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TAGS: KPAO PGOV PREL MARR ECON KS US
SUBJECT: PRESS BULLETIN - February 23, 2009 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
¶1. Alliance Reaffirmed 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 21, 2009, Page 26) 
¶2. Effects of Sino-U.S. Relations 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 23, 2009, Page 30) 
¶3. Clinton Says, "The U.S. and the ROK Agree on North Korean Issue" 
 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 21, 2009, Page 27) 
¶4. Pyongyang Should Not Dare to Ignore Clinton's Message 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 21, 2009, Page 27) 
¶5. Urgent Need for a Comprehensive Approach to N. Korea   (Hankyoreh 
Shinmun, February 21, 2009, Page 23) 
¶6. A Positive Start for Clinton's Brand of Diplomacy 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, February 23, 2009, Page 27) 
¶7. North Korea Should Listen Carefully to Warnings from the ROK and 
the U.S. 
(Hankook Ilbo, February 21, 2009, Page 31) 
 
Features 
 
¶8. Clinton Casts Doubts about a North Uranium Program (JoongAng 
Daily, February 23, 2009, Page 2) 
¶9. Clinton Downplays N. Korean Succession Issue 
(Korea Times, February 21, 2009, Page 2) 
¶10. Clinton Stresses Women's Role 
(Korea Times, February 21, 2009, Page 2) 
¶11. Clinton Urges North Korea to Halt Threats 
(Korea Times, February 21, 2009, Front Page) 
¶12. S. Koreans Blame North for Strained Relations 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 23, 2009, Page 4) 
 
 
Top Headlines 
 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
Child Sex Crimes on the Increase 
 
JoongAng Ilbo 
Firms Focus on Survival This Year; With Increasingly Grim Forecasts, 
Companies Tighten Up the Purse Strings 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
Dong-a Ilbo Campaign to Help Relieve Household Debts 
 
Hankook Ilbo 
ROKG's Youth Internship Program, Designed to Ease Youth 
Unemployment, Reduces Highly Educated University Graduates 
to "Part-timers" 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
Schools Suspected of Preventing Student Athletes from Taking Last 
October's Nationwide Scholastic Ability Test to Improve Their 
Academic Performance Level 
 
Segye Ilbo 
Asia to Expand Currency Swap Pool to $120 Billion 
 
Seoul Shinmun 
Representatives of Labor, Management and the Government 
Provisionally Agree to "Freeze Wages in Return for Job Protection" 
 
Domestic Developments 
 
¶1. According to a Feb. 21 opinion survey by Gallup Korea to mark the 
first anniversary of President Lee Myung-bak's inauguration, 33 
percent of those polled said that the Lee Administration is doing 
well in managing state affairs, with 54 percent saying it is not. 
Furthermore, 63 percent said that North Korea is to blame for 
strained relations between the two Koreas, and 56 percent favored 
economic aid to the North if the communist state gives up its 
nuclear ambitions. (Chosun) 
 
¶2. North Korea continued its harsh rhetoric toward the ROK on Feb. 
21, with its Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, 
which handles inter-Korean relations, warning that the North would 
settle accounts with the Lee Myung-bak Administration through the 
most merciless and resolute measure." (Chosun, Dong-a, Hankyoreh, 
Segye, Seoul) This is a stark contrast to the North's silence on 
Secretary of State Clinton's remarks in Seoul regarding its 
uncertain leadership situation, a taboo subject in the North. 
(Chosun) 
 
¶3. Seoul City said yesterday that it had found more than 16,000 
square meters of area contaminated by oil leaked from four U.S. 
military bases in Seoul. (JoongAng, Dong-a, Hankook, Hankyoreh, 
Segye, Seoul, all TVs, VoiceofPeople) 
 
International News 
 
¶1. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a Feb. 20 interview with 
Fox News, said that North Korea's alleged highly enriched uranium 
(HEU) program should not be an obstacle to disabling the North's 
nuclear facilities, a remark seen as indicating that the Obama 
Administration would focus on the North's plutonium-based nuclear 
program, rather than the HEU issue. (Hankook, KBS) 
 
¶2. During Secretary Clinton's visit to China on Feb. 21, the U.S. 
and China reaffirmed the importance of the Six-Party Talks in 
resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. (Hankyoreh) 
 
 
Media Analysis 
 
Secretary Clinton in Asia 
 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to the ROK received wide 
coverage today and over the weekend.  Most of the ROK media 
positively evaluated Secretary Clinton's first overseas trip to 
Asia, with conservative Dong-a Ilbo, in particular, hailing it as 
the "First Successful Step of Clinton-Style Diplomacy." 
 
The ROK media highlighted Secretary Clinton's statement during a 
Feb. 20 press conference with ROK Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan: 
"North Korea is not going to get a different relationship with the 
U.S. while insulting and refusing dialogue with the ROK," and 
interpreted this as reaffirming the two allies' "united" front 
vis-`-vis North Korea and clarifying Washington's position that 
North Korea's strategy of bypassing the ROK while communicating with 
the U.S. will have no effect.  Secretary Clinton was further quoted 
as saying: "(The U.S.) has no plans yet to meet with North Korean 
leader Kim Jong-il." 
 
