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SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - February 18, 2009 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
 
¶1. Agenda for Clinton visit 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 18, 2009, Page 30) 
 
 
Features 
 
¶2. "North Korea Is Operating a Plant to Enrich Uranium at Yongbyon" 
 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 18, 2009, Page 6) 
¶3. Campbell Will Be in Overall Charge of U.S. Negotiations with N. 
Korea 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 18, 2009, Page 18) 
 
 
Top Headlines 
 
Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo 
Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan Chose Dying with Dignity; 
He Declined Life-Prolonging Treatment and 
Gave His Eyes So Others Could See 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
Results of Last October's National Academic Assessment Test Show 
that Schools Implementing Teacher Evaluation System Did Better than 
Those Not Implementing It 
 
Hankook Ilbo 
Education Ministry Launches Inspections of Schools to See 
if They Deliberately Inflated Students' Academic Performance 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
With National Academic Assessment Test Results Made Public, 
Education Offices Forcing Teachers to Upgrade Performance Levels of 
Schools in Their Districts by Linking Teachers' Promotion to 
Schools' Academic Achievements 
 
Segye Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun 
Financial Markets Retreat amid Renewed Fears for Economy 
 
 
Domestic Developments 
 
¶1. According to the Defense Ministry, the Ministry has described 
North Korea as a "direct and serious threat" in its biennial 2008 
Defense White Paper to be published on Feb. 20. It was a harsher 
expression compared to the 2006 issue, where the North was cited as 
simply an "existing military threat." Before the 2004 issue, the 
North was described as a "main enemy." (All) 
 
¶2. According to a senior Blue House official, Seoul has proposed 
holding a summit between Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Barack Obama 
on the sidelines of the G20 Financial Summit slated to be held in 
London in April, and Washington has agreed to positively consider 
the proposal. (Hankyoreh) 
 
 
International News 
 
¶1. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a Feb. 17 press conference 
in Japan, warned North Korea against going ahead with a missile 
launch, saying: "The possible missile launch that North Korea is 
talking about would be very unhelpful in moving our relationship 
forward." (All) 
 
¶2. According to a high-ranking ROKG official, ROK and U.S. 
intelligence authorities believe that North Korea is operating a 
plant to produce a small amount of highly enriched uranium (HEU) at 
its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon. (Dong-a) 
 
¶3. According to Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, North Korean leader Kim 
Jong-il chose his third son, Jong-un, as his heir apparent, and the 
General Political Staff, the key organ of the People's Army, 
distributed a memorandum to that effect to military units early last 
month. (Dong-a, Hankook, Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul) 
 
Media Analysis 
 
Secretary Clinton in Asia 
The ROK media gave wide coverage to Secretary of State Hillary 
Clinton's visit to Japan yesterday as part of her first overseas 
trip to Asia since taking office.  Secretary Clinton was quoted as 
saying during a Feb. 17 press conference with Japanese Foreign 
Minister Hirofumi Nakasone: "The possible missile launch that North 
Korea is talking about would be very unhelpful in moving our 
relationship forward."  The ROK media also reported that Secretary 
Clinton and her Japanese counterpart agreed on a Feb. 24 summit in 
Washington between President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime 
Minister Taro Aso, while noting that the Japanese Prime Minister 
will be the first foreign leader to visit President Obama at the 
White House. 
 
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo's editorial noted Secretary Clinton's 
visit to Seoul tomorrow, and commented: "Her visit is being viewed 
with high expectations and interest, not only because the Obama 
Administration chose East Asia over previously favored destinations 
- Europe and the Middle East - as its top diplomat's first overseas 
trip, but also in view of heightening fears about military 
provocation by North Korea.   Pyongyang's threats of a long-range 
ballistic missile launch are largely regarded as empty rhetoric, 
timed with Clinton's first foreign trip, to get attention from the 
U.S. and the international community.  Accordingly, her visit should 
serve to allay the security fears of ROK people.  Seoul must give 
Secretary Clinton a full account of the current situation on the 
Korean Peninsula and discuss a concerted response to the North's 
provocative actions.  The two allies must coordinate their plans to 
encompass the worst-case scenario of a North Korean missile launch 
and an attack on ROK territory, and reconfirm their joint stance and 
efforts to denuclearize North Korea." 
 
