VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #0240/01 0480823
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 170823Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3257
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 8110
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC//DDI/OEA//
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//FPA//
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DB-Z//

UNCLAS SEOUL 000240 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/K, EAP/PD, INR/EAP/K AND INR/IL/P 
TREASURY FOR OASIA/WINGLE 
USDOC FOR 4430/IEP/OPB/EAP/WGOLICKE 
STATE PASS USDA ELECTRONICALLY FOR FAS/ITP 
STATE PASS DOL/ILAB SUDHA HALEY 
STATE PASS USTR FOR IVES/WEISEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PGOV PREL MARR ECON KS US
SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - February 17, 2009 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
¶1. Welcoming Clinton 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 16, 2009, Page 31) 
¶2. "Hillary! Hillary!..." 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 17, 2009, Page 30) 
¶3. Leader Parties While His People Starve 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 17, 2009, Page 31) 
¶4. Even Two Years after Feb. 13 Agreement, Pyongyang Still Engages 
in Tricks 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 14, 2009, Page 27) 
¶5. It All Boils Down to Giving Up Nukes 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 16, 2009, Page 27) 
¶6. Clinton Puts N.Korea on the Spot 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 16, 2009, Page 31) 
¶7. Put the Comprehensive Approach on a Stable Track 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, February 17, 2009, Page 23) 
¶8. ROKG Should Start Giving Aid to the Automotive Industry (Hankook 
Ilbo, February 17, 2009, Page 39) 
 
 
Top Headlines 
 
All 
Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, Spiritual Leader, Dies at 86 
 
 
Domestic Developments 
 
¶1. Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee told the National Assembly 
yesterday that North Korea may attack an ROK naval ship or launch 
ship-to-ship missiles in the West Sea but that there is no 
indication that it is preparing for an all-out war. He went on to 
say that he has largely delegated authority to operational 
commanders in the field to make decisions and to take action 
speedily in case of a North Korean provocation. He was further 
quoted as saying: "It is time to consider joining the U.S.-led 
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) aimed at stopping the spread 
of weapons of mass destruction. (All) 
 
¶2. President Lee Myung-bak formally appointed former Prime Minister 
Han Duck-soo as Ambassador to the U.S. yesterday, in a major 
diplomatic shakeup affecting 18 ambassadors and six consul generals. 
(Chosun, Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul) 
 
¶3. Anti-North Korea civic groups in the ROK flew giant balloons 
carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border yesterday, on the 
occasion of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's birthday on Feb. 16. 
(All) 
 
 
International News 
 
¶1.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Tokyo yesterday as 
part of her first trip abroad as America's top diplomat. She was 
quoted as stressing in Tokyo: "North Korea has already agreed to 
dismantle its nuclear programs. We expect the North to fulfill its 
obligations." (Chosun, Dong-a, Hankook, Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul, all 
TVs, Pressian) 
 
¶2. North Korea denied yesterday that it was preparing to test-fire a 
long-range missile, saying instead that it was a satellite launch as 
part of "peaceful aerospace research activities." The (North) Korean 
Central News Agency criticized the U.S. and some other countries for 
"scheming to viciously link such scientific studies with a missile," 
while stressing that "space development is the North's independent 
right." The North's statement is similar to one Pyongyang issued in 
1998 after it launched a Taepodong-1 missile from a base in 
Musudan-ri, North Hamgyong Province. (All) 
 
¶3. The North's official daily Rodong Shinmun, meanwhile, celebrated 
leader Kim Jong-il's birthday in an editorial, mentioning "lineage 
succession." The emphasis on lineage succession can be interpreted 
as an attempt to create conditions for a "third-generation 
hereditary succession of power" to one of Kim Jong-il's three sons. 
(Dong-a) 
Media Analysis 
 
Secretary Clinton's Visit to Asia 
Most of the ROK media today covered Secretary of State Hillary 
Clinton's arrival in Tokyo yesterday as part of her first trip 
abroad as America's top diplomat.  She was widely quoted as 
stressing in Tokyo: "North Korea has already agreed to dismantle its 
nuclear programs. We expect the North to fulfill its obligations." 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo's Washington Correspondent Lee Ha-won 
observed today: "Since Barack Obama was elected as U.S. President 
last November, the ROKG has, fortunately, received good evaluations 
from and begun friendly relations with new U.S. administration 
officials.  In order to continue this mood, we should demonstrate 
our commitment to international issues during Secretary Clinton's 
upcoming visit to Seoul, rather than just pressing to resolve our 
own issues.  Doing so would be of great help to our relationship 
with the U.S.  We should use this opportunity to demonstrate that 
the ROK has the capability to discuss international issues at all 
times." 
 