The ROK media also noted that Secretary Clinton was noncommittal 
about sensitive bilateral issues, including Seoul's troop deployment 
to Afghanistan.  Regarding Secretary Clinton's comments on the 
"uncertainty" of North Korea's succession prospects, conservative 
Chosun Ilbo's headline read: "Clinton Just Says What She Has to 
Say."  Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo headlined its story: "Clinton's 
Remarks Represent the Position of the U.S. State Department." 
Moderate Hankook Ilbo wrote in the headline: "U.S. Media Sees 
Clinton's Comments as Calculated Remarks and Not a Slip of the 
Tongue."  Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shimun, meanwhile, said: "Clinton 
Signals that Washington is Ready to Start Dialogue with Pyongyang." 
 
 
Moderate Hankook Ilbo and state-run KBS TV noted Secretary of State 
Hillary Clinton's remarks during a Feb. 20 interview with Fox News, 
in which she said that North Korea's alleged highly enriched uranium 
(HEU) program should not be an obstacle to disabling the North's 
nuclear facilities.  The media viewed this statement as indicating 
that the Obama Administration would focus on the North's 
plutonium-based nuclear program, rather than the HEU issue. 
 
-Editorial Comments 
 
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo editorialized (02/21): "The biggest 
accomplishment of Clinton's visit to the ROK is that she emphasized 
that the ROK and the U.S. could work together on dealing with North 
Korea, despite the recent change of U.S. administration.  Another 
accomplishment is that the ROK and the U.S. jointly sent a strong 
warning to Pyongyang about future provocations that threaten 
regional security.  It is also notable that Clinton and Foreign 
Minister Yu addressed concerns that the U.S. may have actually 
acknowledged that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons.  They said 
it is not acceptable under any circumstances for the North to 
 
possess a nuclear arsenal, and confirmed that both countries (ROK 
and the U.S.) want denuclearization in a complete and verifiable 
manner through the Six-Party Talks." 
 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo editorialized (02/21): "At the same time, 
the ROK and the U.S. are extending an opportunity to North Korea. 
Secretary Clinton has already expressed willingness to normalize 
U.S.-North Korea ties on the premise that the North is prepared to 
abandon its nuclear programs.  Secretary Clinton's announcement of 
Stephen Bosworth as U.S. Envoy to North Korea can be seen as a 
gesture of dialogue.  The ROK Unification Ministry also said 
yesterday, "(We are) willing to meet and talk with North Korea's 
responsible officials anytime, anywhere, on any agenda and in any 
form.  The choice to preserve the possibility of normalizing 
U.S.-North Korea ties and the possibility of dialogue is up to North 
Korea.  North Korea must face up to the reality and stop playing the 
provocation card." 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo editorialized (02/21): "Secretary Clinton 
demonstrated 'smart power' diplomacy espoused by the Obama 
Administration during her visit to the ROK.  Smart power diplomacy 
is a combination of hard power, such as military force, and the soft 
power of winning the hearts of the other.  This U.S. effort - to 
show that the U.S. is not a 'heavy-handed country'- should not be a 
one-time event but should continue broadly (be a continual effort.) 
" 
 
Moderate Hankook Ilbo editorialized (02/21): "Secretary Clinton's 
public comments on the North's succession may be interpreted as the 
U.S.' call for the country to stop stoking crisis internationally 
with its internal troubles and to come to the negotiating table in a 
responsible manner.  Secretary Clinton, at a press conference 
yesterday, said, 'Our goal is to address the North's incumbent 
government and bring the current leadership back to the negotiating 
table at the Six-Party Talks.'  The North should rationally accept 
the world's perception of itself, and make a wise decision.  The 
North should stop its preparations for a missile launch and come to 
the dialogue table." 
 
Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun editorialized (02/23): With power 
emanating from her (political) career, Secretary Clinton was not 
bound by protocol but expanded her contact with the general public 
of the host nations.  It was an effort to win back the support of 
foreign nations, which had turned their back on the Bush 
Administration's unilateralism.  As a result, Secretary Clinton's 
diplomacy seems to have gotten off to a positive start for now." 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
 
Alliance Reaffirmed 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 21, 2009, Page 26) 
 
If North Korea had plans to widen the gap between Korea and the 
United States with the start of a new U.S. administration, it had 
better give up the idea soon. 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who visited Seoul on her 
first overseas trip since her appointment, sent a clear message. 
 
North Korea's "Talk with the U.S., isolate the South" plan to 
exclude South Korea and talk only with the United States is an empty 
dream. 
 
At the press conference right after the Korea-U.S. ministerial talks 
yesterday, she clearly said, "North Korea cannot gain a different 
relationship with the United States by rejecting and criticizing 
South Korea." 
 
