its behavior is viewed as 
unacceptable."  Clinton added that if North Korea resumes Six-Party 
Talks or two-way U.S.-North Korean dialogue, it will see new 
opportunities, and that she hoped this would happen within the next 
few weeks or months. 
 
It is rare for the U.S. state and defense secretaries to issue 
advance warnings to North Korea on the same day.  This is how far 
North Korea's display of hatred toward South Korea has gone beyond 
the limit.  The two U.S. officials urged North Korea to turn to 
dialogue, saying that provocative acts would only bring harm.  We 
are seeing some critical signs. For instance, Chinese fishing 
vessels have departed from waters along the Northern Limit Line in 
the West Sea. 
 
U.S. diplomatic and security officials are saying that provocative 
action by North Korea will be interpreted by Washington as a 
challenge to the Obama Administration and would lead to sanctions, 
while dialogue will open the way for new opportunities.  North Korea 
should take Washington's clear message literally. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
Features 
Some Koreans Have Their Children Adopted by U.S. Base Personnel to 
Enroll Them in U.S. Schools 
(Hankook Ilbo, February 12, 2009, Front Page) 
 
By Reporter Lee Dae-hyuk 
 
Koreans account for 30 percent of the total students at a high 
school in Yongsan Garrison. 
 
Even if you do not know who the adoptive parents are, you can send 
your children to them for adoption at a cost of 200 million won. 
 
Korean students crowd out eligible children of U.S. families. 
 
Every morning, Student A, aged 17, heads to Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, 
Seoul, where his adoptive parents are living, because he has to take 
a school bus there.  Student A was adopted by American parents 
working at Yongsan Garrison two years ago, but he is actually living 
with his birth parents.  His birth parents "falsely" had their son 
adopted by an American family in order to send him to a U.S. school 
at the military base. 
 
It was confirmed that some Korean parents go to the lengths of 
sending their children to U.S. families for adoption so that they 
can attend a U.S. school at a U.S. military base in the ROK.  In 
this process, there are illegal money transactions between birth and 
adoptive parents. 
 
At present, there are a total of eight schools at U.S. bases across 
Seoul, Daegu, Gyeonggi Province, and the schools, which are under 
the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense Education Activity 
(DoDEA), have American curriculums for kindergarteners, middle and 
high school students.  Children of U.S. military personnel have 
priority for enrollment in the schools, and children of U.S. 
citizens are also accepted. 
 
However, the proportion of Korean students in the schools is 
gradually increasing.  Quite a number of them are those who obtained 
U.S. citizenship through illegal adoption.  In case of Seoul 
American High School (SAHS) at Yongsan Garrison, as of last 
September, Asian students accounted for 195 (30 percent) of the 
total 656 students, followed by 192 Caucasians (29 percent) and 155 
students of other races (24 percent).  Most Asian students are 
Korean.  SAHS Assistant Principal Bernard Hipplewith said, "Among 
the Asian students, who else is there besides Koreans?" adding, 
"Although I know that most of them enroll in the school through 
adoption, there is no problem with that." 
 
Children are sometimes adopted by their relatives, but, in many 
cases, they are adopted by U.S. military personnel with no blood 
ties.  An adoption broker in Itaewon said on February 11, "Around 
200 million won (150,000 U.S. dollars) is charged for adoption 
between non-relatives.  While it is difficult to find an American 
willing to adopt a child, Korean parents who wish to send their 
children for adoption are waiting in line.  They desperately want to 
send their kids to the U.S. school at Yongsan Garrison."  He added, 
"Three years after being adopted, the children can get their U.S. 
citizenships.  I have once arranged the adoption of ten children in 
a month." 
 
An American, who said he was involved in this scam for dozens of 
years while working at Yongsan Garrison, noted, "There are also many 
cases in which U.S. military personnel willing to adopt a child 
approach a broker.  A broker delivers an adoption fee of about 
150,000 dollars from birth parents to adoptive parents and completes 
the adoption and enrollment procedures."  Three years later, when an 
adopted child should go to U.S. territories, such as Hawaii and 
Guam, to obtain U.S. citizenship, he will be accompanied by his 
adoptive parents with the travel expenses paid by his birth parents. 
 The Yongsan Garrison employee said, "In all this process, birth and 
adoptive parents do not need to meet each other." 
 
Besides money transaction, another problem is that there is no way 
to ban this kind of adoption.  Adoption through a private agency 
only requires birth and adoptive parents to agree to the adoption 
and to report it to the district office.  Overseas adoption through 
a private agency requires approval by birth parents and permission 
from the USG.  The ROKG has no room to intervene.  Furthermore, it 
is virtually impossible to crack down on money traded under the 
table.  A USFK official said, "Several years ago, we were tipped off 
about this case and started an investigation, but since we failed to 
find any evidence, the case was wrapped up." 
 
A growing number of Korean students at U.S. schools are now crowding 
out eligible children of U.S. military personnel.  A woman who has a 
seven-year-old daughter with her U.S. solider husband complained, 
"Since there are too many Korean students, there is no spot for my 
child." 
 
 
Stephens 
1