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TAGS: KPAO PGOV PREL MARR ECON KS US
SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - February 19, 2009 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
¶1. Don't Even Think About Dispatching Troops to Afghanistan 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, February 19, 2009, Page 23) 
¶2. Secretary of State Clinton's Visit to Seoul Should Serve to 
Enhance ROK-U.S. Cooperation 
(Hankook Ilbo, February 19, 2009, Page 39) 
 
 
Features 
 
¶3. Korea Hopes for Clear Message from Clinton Visit 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 19, 2009, Page 6) 
¶4. Secretary Clinton to Be Treated as State Guest; North Korean 
Nuclear Issue Expected to Be High on the Agenda of Luncheon Meeting 
with President Lee 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 19, 2009, Page 6) 
 
 
Top Headlines 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
Taekwang Industrial Chairman Park Yeon-cha, Arrested on Charges of 
Tax Evasion and Bribery, Admits: "I Gave Hundreds of Millions of Won 
to Four People, Including Three Politicians" 
 
JoongAng Ilbo, All TVs 
Mourners of All Stripes Gather at Cathedral to Pay Last Respects to 
Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
Late Cardinal Backed Gwangju Pro-Democracy Movement 
 
Hankook Ilbo 
ROK, U.S. to Hold Annual Joint Defense Exercise Early Next Month; 
Exercise Period to be Doubled 
to Brace for a Missile Launch by North Korea 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun, Segye Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun 
Manipulation Suspected in School Test Results 
 
 
Domestic Developments 
 
¶1. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will come to Seoul today for a 
two-day visit. (All) Since her visit comes amid growing tension 
between the two Koreas, the ROKG hopes that she will deliver a 
strong message to North Korea. An ROKG official was quoted as saying 
yesterday: "As she understands our situation well, we assume that 
Secretary Clinton will be clearer in making remarks on North Korean 
issues." (Chosun) 
 
¶2. Secretary Clinton, meanwhile, said in a Feb. 18 interview with 
Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun that North Korea's missile issue could be 
discussed at the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the North Korean 
nuclear issue. (Chosun, Dong-a, Hankook, Segye, Seoul, 
VoiceofPeople) 
 
¶3. ROK Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said yesterday that North 
Korea's preparations to test-fire a missile could be completed in 
two or three weeks. (JoongAng, Segye, Seoul,) 
 
¶4. According to the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), ROK and 
U.S. troops will hold their annual joint exercises in multiple 
locations throughout the ROK from March 9 to 20. The nuclear-powered 
aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis of the U.S. Navy's 3rd Fleet 
will participate in the Key Resolve/Foal Eagle exercises. (Dong-a, 
Hankook, Segye, Seoul) 
 
 
Media Analysis 
 
Secretary Clinton's Visit to the ROK 
The ROK media gave prominent coverage to Secretary of State Hillary 
Clinton's arrival in Seoul today for a two-day visit.  Most media 
predicted that she will receive an unusually enthusiastic welcome 
based on her status as a well-known former First Lady and political 
heavyweight who once ran for U.S. President.  She is scheduled to 
meet tomorrow morning with ROK Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, and 
then, in a break from tradition, with President Lee Myung-bak. 
Media commentators also noted that Secretary Clinton is expected to 
be guarded by members of the ROK's Presidential Security Service, 
instead of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's security service 
unit usually assigned to protect ministerial-level officials from 
abroad. 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo noted that Secretary Clinton's meetings 
with ROK officials will be the first big diplomatic event between 
Seoul and Washington since the inauguration of the Obama 
Administration.  Chosun went on to say: "Her visit, in particular, 
carries great significance since it comes amid growing tension 
between the two Koreas.  The ROKG hopes that she will deliver a 
strong message to North Korea."  Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo, 
meanwhile, expected that the North Korean nuclear issue will be top 
of the agenda for the luncheon meeting between President Lee and 
Secretary Clinton.  Moderate Hankook Ilbo editorialized: "North 
Korea is gearing up to fire a Taepodong-2 missile despite the 
concerns and warnings of the international community.  The ROK and 
the U.S. should send a strong message against North Korea's 
provocative behavior during Secretary Clinton's visit...  The ROK 
and the U.S., despite their colorful rhetoric about strengthening 
the bilateral alliance in a forward-looking manner, have had many 
conflicts and differences of opinion over major pending issues. 
Seoul will reportedly give Secretary Clinton head-of-state level 
treatment, including an unusual invitation to a luncheon meeting 
with President Lee at the Blue House.  We hope that this meeting 
will lead the two nations to expand their common ground on important 
bilateral issues, including the ratification of the KORUS FTA and 
mutual cooperation on the international stage." 
 