The biggest accomplishment of Clinton's visit to Korea is that she 
emphasized that Korea and the United States could work together on 
dealing with North Korea, despite the recent change of U.S. 
administration. 
 
Clinton and Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan agreed that North Korea's 
rejection of talks with South Korea is an act that raises tension 
and helps to destabilize the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. 
 
In relation to Pyongyang's threats of a long-range ballistic missile 
launch, Clinton insisted the missile launch preparations be stopped, 
citing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718. 
 
She then stressed, "We ask the North Korean government to stop 
provocative and unhelpful words and actions." 
 
Another accomplishment is that Korea and the United States jointly 
sent a strong warning to Pyongyang about future provocations that 
threaten regional security. 
 
It is also notable that Clinton and Yu addressed concerns that the 
United States may have actually acknowledged that North Korea 
possesses nuclear weapons. 
 
They said it is not acceptable under any circumstances for the North 
to possess a nuclear arsenal and confirmed that both countries (U.S. 
and ROK) want denuclearization in a complete and verifiable manner 
through the Six-Party Talks." 
 
Along with an existing policy to develop the Korea-U.S. alliance as 
a global strategic alliance, the two countries resolved to cooperate 
on global issues such as the financial crisis and climate change. 
 
It's inevitable at this point that in-depth talks on Afghanistan and 
the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement are not feasible.  It's now up 
to working-level diplomats from both countries to look at the 
details of the various issues now that Clinton has reaffirmed the 
importance of the Korea-U.S. relationship. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
Effects of Sino-U.S. Relations 
(JoongAng Ilbo, February 23, 2009, Page 30) 
 
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to China 
paved the way for the two nations to share their views on forging a 
new partnership.  In a series of meetings with Chinese leaders 
including President Hu Jintao, Clinton emphasized the necessity of 
improving bilateral cooperation across their two societies, dealing 
with issues such as the economic crisis and climate change. 
 
The Chinese side responded positively, saying there is a growing 
need to take bilateral relations to a higher plane. 
 
There has been some concern that the launch of the Obama 
Administration in the U.S. may hamper the development of 
Sino-American relations because the U.S. might try to push for an 
improvement in human rights in China.  The U.S. has also raised 
questions about China's policy of exchange rate manipulation.  But 
on this trip, Clinton left such sensitive issues until next time. 
Instead, she flattered China, extending thanks to the country for 
having confidence in U.S. bonds. 
 
Of course, the Bush Administration forged a limited alliance with 
China.  Meanwhile, as the world's most populous country is a 
potential threat to U.S. strategic interests in the region, 
Washington has pressured China via strengthened alliances with Japan 
and Korea.  Hence, China maintained close military ties with Russia 
and was reluctant to intensify its pressure on North Korea in the 
Six-Party Talks. 
 
However, the Obama Administration takes a different stance.  Clinton 
clarified her position during the presidential election, stressing 
the importance of her country's relations with China.  She 
emphasized China's role as a responsible stakeholder in Asia. 
Therefore, the establishment of cooperative Sino-U.S. relations may 
cause a fundamental change in how existing international issues such 
as the Six-Party Talks are addressed. 
 
Against this backdrop, the Korean government should make no mistakes 
in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the changing aspects of 
Sino-U.S. relations, taking our complicated position into 
consideration.  We are faced with a nuclear-armed North Korea, and 
should recognize China's growing predominance in relation to 
America's strategic flexibility. 
 
Emergency measures should be devised in advance to respond to 
possible emergency situations - for instance, if Sino-American 
relations are derailed.  First and foremost, cautious diplomatic 
measures should be prepared to strengthen our alliance with the U.S. 
and to prevent conflicts of interest with China. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
Clinton Says, "The U.S. and the ROK Agree on North Korean Issue." 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 21, 2009, Page 27) 
 
Secretary Clinton had a joint press conference on Feb. 20 with 
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan after the senior diplomatic meeting. 
She said, "The U.S. and the ROK couldn't agree more on the North 
Korean issue than on any other subject."  She noted that the North 
would not achieve a different relationship with the U.S. by refusing 
to talk with and criticizing the ROK."  Secretary Clinton added, 
"The most urgent task in the North Korean nuclear issue is to 
disable the North's nuclear arsenal.  Our goal is to deliver on 
agreements in a verifiable way.  Regarding the North's movement to 
launch a long-distance missile, she said, "North Korea should stop 
all related activities including its preparations for a ballistic 
missile launch under the UN Security Council Resolution," urging the 
North "to discontinue provocative and unhelpful words and actions." 
 
After Democratic candidate Barack Obama scored a victory in the 
presidential election in November 2008, the North resorted to the 
scheme of 'having direct talks with the U.S. while bypassing the 
ROK."  The North is calling on dialogue with the U.S., while making 
outbursts of criticism against the ROK and employing military 
threats.  However, Clinton responded that "the U.S. and ROK agree on 
the North Korean issue."  She put a deterrent on the North's ploy to 
sideline the ROK. 
 