 
Most of the ROK media yesterday noted Secretary of State Clinton's 
remarks during a Feb. 13 speech to the Asia Society in New York. 
They particularly focused on her statement that the U.S. would be 
willing to normalize bilateral relations, replace the Korean 
Peninsula's long-standing armistice agreement with a permanent peace 
treaty and to extend economic aid for North Korean people if North 
Korea is genuinely prepared to completely and verifiably eliminate 
its nuclear programs. 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo editorialized: "It was her first 
comprehensive statement on North Korea policy and comes ahead of her 
visit to the ROK this Thursday.  Now that the Obama Administration 
has clearly stated its policy, the North must waste no more time 
trying to test the USG.  It is now up to North Korean leader Kim 
Jong-il whether his country will be able to revive its battered 
economy and offer food and medicine to its citizens by doing what it 
has long agreed to do.  Secretary Clinton also warned North Korea 
against test-firing a Taepodong-2 missile or engaging in any 
provocations along the Northern Limit Line, the de-facto sea border 
between the two Koreas, by saying that such behavior could make the 
road ahead difficult for both countries.  Now, North Korea must give 
an answer."  Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo's editorial stated: "The 
North's tactics of preparing to launch a missile and renewing 
threats of military action against the ROK are mainly aimed at 
drawing Washington's attention to the Korean Peninsula.  Clinton's 
comments are expected to help resolve the North's existing concerns. 
 Accordingly North Korea holds the key to the solution of the 
problem."  Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun editorialized: "Secretary 
Clinton has made it clear that North Korea's nuclear disarmament, 
normalization of U.S.-North Korea ties, signing of a peace treaty 
and economic assistance to the North should be pursued 
simultaneously.  It means that if the North's intention to 
denuclearize is confirmed, the U.S. would put all the things it has 
promised to offer on a negotiating table.  This would be a departure 
from the former Bush Administration's 'denuclearization first 
policy' and a return to the basic spirit of the Joint Statement of 
September 19, 2005.  It is time to create conditions for realizing 
comprehensive negotiations." 
 
North Korea - Missile Maneuvers 
All the ROK media today gave prominent attention to North Korea's 
claim yesterday that it was preparing to launch a satellite, not a 
missile.  The (North) Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) was widely 
quoted as criticizing the U.S. and some other countries for 
"scheming to viciously link such scientific studies with a missile," 
while stressing that "space development is the North's independent 
right."  The KCNA was further quoted as asserting: "One will come to 
know later what will be launched in the North, a statement seen by 
most of the ROK media as indicating that the launch may be imminent. 
 The ROKG was quoted as responding: "Whether the North Korean launch 
is for space development or a test of a missile, it will be in 
breach of UN Security Council resolutions.  The ROK media noted that 
the KCNA statement is similar to one Pyongyang issued in 1998 after 
it launched a Taepodong-1 missile from a base in Musudan-ri, North 
Hamgyong Province, and commented that North Korea might push ahead 
with testing a missile under the pretext of launching a satellite 
into orbit. 
Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee was widely quoted as telling the 
National Assembly yesterday that North Korea may attack an ROK naval 
ship or launch ship-to-ship missiles in the West Sea but that there 
is no indication that it is preparing for an all-out war.  He was 
further quoted as saying: "I have largely delegated authority to 
operational commanders in the field to make decisions and to take 
action speedily in case of a North Korean provocation...  It is time 
to consider joining the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative 
(PSI) aimed at stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction." 
 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
Welcoming Clinton 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 16, 2009, Page 31) 
 
By Lee Hong-koo, a former prime minister and adviser to JoongAng 
Ilbo 
 
We expect Secretary Clinton's interest in Asia to take American 
policy in this region to a higher level. 
 