North Korea 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo ran an inside-page report quoting a 
high-ranking ROKG official as saying yesterday that ROK and U.S. 
intelligence authorities believe that North Korea is operating a 
plant to produce a small amount of highly enriched uranium (HEU) at 
its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon. 
 
Most of the ROK media replayed a Feb. 17 report by Japan's Mainichi 
Shimbun saying that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il chose his third 
son Jong-un as his heir apparent and that the General Political 
Staff, the key organ of the People's Army, distributed a memorandum 
to that effect among military units early last month. 
 
The ROK media gave wide attention to the Defense Ministry's decision 
to describe North Korea as a "direct and serious threat" in its 
biennial 2008 Defense White Paper to be published on Feb. 20.  The 
media noted that it was a harsher expression compared to the 2006 
issue, where the North was cited as simply an "existing military 
threat."  Before the 2004 issue, the North was described as a "main 
enemy." 
 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
Agenda for Clinton visit 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 18, 2009, Page 30) 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is due in Seoul 
tomorrow.  Her visit is being viewed with high expectations and 
interest, not only because the Barack Obama Administration chose 
East Asia over previous favored destinations - Europe and the Middle 
East - as its top diplomat's first overseas trip, but also in view 
of heightening fears about military provocation by North Korea. 
 
Pyongyang's threats of a long-range ballistic missile launch are 
largely regarded as empty rhetoric, timed with Clinton's first 
foreign trip, to get attention from the U.S. and the international 
community.  But they have succeeded in exacerbating security fears 
here. 
 
North Korea on Monday issued a misleading statement following news 
reports that it was preparing to test-launch a Taepodong-2 missile 
from a base on its east coast.  North Korea's state-run news agency 
said it had the right to pursue a space program and added, "One will 
know what went up after the launch."  It is not the first time North 
Korea has tried to mask its missile launches as part of a space 
program.  Seoul maintains that whatever Pyongyang launches, a 
satellite or a missile, it would be violating United Nations 
Security Council Resolution 1718, which prohibits North Korea from 
developing missiles and weapons of mass destruction.  The problem 
can be elevated to an international legal dispute if North Korea 
maintains that it has merely launched a satellite. 
 
In the worst-case scenario, the U.S. can shoot down a long-range 
missile aimed at its territory, as Defense Secretary Robert Gates 
has warned.  This would be a disaster for South Korea, whether the 
counteraction succeeds or not. 
 
Airborne threats are not the only concern for South Korean military 
officials. North Korea has increased naval activities along the 
western sea border.  Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said Seoul was 
readying for North Korean provocations near sea and land borders. 
He said he has given authority to field commanders to take necessary 
action, hinting that military clashes were possible. 
 
Seoul must give Clinton a full account of the current situation on 
the Korean Peninsula and discuss a concerted response to North 
Korea's provocative actions. 
 
The two allies must coordinate their plans to encompass the 
worst-case scenario of a North Korean missile launch and an attack 
on South Korean territory, and reconfirm their joint stance and 
efforts to denuclearize the North Korean regime. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
Features 
 
"North Korea Is Operating a Plant to Enrich Uranium at Yongbyon" 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 18, 2009, Page 6) 
 
By Reporter Cho Soo-jin 
 
ROK and U.S. intelligence have discovered that North Korea is 
operating facilities that can produce a small amount of highly 
enriched uranium (HEU), a senior ROKG source said on February 17. 
 
"Despite North Korea's denial of the existence of a uranium 
enrichment program, the ROK and the U.S. have shared information 
that North Korea has built and is operating uranium enrichment 
facilities," the source said, adding that the underground facilities 
are located in Sowi-ri, North Pyongan Province. 
 
Sowi-ri is an administrative district of Yongbyon, North Pyongan 
Province, where plutonium facilities, including five-megawatt and 
50-megawatt reactors and reprocessing facilities, are located.  The 
North is believed to have set up underground facilities to enrich 
uranium near the Yongbyon facilities (located in Punkang-ri). 
 