Most of the ROK media also gave wide attention to Secretary 
Clinton's statement during a Feb. 18 interview with Japan's Yomiuri 
Shimbun that North Korea's missile issue could be discussed at the 
Six-Party Talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. 
 
President Obama Authorizes More Troops for Afghanistan 
Most of the ROK media gave inside-page play to President Barack 
Obama's Feb. 17 approval to adding some 17,000 U.S. troops for the 
war in Afghanistan.  Conservative Chosun Ilbo, in particular, noted 
Secretary Clinton's press remarks in Japan stressing "Japan's 
responsibility" in Afghanistan, and speculated that she might ask 
Seoul for aid during her visit to the ROK.  Chosun headlined its 
story: "Obama's War Has Begun; U.S. Troops Will Not Win the Afghan 
War Unless They Win the Hearts of Afghan People."  Left-leaning 
Hankyoreh Shinmun editorialized: "The U.S.'s decision to send more 
troops to Afghanistan might lead it to repeat the same mistake it 
did in its failed occupation of Iraq.  The Afghanistan problem 
cannot be resolved by taking the ill-considered position that more 
troops should be dispatched to stabilize a deteriorating situation 
in Afghanistan.  If the U.S. ultimately aims to leave al-Qaeda 
isolated and defenseless, it should broadly reexamine its existing 
strategy and seek an international consensus.  It would be wrong 
(for the U.S.) to simply increase its military presence in 
Afghanistan and ask for additional troops from other countries, 
without thinking hard about what is a reasonable and effective 
Afghanistan policy.  The ROKG is reviewing ways to quadruple the 
number of its Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) personnel in 
Afghanistan to some 100.  However, this should never pave the way 
for the ROK to dispatch its troops to Afghanistan." 
 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
Don't Even Think About Dispatching Troops to Afghanistan 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, February 19, 2009, Page 23) 
 
President Barack Obama yesterday approved adding some 17,000 U.S. 
troops in Afghanistan, the first move to increase the presence of 
the U.S. military in Afghanistan, which he promised in an election 
campaign.  If the new forces are dispatched by this summer, U.S. 
forces in Afghanistan will total over 50,000. 
 
The U.S.' hasty addition of troops in Afghanistan would lead the 
country to repeat the same mistake of its failed occupation in Iraq. 
 First, the objective is ambiguous.  The Afghanistan problem cannot 
be resolved by taking the ill-considered position that more troops 
should be dispatched to stabilize a deteriorating situation in 
Afghanistan.  If the U.S. ultimately aims to leave al-Qaeda isolated 
and defenseless, it should broadly reexamine success and failure of 
the existing strategy and seek international consent.  Particularly, 
the U.S. should not try to squash Taliban which is an indigenous 
political power by force of arms.  The U.S. should not increase the 
presence of troops in Afghanistan and ask for additional deployment 
from other countries, without thinking hard about what is the 
reasonable and effective Afghanistan policy. 
 
More regrettable is the attitude of some ruling party members in 
Korea.  The Grand National Party reportedly prepared documents 
detailing the ROK's prior review on the possibility of dispatching 
the ROK soldiers to Afghanistan.  Legislator Gong Sung-jin said they 
were not official but maintained that the ROK could ask the U.S. for 
a state-of-the-art weapon in return for dispatch of its military 
forces.  It is absurd to attempt to outdo the North in inter-Korean 
arms race under the precondition of sending ROK troops. 
 
The ROKG is reviewing ways to increase the number of the Provincial 
Reconstruction Team (PRT) personnel operating in Afghanistan three 
or four-fold.  However, this should never pave the way for the ROK 
to dispatch ROK forces.  Additional deployment of PRT personnel 
should be prudently determined considering local conditions and 
demands of Afghanistan.  We cannot let ourselves experience another 
mishap such as the Taliban's kidnapping of 23 Koreans in July 2007. 
 
The first diplomatic meeting between the ROK and U.S. is held in 
Seoul tomorrow since the inauguration of the Obama Administration. 
Regarding North Korean nuclear issues, the two countries should 
embody a comprehensive negotiation framework capable of elevating 
the Six-Party Talks to a higher level.  The ROK should urge the U.S. 
not to repeat mistakes it made in Iraq and see to it that there will 
not be any dispatch of ROK troops. 
 