I extend a heartfelt welcome to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary 
Clinton as she visits Asia on her first trip in her new office. 
 
The world is experiencing unprecedented economic turmoil, and is 
going through a period of historic transition.  The curtain has been 
drawn on the Cold War era, and America's supremacy now fails to 
maintain the global order.  The American eagle can no longer fly 
with one wing - the Atlantic community of the European Union and the 
National Atlantic Treaty Organization. 
 
With the axis of history moving from west to east, the Asia-Pacific 
era is unfolding.  The U.S has a strategic continental position 
between the Atlantic and the Pacific.  The country should extend its 
geographic strength to all realms of society, from politics and 
economics to culture. 
 
America is now encountering a great opportunity to take flight on 
two wings - one consisting of the Atlantic community and the other 
of Pacific nations - by actively participating, as a Pacific nation, 
in a global effort to build a new Asian community. 
 
Against this backdrop, I wish to express my sincere respect for 
Clinton's astute judgment in choosing East Asia for her first trip 
abroad as Secretary of State. 
 
The enthusiasm expressed by Koreans for the inauguration of 
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Clinton is not due to 
their partisan support for any one side in American politics.  What 
is more important to us is that as Korea's closest ally, the U.S. 
will continue to maintain its undisputed power and sense of 
confidence. 
 
Koreans have concerns about America's shrinking global prestige 
since the 9/11 terrorism attacks.  They expect the start of the 
Obama Administration will herald a new beginning for America. 
 
Meanwhile, Clinton impressed us as a politician of great character 
in America's dramatic democratic political campaign - from the 
Democratic Party primary to the tight presidential race and finally 
to the inauguration of the new government.  Korea is still 
undergoing turbulent changes despite all the hardship we went 
through in establishing a democratic government. 
 
And we expect Secretary Clinton's keen interest in Asia to take 
American policy in this region to a higher plane. 
 
The 64 years of division on the Korean Peninsula is a serious 
problem that we can no longer leave unsettled.  Unlike South Korea's 
open-door policy, North Korea has persistently pursued a hostile 
policy toward the outside world.  The reclusive country faces a 
serious humanitarian crisis, as it has ignored the human rights of 
its people. However, it has managed to yield tangible results in its 
efforts to become a nuclear power, bringing Northeast Asia, as well 
as the Korean Peninsula, to a crisis of strategic imbalance. 
 
Because of this, Korea and Japan will likely be the only non-nuclear 
nations among the participants in the Six-Party Talks.  The 
possibilities that can stem from this dangerous situation are 
undesirable to member states, including China. 
 
As such, the Obama Administration should shoulder the responsibility 
for preventing the situation from remaining in such an unbalanced 
state by seeking a peaceful resolution.  Thus, Secretary of State 
Clinton should also share the burden of promptly meeting the needs 
of the times. 
 
To cope with such demands, it is urgent that we foster a heightened 
awareness of cooperation and mutual assistance, especially between 
Korea and the U.S.  The hostile situation on the Korean Peninsula 
can not be dealt with exclusively through confronting North Korea's 
nuclear weapons program.  It needs to be resolved in a broader 
context, focusing on how North Korea can be peacefully assimilated 
into East Asia and the rest of the world order. 
 
To this end, I believe that Clinton's visit will stimulate a 
concerted effort by Korea and the U.S. to share wisdom, trust and 
patience in the future. 
 
Our great expectations for Secretary Clinton's visit to Korea are 
tempered by one or two concerns.  The first is whether Korea and 
America will be able to push forward with the difficult task of 
renewing our shared awareness, strategies and plans in a swift 
manner, and whether we will be able to conduct ample talks, reach 
agreements, and engender sufficient mutual trust. 
 
The second concern is whether the U.S. will be able to assign 
priority to Asia, especially the Korean Peninsula, amid myriad 
global crises that require a coordinated and comprehensive response 
from the U.S. 
 
We recall that Asia was all but placed on the back burner for the 
past several years, due to the urgency of the Middle East crisis 
taking priority. 
 
We expect America to elevate the North Korea problem to the top of 
its list of priorities, while exploring new ways to foster 
substantial partnership with China. 
 