Secretary Clinton clarified the U.S.' willingness to hold talks with 
North Korea.  She said, "The U.S. is seeking ways to get our partner 
North Korea back to the Six-Party Talks.", calling North Korea 'a 
dialogue partner'.  She made sure that out of two roads of dialogue 
and provocation that lie ahead for North Korea to choose, dialogue 
would lead to normalization of the U.S. and North Korea ties, while 
provocation would lead to deeper isolation and sanction. 
 
Shortly before her visit to Korea, Secretary Clinton said, "The U.S. 
is worried that the North may face its succession crisis in the near 
future."  At the press conference, she noted, "We should take 
everything into consideration when we establish a contingency plan." 
 This remark shows that the U.S. is mindful of a post-Kim Jong-il 
era.  The ROK and the U.S. should not move separately but strategize 
and react in cooperative ways. 
 
Secretary Clinton demonstrated 'smart power' diplomacy championed by 
the Obama Administration during her visit to the ROK.  Smart power 
diplomacy is a combination of hard power, such as military power 
with a soft power ability to win over the other side.  Secretary 
Clinton said, "The late Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan was a spiritual leader 
of the Koreans and the entire world."  She gave a lecture at Ewha 
Womans University and met with women leaders.  This effort to show 
that the U.S. is not a 'heavy-handed country' should not be a 
one-time event but (should) continue broadly. 
 
Pyongyang Should Not Dare to Ignore Clinton's Message 
(Dong-a Ilbo, February 21, 2009, Page 27) 
 
Through U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Seoul, 
the ROK and the U.S. demonstrated their close cooperation on the 
North Korean issue to the whole world.  Secretary Clinton and 
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan reaffirmed their zero tolerance 
policy on North Korea's nuclear programs and urged Pyongyang to stop 
its ballistic missile activities.  The two nations declared that 
they will overcome subtle differences on North Korean issues and 
move together toward the same goal. 
 
Now that the Lee Myung-bak Administration and the newly-inaugurated 
Obama Administration have coordinated their stances at an early 
date, their bilateral cooperation for a future-oriented alliance is 
expected to gain speed.  Since Secretary Clinton clarified North 
Korea policy during her tour of Japan, the ROK and China, 
multilateral cooperation among Six-Party nations will be 
revitalized. 
 
North Korea should take the message from the ROK and the U.S. 
seriously.  It has become clear that there is no room for North 
Korea's attempts to isolate the South and engage only the U.S. in 
order to drive a wedge between the ROK and the U.S.  Pyongyang's 
scheme to renege on its promise of nuclear abandonment will not 
work. The ROK and the U.S. have clearly warned that North Korea's 
preparations for a long-range missile launch violate UN Security 
Council 1718. 
 
At the same time, the ROK and the U.S. are still extending an 
opportunity to North Korea.  Secretary Clinton has already expressed 
willingness to normalize the U.S.-North Korea relations on the 
premise that North Korea is prepared to abandon its nuclear weapons 
programs.  As a gesture of dialogue, she also announced in Seoul 
that she named Stephen Bosworth as the U.S. envoy to North Korea 
nuclear talks.  The Ministry of Unification also said yesterday, 
"(We are) willing to meet and talk with North Korea's responsible 
officials anytime, anywhere, on any agenda and in any form." 
 
The choice to preserve the possibility of normalizing U.S.-North 
Korea ties and the possibility of dialogue is up to North Korea. 
North Korea must face up to reality and stop playing the provocation 
card.  Secretary Clinton even expressed her will to begin 
discussions about preparations for a post-Kim Jong-il era by 
mentioning uncertainty in the North Korean leadership, which has 
been considered a taboo subject.  Chairman of the National Defense 
Committee of North Korea Kim Jong-il should remember that if he 
throws a monkey wrench into the ROK-U.S. cooperation, it will bring 
disaster and shock to the North Korean regime. 
 
Urgent Need for a Comprehensive Approach to N. Korea 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, February 21, 2009, Page 23) 
 
At a press conference with her South Korean counterpart yesterday, 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said envoy Stephen Bosworth 
will be responsible for overseeing North Korea policy, including 
dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea.  She said she and Foreign 
Minister Yu Myung-whan would be discussing the best way to make 
progress in the Six-Party Talks.  The process of building a concrete 
framework for the U.S. and South Korea to approach North Korea has 
begun. 
 
It was right for the two foreign ministers to reaffirm their goal of 
the complete and verifiable abandonment of North Korea's nuclear 
programs through the Six-Party Talks.  Many people already agree 
that the best way to do that will be for Pyongyang and Washington to 
normalize ties and for there to be a peace treaty between the two, 
and to simultaneously seek to provide energy and economic aid to the 
North, in what is being referred to as a "comprehensive approach." 
It will be critical to have concrete plans and to develop the 
conditions for negotiations.  That Clinton repeatedly expressed 
concern about North Korea's preparations for a missile launch during 
her visit shows that she understands the urgent need to reestablish 
policy on North Korea.  Seoul and Washington need to make these 
talks a stepping-stone towards picking up the pace of a resolution 
of the issue. 
 