 
Secretary of State Clinton's Visit to Seoul Should Serve to Enhance 
ROK-U.S. Cooperation 
(Hankook Ilbo, February 19, 2009, Page 39) 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Seoul today amid 
reports of North Korea's preparations for a long-range missile 
launch and heightened tension between the two Koreas.  Although the 
visit is part of her tour of four Asian nations, her visit, which 
comes at a critical moment, carries much significance and raises 
high expectations. 
 
The ROK and the U.S. immediately need to enhance bilateral 
cooperation based on the same perception of North Korea's missile 
test preparations and possible military provocation near the 
Northern Limit Line in the West Sea.  In spite of the concerns and 
warnings of the international community, North Korea is gearing up 
to fire a Taepodong-2 missile disguised as an artificial satellite. 
During Secretary Clinton's visit to Seoul, the ROK and the U.S. 
should send a strong message against North Korea's provocative 
behavior.  Secretary Clinton has already warned during her first 
stop in Japan that the North's missile launch would be very 
unhelpful in advancing the U.S.-North Korea relations. 
 
The ROK and the U.S. also need to make it clear that if the North 
fulfills its promises and abides by international norms, it will be 
guaranteed a regime survival and receive various aids.  Prior to her 
excursion through Asia, Secretary Clinton said in a speech that if 
North Korea is genuinely prepared to eliminate their nuclear weapons 
program, the Obama Administration will be willing to normalize 
bilateral relations.  This is one step further from the position of 
the Bush Administration that diplomatic normalization should come 
after North Korea's nuclear dismantlement, and it could produce 
subtle conflicts with President Lee's "Denuclearization, Opening and 
Vision 3000" policy.  In order to prevent any possible 
misunderstanding, there must be sufficient discussions during 
Secretary Clinton's visit.  Then, we would be able to block 
Pyongyang's attempt to engage only Washington while sidelining Seoul 
and seek a chance to restore inter-Korean relations. 
 
Despite their colorful rhetoric about the forward-looking 
enhancement of the alliance, the ROK and the U.S. have had many 
differences of opinion and conflicts over major pending issues.  It 
is true that this could be more likely than in any other government 
because the Lee Myung-bak and Obama Administrations have different 
inclinations.  Seoul will reportedly give Secretary Clinton a 
head-of-state level treatment, including an unusual invitation to a 
luncheon meeting with President Lee at the Blue House.  We hope that 
through this meeting, the two nations will expand their common 
ground on important bilateral issues, such as the ratification of 
the ROK-U.S. FTA and mutual cooperation on the international stage. 
 
 
Features 
 
Korea Hopes for Clear Message from Clinton Visit 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 19, 2009, Page 6) 
 
By reporter Lim Min-hyuk 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Clinton is expected to deliver a clear 
message to North Korea. 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Seoul on Thursday 
for a two-day visit, her meetings with the ROK officials marking the 
first big diplomatic event between Seoul and Washington since the 
inauguration of the Obama Administration.  Her visit carries 
significance since it comes amid growing tension between the two 
Koreas. 
 
The ROKG is anticipating what message Clinton will deliver.  She is 
expected to use direct rhetoric to dispel concerns regarding 'the 
U.S.' direct talks with North Korea while bypassing the ROK' and 
'the U.S.' recognition of North Korea as a nuclear power'.  An ROKG 
official said on Feb. 18, "Since Secretary Clinton understands our 
situation well, we assume that she will be clearer about North 
Korean issues."  Another official also said, "Secretary Clinton has 
already warned against the North's preparations for missile launch 
but every word she speaks in Seoul would be meaningful." 
 
In Japan, the first stopover of her overseas tour, Clinton reassured 
the Japanese that their concerns matter to the U.S government.  In a 
meeting with families of the Japanese citizens abducted by North 
Korea, she said, "The issue of the Japanese abductees is part of the 
Six-Party Talks".  And after talks with her Japanese counterpart, 
she said, "Prime Minister Taro Aso will be the first guest to the 
Obama White House."  This remark apparently quelled concerns over 
'Japan passing' meaning U.S. policy discussions going on without 
much discussion with Japan.  An ROKG official said, "The U.S. is 
well aware that due to the Bush administration's one-sided 
diplomacy, its allies gave the U.S. a cold stare. Therefore, during 
her current tour, Secretary Clinton is focusing on caring for 
allies." 
 
Such reassurances do not come free.  Japan has already promised to 
host an international conference on the stabilization of Pakistan, 
one of President Barack Obama's top priorities. Seoul is also 
expected to offer greater support for Afghanistan to Secretary 
Clinton.  An ROKG official said, "On Feb. 18, the U.S. approved 
adding U.S. troops in Afghanistan and things are getting tougher." 
 