We hope that our fears will prove to be unfounded. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
"Hillary! Hillary!..." 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 17, 2009, Page 30) 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Clinton will visit Seoul on February 19 on 
her first overseas trip since assuming office.  Secretary Clinton, 
who was close to becoming the 44th President of the United States 
only a year ago, still has big ambitions.  During this trip to Asia, 
she wants to discuss not local issues but the "global issues" that 
draw global attention. 
 
The agenda, which the U.S. Department of State repeatedly said 
Secretary Clinton would discuss during her visit to Asia, includes 
common issues such as the "global financial crisis, human rights, 
and climate change."  It is also noteworthy that throughout her 
trip, she is being accompanied by Special Envoy for Climate Change 
Todd Stern. 
 
If ROK Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan understands this background, 
he needs to prepare for the ROK-U.S. Foreign Ministers' meeting at 
the global level.  When Secretary Clinton wants to discuss not only 
Korean Peninsula issues but also international matters, such as the 
economic crisis, climate change, arms reduction, and energy, we 
should also be prepared for it. 
 
What needs to be also taken into consideration is that the Obama 
Administration has been in office for only a month.  Researcher John 
Bark at the United States Institute for Peace likened the current 
U.S. to a general hospital bustling with emergency patients from all 
over the places.  The U.S. is at a loss over a plethora of issues 
such as economic crisis, and issues regarding Iraq, Afghanistan and 
Middle East.  He analyzed that in this situation, if the ROKG brings 
up issues such as the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 
Dokdo, the U.S. would react indifferently.  The ROKG should 
momentarily shelve its list of wishes for the Obama Administration 
and extend a helping gesture to the U.S.  He said this would 
positively impress the U.S. government and ultimately lead to good 
results for the ROKG. 
 
Since Barack Obama was elected as U.S. President last November, the 
ROKG has, fortunately, received good evaluations from and begun 
friendly relations with new U.S. administration officials.  In order 
to continue this mood, we should demonstrate our commitment to 
international issues during Secretary Clinton's upcoming visit to 
Seoul, rather than push to resolve just our own issues.  Doing so 
would be of great significance to our relationship with the U.S.  We 
should use this opportunity to demonstrate that the ROK has the 
capability to discuss international issues at all times. 
 
 
Leader Parties While His People Starve 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 17, 2009, Page 31) 
 
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il celebrated his 67th birthday 
yesterday.  Fireworks were set off in skies above Mount Baekdu, and 
celebrations were held all over the poor country.  Money was wasted 
to mark the birthday of a dictator who is to blame for suppression 
and poverty. 
 
Unfortunately, relieving the pain and suffering of North Koreans 
seems to be impossible as long as the Kim dynasty continues to rule 
the North.  The communist regime is increasing tension by its 
business-as-usual confrontational tactics - blaming others for the 
crisis instead of improving the misfortune if its 24 million people. 
 If nothing is done, the international community could lose interest 
in giving humanitarian aid to the country. 
 
Kim Yong-nam, the head of the North Korean parliament, has accused 
South Korea of being "a warlike power opposed to reunification, 
bringing the disaster of nuclear war."  The North is trying to pass 
the buck, however, despite violating the denuclearization agreement 
in arming itself with nuclear weapons first.  Pyongyang is again 
trying to use its long-range missiles and provocations in the Yellow 
Sea as a bargaining chip. So who is blaming who? 
 
North Korea might want to see a repetition of the past when its 
claim for unity used to lead to internal division among South 
Koreans, but inter-Korean relations have changed.  The previous two 
liberal administrations in Seoul tried to paralyze the South Korean 
people's judgment of the North by pushing for two inter-Korean 
summits, and in doing so, spread the pro-North Korea movement.  The 
Kim Dae-jung Administration invited North Korean female cheerleaders 
to the Universiade in Daegu in Aug. 2003, following the Busan Asiad 
in Sept. 2002, even before the memory of the deadly naval clash in 
the Yellow Sea faded away.  Certain thoughtless South Koreans 
chanted, "We're one" upon being fascinated by the beauty of the 
North Korean cheerleaders.  They intentionally did not focus on the 
cheerleaders, who cried because a picture of their leader Kim 
Jong-il got wet.  Even a pregnant pro-North activist, who visited 
the North's propagandistic Arirang show, gave birth in Pyongyang. 
She felt like she was the frontier of unification. But these are 
bygones. 
 