It looked desperate for our government in Seoul to have made 
inter-Korean relations a major topic of the discussions with 
Clinton.  Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said it is North Korea that 
is refusing to engage the South in dialogue, but a great deal of the 
responsibility for the way relations have deteriorated lies with the 
Lee Myung-bak Administration for essentially ignoring the October 4 
and June 15 declarations.  Inter-Korean relations are not going to 
improve by themselves just because Clinton said that Pyongyang is 
not going to be able to have a different kind of relationship with 
the U.S. by refusing to talk to and criticizing Seoul.  If the Lee 
Administration has any desire to improve inter-Korean relations, it 
is urgent that it make a clear change in its approach to Pyongyang 
instead of depending on the U.S. for better relations. 
 
On her way to Korea, Clinton inappropriately mentioned the issue of 
succession in North Korea and the possibility of an internal power 
struggle there.  If Pyongyang interprets her comments to mean she 
does not regard the current government there seriously, it could 
become a new obstacle in resuming the Six-Party process.  It was 
also problematic for our government to have hastily announced that 
it is going to expand reconstruction support for Afghanistan to 
include the training of police officers.  Important foreign policies 
should be explained to the Korean public first, and the government 
should seek the country's agreement before announcing it to other 
countries. 
 
We hope that North Korea, for its part, makes an accurate reading of 
the way things are going, and that it behaves wisely.  It must not 
let this rare opportunity simply idle away.  It needs to realize 
that test firing a missile would do nothing other than create 
unnecessary tension. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
A Positive Start for Clinton's Brand of Diplomacy (Hankyoreh 
Shinmun, February 23, 2009, Page 27) 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is returning home after a 
tour of East Asia, the region she chose as her first stage after 
being sworn in.  She defined the trip to Korea, China, Japan and 
Indonesia as a "listening tour."  The implication is that the Obama 
Administration wants to create a new, multi-party cooperative 
diplomatic order, one in which it listens to the views of other 
countries, instead of forcing its own. 
 
Indeed, Clinton did not bring up any issues that would make the 
countries she visited uncomfortable, and instead focused on 
placating concerns about the new U.S. administration.  An example of 
this would be the issue of Chinese human rights.  Instead of 
bringing it up with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other 
policymakers, she met with representatives of human rights groups. 
It was a decision that took into consideration how she had strongly 
criticized the human rights situation there at a women's conference 
in Beijing in 1995.  Hu sang her praises, saying her visit 
demonstrated that America values Asia, and promised to work together 
with the United States on the global economic crisis and climate 
change. 
 
Clinton sought to ease concerns about the Obama Administration's 
North Korea policy in Japan and South Korea by making Japan the 
first stop on her visit and, while in Seoul, by warning North Korea 
against its so-called tong mi bong nam approach, that of "opening up 
to the Americans and closing to the South."  While she did issue 
repeated warnings to the North about its missile launch 
preparations, she still said the door for dialogue remains open and 
made it clear the United States wants to speed up the pace for 
improving relations between Pyongyang and Washington. 
 
With power emanating from her (political) career, Secretary Clinton 
was not bound by protocol but expanded her contact with the general 
public of the host nations.  It was an effort to win back the 
support of foreign nations, which had turned their back on the Bush 
Administration's unilateralism.  As a result, Secretary Clinton's 
diplomacy seems to have gotten off to a positive start for now. 
 
However, setting aside the differences and expanding ties of 
commonality is not going to be easy.  This year marks the 20th 
anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, so there 
exists the possibility that human rights are again going to be at 
the center stage of Sino-American relations.  Narrowing differences 
and building peace and stability in the region will require the 
cooperation of not only the United States, but also that of South 
Korea, China and Japan.  Let us create a new model for multi-party 
cooperation in Asia on the occasion of the arrival of a new U.S. 
administration. 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
North Korea Should Listen Carefully to Warnings from the ROK and the 
U.S. 
(Hankook Ilbo, February 21, 2009, Page 31) 
 
At a joint press conference yesterday following a meeting with 
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, U.S. Secretary Clinton said, "The 
U.S. and the ROK couldn't agree more on the North Korean issue than 
any other subjects."  She noted that the North would not achieve a 
different relationship with the U.S. by refusing to talk with and 
criticizing the ROK.  This remark quells concerns over a discrepancy 
in concerted efforts by the ROK and the U.S. on their North Korean 
policies. The concerns have been raised since the beginning of the 
 
Obama Administration, but the recent remark puts a halt on the 
North's attempt to have direct talks with the U.S. while bypassing 
the ROK.  It is noteworthy that the ROK and the U.S. reaffirmed 
their solid cooperation on the North Korean policy in the first 
senior diplomatic meeting since the inauguration of the new U.S. 
Administration. 
 