The source, however, declined to mention the details, such as North 
Korea's technological progress in enriching uranium and its uranium 
output. 
 
In this regard, a high-ranking ROKG official confirmed the sharing 
of the information between the ROK and the U.S. but added, "Since 
the U.S. has several intelligence agencies, such as the Central 
Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, we need to 
keep watching, regarding the suspicions of North Korea's HEU nuclear 
programs." 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters after her 
February 13 speech to the Asia Society in New York, "(The George W. 
Bush Administration) should have dealt with information on North 
Korea's HEU production efforts seriously," and made clear that (the 
U.S.) will point to the HEU issue at future negotiations with the 
North. 
 
 
 
 
Campbell Will Be in Overall Charge of U.S. Negotiations with N. 
Korea 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 18, 2009, Page 18) 
 
Three key players will assume their own duties. 
 
The Obama Administration unveiled an outline of the line-up which 
will lead U.S. negotiations with North Korea.  North Korean issues 
in discussion under the Obama Administration will be undertaken by 
three key players--including former Ambassador to Korea, Stephen 
Bosworth, who is to be officially named as Special Envoy to North 
Korea, Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State-designate for 
East Asia and Pacific affairs, and Sung Kim, U.S. State Department 
Specialist on Korean Affairs who served as the Six-Party Talks 
Ambassador under the Bush Administration. 
 
Special Envoy Bosworth will directly talk with North Korean 
leaders. 
 
Bosworth and Sung Kim will attempt to publicly contact North Korea. 
Meanwhile, Campbell will draw an overall picture of U.S. policy 
toward the North behind the scene and coordinate with North Korean 
leaders.  Since Campbell has not yet been confirmed in Senate, he is 
not working in the State Department.  However, he is carrying out 
his duties as Assistant Secretary at the Center for a New American 
Security (CNAS), a think tank where he serves as chief executive 
officer.  A Washington source said on Feb. 16, "Campbell has 
recently met Sung Kim and agreed on what direction the U.S. 
negotiation with North Korea will take, and the Obama Administration 
asked Sung Kim to participate in U.S. negotiations with North 
Korea." 
 
Campbell's influence comes from his special ties with Secretary of 
State Hillary Clinton.  Last year, he was a chief architect of the 
Clinton Camp's policy toward Asia in the race for the Democratic 
Party's presidential nomination.  His wife, Lael Brainard is 
currently Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business 
Affairs.  Moreover, the CNAS has as board members, prominent figures 
of the Obama Administration including former Secretary of the Navy 
Richard Danzig, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, Director 
of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and Head of Presidential 
Transition Team John Podesta.  According to the AP news, "Campbell 
can enter Clinton's office freely at any time and whoever becomes an 
envoy to North Korea will realize this relationship." 
 
Envoy-designate to North Korea Bosworth played a pivotal role in the 
Obama camp along with Jeffrey Bader, Senior Director for Asian 
Affairs on the National Security Council, in the presidential 
election last year.  Enriched in diplomatic experience, he will talk 
directly with North Korean high ranking officials and immediately 
brief President Obama and Secretary Clinton on the results.  A 
source related to the Korean Embassy in the U.S. said, "It needs to 
be heeded whether Envoy Bosworth could sit face to face with the 
North's key official who ranks higher than Vice Foreign Minister Kim 
Kye-gwan, the chief negotiator for the Six-Party Talks." 
 
Sung Kim will analyze a strategy toward North Korea and devise a 
response. 
 
Sung Kim, who was in charge of U.S. negotiations with North Korea 
along with Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill in the Bush 
Administration will play an important role in analyzing the North's 
negotiation strategy and intentions based on his experience, and 
will devise a response.  A diplomatic source in Washington said, 
"There are discussions in the U.S. State Department that Bosworth 
will focus on directly contacting the North and Sung Kim will lead 
the Six-Party Talks." 
 
It has been confirmed that Frank Januzzi, who served as the chief of 
Obama's Korea Policy Team during presidential election is working in 
the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee chaired by U.S. Democratic 
Senator John Kerry. 
 
 
Stephens 
1