Paradoxically, Kim's birthday party can help correct the South 
Korean view of North Korea.  The North is an extremely poor land 
where many children beg for food and residents suffer from 
malnutrition.  But the communist regime still calls for "bare fists" 
and "labor" at construction sites.  Who can deny that Kim is 
responsible for making North Korea what it is today. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
Even Two Years after Feb. 13 Agreement, Pyongyang Still Engages in 
Tricks 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 14, 2009, Page 27) 
 
Two years ago today, the chief negotiators of the Six-Party Talks 
issued the "February 13 Agreement" that specifies steps for North 
Korea to denuclearize.  Eight months later, North Korea also agreed 
to the October 3 Agreement that outlines more specific actions, 
including the disablement of nuclear facilities.  If Pyongyang had 
been sincere about its promises, and it had had any will to 
implement the agreements, the communist state would have already 
completed the disablement of its nuclear facilities and entered the 
nuclear dismantlement process by now.  However, the North Korean 
nuclear clock is now going backward.  The North fancies itself as a 
nuclear state and is even calling for nuclear arms reduction talks 
with the U.S.  This is reckless behavior, and ridicules the other 
Six-Party nations. 
 
If we compare the current situation with that of two years ago, we 
can clearly figure out North Korea's intention.  Pyongyang has opted 
for a "provocative mode" by putting on the brakes right ahead of 
nuclear disablement.  The North is telling us not to expect it to 
dismantle its nuclear programs, but instead is asking us to provide 
"carrots" if we want to prevent the North from using its new 
bargaining chips-a long-range missile launch and an armed 
provocation in the West Sea.  Pyongyang is also rattling its saber 
against Seoul by exposing rocket artillery near the Military 
Demarcation Line and coastal artillery in Haeju and the Ongjin 
Peninsula off the west coast.  If the new USG offers carrots and the 
ROKG steps backward, the North will, once again, pretend to sit down 
at the bargaining table. 
 
However, if the North judges that it has the initiative, it is a 
serious miscalculation.  Now, neither Seoul nor Washington trusts 
Pyongyang.  It is the lesson that they have learned over the past 
two years since the February 13 Agreement.  Both the ROK and the 
U.S. should make it clear that North Korea cannot avoid the nuclear 
problem, the biggest pending issue between the two Koreas as well as 
between the North and the U.S.  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary 
Clinton's visit to Seoul next week is a good opportunity to show the 
strength of cooperation between the ROK and the U.S. 
 
 
It All Boils Down to Giving Up Nukes 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 16, 2009, Page 27) 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a February 13 
speech to the Asia Society in New York, "If North Korea is genuinely 
prepared to completely and verifiably eliminate their nuclear 
weapons program, the Obama Administration will be willing to 
normalize bilateral relations."  She also warned, "It is incumbent 
upon North Korea to avoid any provocative action and unhelpful 
rhetoric toward South Korea," and she touched on North Korea's human 
rights and its past abduction of Japanese. 
 
In principle, we welcome the Barack Obama Administration's North 
Korea policy, which was affirmed by Secretary Clinton.  We hope that 
the new USG's policy of using carrots and sticks simultaneously will 
lead to North Korea's nuclear dismantlement, based on close 
cooperation between the ROK and the U.S. 
 
However, we hope that Washington takes a clear position on some 
points.  One of them refers to Secretary Clinton's statements, "If 
North Korea is genuinely prepared to completely and verifiably 
eliminate their nuclear weapons program..."  The phrase "is prepared 
to eliminate" is starkly different from the words "to dismantle," 
which was used by the Bush Administration.  This is because 
Secretary Clinton's comment indicates that even if the North does 
not actually get rid of its nuclear programs but it is only 
"prepared" to do so, the U.S. will take some steps to improve its 
relations with the North.  This is considered a more conciliatory 
approach to North Korea than during the Bush Administration. 
 