Yu and Clinton's call for the North to stop provocative actions such 
as its preparations for a missile launch and to come back to the 
negotiating table is based on mutual understanding.  North Korea 
should not ignore warnings against its movement to launch a 
Taepo-dong 2 missile.  Yu remarked that "Even though the North 
insists on launching a satellite, not a missile, this is a blatant 
violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1718.  Secretary 
Clinton said clearly, "All related activities including a ballistic 
missile launch should be stopped under the UN Security Council." 
 
Clinton's public concern about the North's succession needs to be 
heeded.  She said, "The U.S. is worried that the North may face a 
crisis over the succession of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il."  If 
North Korean leadership is enraged about such a comment on the 
sensitive succession issue, there is a possibility that a bid to 
bring the North to a negotiating table may backfire. 
 
However, things may play out differently, given that Clinton 
apparently made the remark intentionally and the U.S. State 
Department spokesman regarded it as an official view of the U.S. 
government.  Secretary Clinton did not hide the perception that the 
North's missile threat and its belligerent move were not irrelevant 
to its internal power struggle.  Secretary Clinton's public comment 
on the North's succession issue may be interpreted as the U.S.' call 
for the country to stop stoking crisis internationally with its 
internal power struggle and come back to the negotiating table in a 
responsible manner.  In a statement supporting this view, Secretary 
Clinton, at the press conference yesterday, said, "Our goal is to 
address the North's incumbent government and bring the current 
leadership back to the negotiating table at the Six-Party Talks." 
 
The North should rationally accept the world's perception of itself 
and make a wise decision.  It is not desirable for the North to 
heighten tensions by contending that it is only a matter of time 
before the ROK and North Korea will see physical conflicts, as the 
official North Korean Central News Agency reported.  North Korea 
should stop preparations for a missile launch and go ahead with 
talks. 
 
Features 
 
Clinton Casts Doubts about a North Uranium Program 
(JoongAng Daily, February 23, 2009, Page 2) 
 
By Reporter Brian Lee 
 
Her statements disagree with U.S. intelligence officials. 
 
Striking a different tone from American intelligence officials, 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cast doubts on the existence of 
North Korea's purported highly enriched uranium program, in what 
some observers here believe is an indication of Washington's 
changing priorities in talks on denuclearizing the reclusive 
country. 
 
When referring to the suspected program in an interview with U.S. 
network Fox News on Friday, Clinton said, "I think that there is a 
sense, among many who have studied this, that there may be some 
program somewhere, but no one can point to any specific location nor 
can they point to any specific outcome of whatever might have gone 
on, if anything did." 
 
She added, "I don't have any doubt that they would try whatever they 
possibly could. Have they? I don't know that and nobody else does 
either." 
 
Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea specialist at Dongguk University, said 
that the remarks by the secretary marked a sharp departure from past 
positions taken by an American administration. 
 
"There was only circumstantial evidence but never any conclusive 
evidence regarding the uranium enrichment program, and from a 
practical point of view (Clinton) is opting not to bring  the issue 
to the forefront," he said.  "Washington is also keen on focusing on 
the plutonium-based nuclear program, which is a current issue, not a 
future one." 
 
Washington raised suspicions over an alleged highly enriched uranium 
program in a meeting with North Korean officials in 2002.  The 
result was the collapse of the 1994 Agreed Framework that had 
averted the first nuclear crisis.  Regarding the intelligence that 
led Washington to confront the North Koreans about the program, top 
U.S. intelligence officials have said they were confident that North 
Korea was trying to operate an enrichment program at the time, and 
are moderately sure such efforts still continue today. 
 
Based on such intelligence, the Bush Administration embarked on an 
initial policy path of pressuring North Korea, but eventually 
reversed itself to engage in the Six-Party Talks.  When the Bush 
Administration came to power, it criticized the Bill Clinton 
Administration for striking a deal it viewed as having too many 
loopholes and rewarding the North Koreans for bad behavior. 
 
Secretary Clinton has made no s-e-c-r-e-t of her displeasure with 
the Bush Administration's scrapping of the 1994 Agreed Framework 
that was formed under her husband's administration saying that doing 
so only allowed Pyongyang to produce more plutonium and conduct its 
first nuclear test in 2006. 
 
"She also wants to finish what her husband started, so this is a 
subtle message to the North that the past should not stand in the 
way of the future.  The HEU program is the past," said Koh. 
 
In the final days of the Clinton Administration, dialogue between 
Pyongyang and Washington raised hopes that ties between the two 
could be normalized, but all such efforts ended with Bush coming 
into office. 
 
Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University 
pointed out that Clinton's remark reflected Washington's willingness 
to engage Pyongyang, as President Barack Obama has promised from the 
beginning of his tenure. 
 
"Pyongyang has probably dissected every word that she said while she 
was here and will soon come out with an answer," said Koh. 
"Washington is in the course of devising its policy direction on 
North Korea and what she is saying now can be interpreted as 
precursors of what's to come." 
 
Controversy still surrounds the alleged 2002 admission about an HEU 
program by the North's First Vice Minister Kang Sok-ju to a U.S. 
delegation.  Pyongyang officially denied ever having made such a 
statement. 
 