Secretary Clinton set 'women' as a sub-theme of her visit.  She is 
expected to hold discussions on Feb. 20 at Ewha University with 
women legislators, women leaders in political, economical and 
cultural arenas and 2,000 students.  An official from the U.S. 
Embassy in Seoul said, "This will be an event showing 'soft power 
diplomacy' the U.S. government seeks. 
 
 
Secretary Clinton to Be Treated as State Guest; North Korean 
Nuclear Issue Expected to Be High on the Agenda of Luncheon Meeting 
with President Lee 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 19, 2009, Page 6) 
 
By Reporters Kang Chang-ho and Chung Yong-soo 
 
Secretary Clinton visits Seoul today. 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will arrive at Seoul Airport 
in Seongnam on the late afternoon of February 19 and start a 
one-night, two-day itinerary in the ROK.  The ROKG is paying 
particular attention to her visit by elevating the protocol and 
security service for Secretary Clinton based on her status as a 
well-known former U.S. first lady and political heavyweight who once 
ran for the Democratic Presidential nomination for U.S. President. 
 
First lady-level reception 
 
ROK Ambassador to the U.S. Han Duk-soo will greet Secretary Clinton 
at the airport when she arrives along with an official entourage of 
eight members, including Jeffrey Bader, a senior director at the 
National Security Council, and Paul J. Selva, Assistant to the 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  This is an unusually 
enthusiastic welcome, considering that a minister-level official 
from overseas is greeted by a bureau chief at the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs and Trade.  She will have a luncheon meeting with 
President Lee on February 20.  The meeting with President Lee is 
highly unusual because the President rarely has a one-on-one lunch 
with a minister-level official from abroad.  When Japanese Foreign 
Minister Hirofumi Nakasone visited Seoul on February 11, he paid a 
courtesy call to President Lee but did not dine with him.  A foreign 
ministry official said, "Because it is the first visit since the 
U.S. administration has changed, we thought that a brief meeting 
would not be enough and so we arranged a luncheon," adding, "We also 
considered the fact that during her visit to Tokyo, Japanese Prime 
Minister Taro Aso presided over the welcoming dinner." 
 
Agenda of the visit 
 
At meetings with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and President Lee, 
the North Korean nuclear issue is expected to top the agenda.  A 
senior government official said that Secretary Clinton will express 
concerns over North Korea's missile test preparations and reaffirm 
the previous position "not to recognize the North as a nuclear 
state."  The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on February 18 that Secretary 
Clinton expressed willingness in Tokyo to "discuss the North Korean 
missile issue at the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the North 
Korean nuclear issue." 
 
There is also a possibility that she may extend a formal invitation 
to President Lee.  Since the ROKG has already told the U.S., "We 
hope that there will be reciprocal visits between Presidents Lee and 
Barack Obama within this year," Secretary Clinton might give an 
answer. 
 
As for the ROK-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, a matter of great 
interest, Secretary Clinton is only expected to take a principled 
stance.  The ROKG plans to first propose measures to expand its 
contribution to Afghanistan but to avoid substantial discussions 
about troop dispatch.  A foreign ministry official noted, "Given 
Secretary Clinton's stature, they will exchange opinions about the 
Obama Administration's Korean Peninsula policy principles and its 
basic perception of the region in a free manner, rather than discuss 
specific pending issues based on previously set agenda." 
 
Meeting with female lawmakers at Ewha 
 
Secretary Clinton will meet women lawmakers, including the Grand 
National Party's Cho Yoon-sun, the Democratic Party's Choo Mi-ae, 
Choi Young-hee and Kim Yoo-jung and the Liberty Forward Party's Park 
Sun-young, at Ewha Womans' University on the afternoon of February 
¶19.  Rep. Cho said, "I plan to ask her how to overcome her 
difficulties as a female politician."  Rep. Choo stated, "I plan to 
urge her to give priority to the North Korean nuclear issue."  In 
political circles, there was speculation that Secretary Clinton 
might meet with former Chairwoman of the Grand National Party Park 
Geun-hye, but the U.S. Embassy in Seoul denied it, saying, "There is 
no such plan."  After the meeting, Secretary Clinton will give a 
speech to about 2,000 students.  An Embassy official explained, 
"Ewha Womans' University has a sister-school relationship with 
Secretary Clinton's alma mater, Wellesley College. 
 
A plan to confer an honorary doctorate on Secretary Clinton was once 
reviewed, but it was not realized due to insufficient time for 
preparation.  After her 20-hour stay in the ROK, Secretary Clinton 
will fly to Beijing. 
 
 
Stephens 
1