Of course, it is sometimes inevitable to employ conciliatory 
measures in order to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue 
peacefully.  However, we have learned from experience that this 
attitude could cause the North to make a miscalculation and, 
consequently, add to the difficulty of the North dismantling its 
nuclear programs.  This is evidenced by the fact that although the 
U.S. Republican Administration made a series of concessions over the 
past decade, even a nuclear verification was not adopted. 
 
When Secretary Clinton visits Seoul on February 19, we expect her to 
give a clear explanation about this.  Otherwise, the North would 
have the delusion that even without abandoning its nuclear 
ambitions, it can accelerate the normalization of the U.S.-North 
Korea relations by threatening Seoul and using tactics to exclude it 
from the U.S.-North Korea talks. 
 
 
Clinton Puts N.Korea on the Spot 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 16, 2009, Page 31) 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a speech at the Asia 
Society in New York last weekend said, "If North Korea is genuinely 
prepared to completely and verifiably eliminate its nuclear program, 
the Obama Administration will be ready to normalize our bilateral 
relations."  She said the former Bush Administration had not 
properly handled suspicions over North Korea's uranium enrichment 
program.  It was her first comprehensive statement on North Korea 
policy and comes ahead of her visit to South Korea this Thursday. 
 
Clinton was responding to North Korea's recent grandstanding.  The 
Six-Party nuclear talks have been shelved for more than four months 
due to differences over how to verify North Korea's nuclear 
inventory.  But taking advantage of ambiguity in a verbal agreement 
between the U.S. and North Korea that the verification will be based 
on "scientific procedures," the North has refused to allow 
international inspectors to take samples from nuclear facilities, 
claiming that it is not part of scientific verification.  North 
Korea is afraid of revealing details of the process by which it 
developed nuclear weapons.  But verifying its inventory is 
impossible without taking samples from within its nuclear 
facilities.  Yet in its desire to hold direct talks with Washington, 
Pyongyang has at the same time been busy trying to size up the Obama 
Administration for talks on mutual reduction of nuclear weapons. 
 
Clinton's comments hark back to the Sept. 19 Joint Declaration of 
2005, which contains the principle of rewards in exchange for North 
Korea scrapping its nuclear program.  She said the Obama 
Administration is ready to provide support if North Korea is in line 
with the "action for action" principle of the declaration, which 
stipulates that both processes must take place almost 
simultaneously.  By including North Korea's alleged uranium program, 
which the Bush Administration removed from items addressed during 
the Six-Party Talks, Clinton goes further. For Pyongyang, the 
disappointment must be huge. 
 
Now that the Obama Administration has clearly stated its policy, the 
North must waste no more time trying to test the U.S. government. 
It is now up to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il whether his country 
will be able to revive its battered economy and offer food and 
medicine to its citizens by doing what it has long agreed to do. 
 
Clinton warned North Korea against test firing a Taepodong 2 missile 
or engaging in any provocations along on the Northern Limit Line, 
the de-facto sea border between the two Koreas, by saying such 
behavior could make the road ahead difficult for both countries. Now 
North Korea must give an answer. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
Put the Comprehensive Approach on a Stable Track 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, February 17, 2009, Page 23) 
 
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, before leaving for 
Korea, China, Japan, and Indonesia on her first foreign trip as 
Secretary of State, said she is going because "so much of our future 
depends upon our relationships there."  This can be interpreted to 
mean the United States is going to seek a new approach to finding 
opportunities for common prosperity.  The speech she gave at the 
Asia Society on Friday, in which she spoke about what the principles 
behind a package deal with North Korea would be, can be seen as 
being in the same context.  Her visit must be made at a time when 
these principles get put into specifics. 
 
Clinton made it clear that North Korea's abandonment of its nuclear 
programs, the normalization of ties between Pyongyang and 
Washington, the signing of a peace treaty, and aid for North Korea, 
such as energy aid, must take place at the same time.  This means 
that once it is confirmed that the North is willing to abandon its 
nuclear agenda, then all these things would be given in exchange and 
be put on the table.  In that this deal calls for denuclearization 
and normalization of ties to progress at the same time, it differs 
from the Bush Administration's approach of insisting the North give 
up its nuclear capabilities before anything else.  It is also a 
return to the basic spirit of the September 19 Joint Statement. 
 