In her maiden trip to Seoul, Secretary Clinton reaffirmed the 
alliance with South Korea and warned Pyongyang about any activities 
that may threaten security here, but that was expected considering 
the host country.  Her real message may have been what she didn't 
say in the official press conference. 
 
Clinton Downplays N. Korean Succession Issue 
(Korea Times, February 21, 2009, Page 2) 
 
By Reporter Kim Sue-young 
 
The issue regarding North Korea's succession has been a major 
concern since its leader, Kim Jong-il, allegedly suffered two 
strokes last year. 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had broached the sensitive 
issue but downplayed concerns over a possible abrupt transition in 
the North Korean leadership, Friday. 
 
"This is not some kind of classified matter that is not being 
discussed in many circles... When you are thinking about the future 
dealings with a government that doesn't have any clear succession ? 
they (the North Koreans) don't have a vice president, they don't 
have a prime minister ? then it is something you have to think 
about," she said in a joint press conference following talks with 
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan in Seoul. 
"For me, as we look at planning and contingency planning, we are 
taking everything into account," she said. 
 
"But we are dealing with the government that exists right now.  That 
government is being asked to reengage with the Six-Party Talks to 
fulfill the obligations they agreed to. We expect them to do so," 
the secretary said. 
 
Clinton had already addressed the succession issue while en route to 
Seoul Thursday night. 
 
"If there is a succession, even if it's a peaceful succession," she 
said, "that creates more uncertainty, and it may also encourage 
behaviors that are even more provocative, as a way to consolidate 
power within the society." 
 
A senior U.S. State Department official said Clinton was merely 
stating the obvious  -- that Kim has not returned to his old form 
and his country is behaving in a way that bears the hallmarks of a 
country in the throes of a power struggle, according to the New York 
Times. 
 
Is Kim Jong-il's Third Son Heir? 
 
The issue regarding North Korea's succession has been a major 
concern since its leader, Kim Jong-il, allegedly suffered two 
strokes last year. 
 
North Korea has yet to officially announce the Dear Leader's 
successor, but reports have said that Kim's third and youngest son, 
Jong-un, is expected to be the heir. 
 
The Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun reported Tuesday that Jong-un, 
who has no official title, has been chosen as the successor. 
 
Local analysts do not consider the reports completely groundless. 
 
"He is known to be the favorite son of the senior Kim. Besides, he 
reportedly has strong leadership and a desire for power despite his 
young age," said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Inter-Korean 
Relations Studies Program at the Sejong Institute, in Seoul. 
 
The junior Kim was reportedly born in late 1983 or early 1984, and 
is also said to take after his father, he added. 
 
The North's recent military reshuffle supported the reports and 
speculation. 
 
On Feb. 19, Pyongyang announced that Vice Marshal of the Korean 
People's Army Kim Yong-chun had been appointed minister of the 
People's Armed Forces of the National Defense Commission, equivalent 
to the rank of defense minister in the South.  The publicity 
accompanying the military shakeup is considered unusual. 
 
"Kim's sons are too young to control the country.  Thus, a top, 
influential military official might be needed to persuade the people 
that a proper succession has been made," Cheong said. 
 
Moreover, the new minister is known as an aide to the late Ko 
Yong-hi, third wife of Kim Jong-il and mother of Jong-un, and 
reportedly contributed to the movement to idolize the late Ko in 
2002 through his loyalty to her. 
 
If it is true that the third son has been chosen for the future 
anointment, the minister would be suitable to help the transition, 
he said. 
 
Clinton Stresses Women's Role 
(Korea Times, February 21, 2009, Page 2) 
 
By Reporter Kim Sue-young 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton highlighted the 
importance of women's rights, Friday, saying they will lead to 
national development. 
 
In a lecture at Ewha Womans University, Clinton said she has a 
strong will to improve women's rights since they are more than just 
morality-related issues. 
 
"No country has yet achieved full equality for women.  There is 
still a lot ahead for us to (do to) make sure that gender equality 
becomes reality," she said.  "Part of my mission as the Secretary of 
State is (making sure) the United States is committed to enhancing 
the rights of women.'' 
 
The Secretary, a former First Lady, received an honorary doctorate 
from the school in recognition of her efforts to promote women's 
rights and status. 
 
The school is known to have a close relationship with Clinton's alma 
mater, Wellesley College. 
 
Dressed in a vivid red suit, Clinton also urged participants to show 
interest in international issues such as climate change and 
environmental pollution. 
 
To become leaders in the future, she said young people must do what 
they "love and (do what makes life) purposeful" for them and figure 
out how they can devote themselves to society. 
 
"I could never have imagined myself here as the Secretary of State 
today, but look where I am now," she said.  "Follow your dreams. 
With your education and the opportunities available in your country, 
there is so much that you can do." 
 
On the North Korean nuclear issue, she said Washington will be ready 
to talk and discuss ways to replace the current armistice with a 
peace treaty if Pyongyang dismantles its nuclear weapons in a 
complete and verifiable way. 
 