Now, we need to have the creation of conditions that make a package 
deal possible.  The biggest obstacle is the lack of trust.  The 
restraints on progress are apparent in Clinton speech which put the 
situation in hypothetical terms, when she said "if" the North is 
interested in abolishing its nuclear capabilities.  However, when 
you make one-sided demands on the other side without changing your 
attitude first, trust cannot be built (between the two sides).  The 
United States and South Korea need to have wide-ranging discussions 
at their upcoming foreign ministers' meeting on how to make use of 
"comprehensive approach" in a stable way.  One way to do that would 
be to hold high-level contact between the United States and North 
Korea, the least of which should include the dispatch of a special 
emissary to Pyongyang.  The upcoming talks need to produce a 
concrete plan for resolving the discord over nuclear verification as 
well. 
 
The South Korean government needs to take a clear stance in two 
areas.  First, it needs to willingly accept the movement between the 
United States and North Korea towards progress in relations and 
support it.  The level of relations between the United States and 
North Korea and the direction Six-Party process takes will be 
significantly influenced by what Seoul decides to do.  It is 
entirely unrealistic for the Lee Myung-bak Administration to 
maintain that "nothing has changed in the U.S. position."  Also, 
there needs to be a wholesale reexamination of Seoul's policies 
towards Pyongyang.  Inter-Korean relations will become a burden for 
the Six-Party Talks if the current state of confrontation 
continues. 
 
 
North Korea needs to make sure it does not lose this rare 
opportunity.  If the comprehensive approach does not get settled, 
and if, therefore, the Six-Party Talks fail to make progress, many 
countries are going to assume hard-line positions again.  What the 
North needs to be doing right now is demonstrating clear intent when 
it comes to the road ahead, and it needs to do so at a high level of 
contact.  Naturally, it also needs to exercise restraint and not do 
anything provocative like firing a missile. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
ROKG Should Start Giving Aid to the Automotive Industry 
(Hankook Ilbo, February 17, 2009, Page 39) 
 
U.S. automotive maker, General Motors Corporation (GM), which has 
been under the U.S. government's bailout program, is to propose its 
restructuring plan that calls for injection of additional public 
fund and includes filing for bankruptcy protection.  This apparently 
is designed to put pressure on the Obama Administration to offer 
additional aid and elicit concessions from the creditors and labor 
union.  GM has already received 9.4 billion dollars in assistance 
but is unlikely to survive without a third bailout package worth 4 
billion dollars. 
 
GM, which accounted for 60% in the U.S automotive industry, is 
facing bankruptcy due to its inability to develop cars in line with 
environmental changes and the union workers' extreme 
self-centeredness.  GM focused on production of larger-scale 
vehicles rather than high-fuel efficiency vehicles, thus almost 
dooming it to go bust.  Moreover, the company was compelled to offer 
excessive welfare benefits including health and pension insurance to 
its retired employees at the request of the hard-line labor union. 
 
 
Let's take a look at Hyundai Kia Motors.  Thirty years after its 
production of Pony, the first brand, Hyundai emerged as the world's 
fifth automaker.  But it is suffering from difficulties such as 
decrease in productivity, reduction in competitiveness and hard-line 
labor union.  The company is seeing the sharp decline of its exports 
and capacity utilization sinking to 60%.  The company should learn a 
lesson from GM's collapse.  The green car strategy unveiled by 
President Obama, which is aimed at reducing the amount of carbon 
dioxide emissions can be taken into positive consideration.  The 
Korean automotive industry should make efforts to develop high-fuel 
efficiency vehicles and environment-friendly cars under labor and 
management cooperation, building up capability to take a lead in the 
green car market. 
 
The ROKG should provide liquidity and structural assistance to the 
automotive industry.  For example, the French and German governments 
are providing aid worth millions of won when consumers exchange a 
used car with a new car.  The ROKG's proposal to develop green cars 
under the green new deal policy seems uninspiring.  The ROKG should 
hasten to foster a public-private joint fund for developing green 
cars in order to develop and standardize hybrid cars and electric 
cars. 
 
 
Stephens 
1