Attending the lecture were Representatives Na Kyung-won and Cho 
Yoon-sun of the governing Grand National Party, and the nation's 
first, and Asia's second, female astronaut, Yi So-yeon. 
 
Clinton Urges North Korea to Halt Threats 
(Korea Times, February 21, 2009, Front Page) 
 
By Reporter Jung Sung-ki 
 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged North Korea Friday to 
stop its campaign of threats, including preparations to test-launch 
a ballistic missile. 
 
In a joint news conference following talks with Minister of Foreign 
Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan in Seoul, Clinton also warned North 
Korea of its recent threatening rhetoric against South Korea. 
 
"North Korea is not going to get a different relationship with the 
United States while insulting and refusing dialogue with the 
Republic of Korea," she said.  "We are calling on the government of 
North Korea to refrain from being provocative and unhelpful in the 
war of words that it has been engaged in because that is not very 
fruitful." 
 
Experts here said her remarks against North Korea (that were) 
tougher than those made during a speech to the Asia Society before 
her regional trip was aimed at relieving lingering worries here that 
South Korea might be isolated if North Korea resorts to bilateral 
talks with the United States. 
 
In the speech in New York, Clinton said her government was ready to 
normalize ties with North Korea and replace the armistice on the 
Korean Peninsula with a permanent peace treaty if the North abandons 
its nuclear weapons program.  She also pledged energy and other 
economic assistance to a denuclearized North Korea. 
 
The communist state recently said it would suspend its compliance 
with all treaties it has signed with the South, blaming the Lee 
Myung-bak Administration in the South in a typical rhetorical blast, 
which some experts say aims to draw the attention of the U.S. 
administration of President Barack Obama. 
 
On Thursday, North Korea said it was "ready for war with the South." 
 The statement came following the announcement by the South 
Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command on joint military exercises next 
month and hours ahead of Clinton's visit to Seoul. 
Clinton, who was visiting here on the third leg of her first 
overseas trip as Washington's top diplomat, called on Pyongyang not 
to proceed with its planned test-launch of a ballistic missile that 
not only violates a 2006 U.N. resolution but also could jeopardize 
the Six-Party denuclearization process. 
 
Clinton said, "It is clear that North Korea is required to suspend 
all activities related to its ballistic missile program." 
 
U.N. Resolution 1718 prohibiting the North's ballistic missile 
activities was adopted in 2006 after North Korea test-launched 
several missiles, including a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile believed 
to have a range of 6,700 kilometers and capable of hitting Alaska. 
 
North Korea is currently preparing to test-fire a Taepodong-2 
missile, according to U.S. and South Korean intelligence 
authorities, amid the deadlock with the Six-Party negotiations 
involving the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and 
Russia. 
 
Later in the day, Clinton paid a courtesy call on President Lee 
Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae. 
 
Clinton conveyed U.S. President Barack Obama's wish to hold 
bilateral talks with Lee at the upcoming G-20 meeting in April in 
London, said officials at the presidential office. 
 
Lee stressed the need for the strengthening of relations between 
South Korea and the United States, as well as those with Japan, 
China and Russia to resolve the North Korean issue. 
 
Clinton responded the U.S. government was also "very much looking 
forward" to working with its Asian ally to overcome international 
security issues such as North Korea's nuclear program, as well as 
addressing the world economic turmoil. 
 
"We will try to convince the North Koreans to begin a process within 
the Six-Party Talks toward the complete and verifiable elimination 
of nuclear weapons," Clinton said during Friday's conference. 
 
¶S. Koreans Blame North for Strained Relations 
(Chosun Ilbo, February 23, 2009, Page 4) 
 
By Reporter Hong Young-rim 
 
Some 63 percent of South Koreans blamed the North for strained 
relations between the two neighbors, according to a poll by Gallup 
Korea for the Chosun Ilbo.  That is more than double that of the 
27.4 percent who attributed the current ice age to the South Korean 
government's policy toward the North. 
 
Among respondents in their 20s, 58.7 percent blamed the North; among 
those in their 30s, 68.9 percent; of 40-somethings 52 percent; and 
among those aged 50 or older, 69 percent. 
 
An overwhelming 84.9 percent of supporters of the ruling Grand 
National Party blamed North Korea, while a mere 12.2 percent said 
the South Korean government is responsible.  By contrast, supporters 
of the main opposition Democratic Party were about evenly split, 
with 43.1 percent blaming the North and 42.3 percent the South. 
 
As for economic aid to the North, the majority or 56.8 percent 
called for support to the North on condition that it gives up its 
nuclear and missile development.  Some 39.2 percent called for 
support without strings attached.  The majority in all age groups 
urged the North to abandon nuclear and missile development. 
 
Bae Nam-young, an assistant manager at Gallup Korea, said, "The 
outcome of the latest poll suggests that many people think the 
government should maintain strict principles without trying to read 
North Korea's minds, at a time when the North is threatening to 
launch military provocation continuously and even to test-launch a 
missile." 
 
* This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version. 
 
 
Stephens