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UNCLAS SEOUL 000350 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; March 5, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
5,000 Patents! Seoul Semiconductor Aims to Brighten Future 
- Part 1 of a Series of Articles on Korean Companies 
with World-class Technologies 
 
JoongAng Ilbo 
"Job Sharing" Spreads from Public to Private Sector 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
Maternity Leave Being Exploited to Reduce Staff 
 
Hankook Ilbo, All TVs, VoiceofPeople 
Parties Tentatively Agree to Vote on KORUS FTA in April 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
The World Gripped by "Deflation Fears" 
 
Segye Ilbo 
ROK Economy May Contract 8 Percent in First Quarter 
 
Seoul Shinmun 
"Loopholes" in Protecting Seoul City 
Administrative Network from Hacking Attacks 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
¶1. President Lee Myung-bak, in a March 4 interview with The 
Australian, an Australian newspaper, said that North Korea might 
enjoy short-term benefits from escalating tension by preparing for a 
suspected missile launch but that such a provocation would play 
against the North in the long run. President Lee was further quoted 
as saying: "I think it is better to have a stabilized North Korean 
regime at this point in time for inter-Korean dialogue and 
cooperation."(All) 
 
¶2. Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, in his first press meeting 
yesterday since taking office, called for Pyongyang to resume 
dialogue and to stop criticism toward the ROKG and President Lee 
Myung-bak. (JoongAng, Dong-a, Hankook) 
 
¶3. New ROK Ambassador to the U.S. Han Duck-soo, in a March 4 press 
conference ahead of his March 9 departure for Washington, said that 
the ROK should first ratify the KORUS FTA, regardless of U.S. moves. 
(Hankook, Seoul, KBS, MBC) 
 
¶4. The U.S.-led UN Command and North Korea will hold another round 
of General-level military talks tomorrow at the truce village of 
Panmunjeom. (JoongAng, Segye, Seoul) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
 
¶1. Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea 
Policy, said during a March 4 press conference in Beijing, after 
meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Vice Foreign 
Minister Wu Dawei, that (the U.S.) hopes for a prompt resumption of 
the Six-Party Talks. (Dong-a, VoiceofPeople) 
 
¶2. The Congressional Research Service (CRS), in a recent report, 
said that North Korea produced 20 long-range Taepodong-2 missiles 
before 2006. (JoongAng) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
 
- NORTH KOREA 
 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo and VoiceofPeople, a progressive Internet 
media outlet in the ROK, quoted Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. Special 
Representative for North Korea Policy, as saying during a March 4 
press conference in Beijing after meeting with Chinese Foreign 
Minister Yang Jiechi and Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei that (the 
U.S.) hopes for a prompt resumption of the Six-Party Talks. 
 
The ROK media gave wide play to President Lee Myung-bak's March 4 
interview with The Australian, an Australian newspaper, in which 
President Lee said that North Korea might enjoy short-term benefits 
from escalating tension by preparing for a suspected missile launch 
but that such a provocation would play against the North in the long 
run.  President Lee was further quoted as saying: "I think it is 
better to have a stabilized North Korean regime at this point in 
time for inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation." 
 
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo and state-run KBS reported on the 
Congressional Research Service (CRS)'s recent report saying that 
North Korea produced 20 long-range Taepodong-2 missiles until 2006. 
 
 
- KORUS FTA 
 
The ROK media gave wide play to yesterday's tentative agreement 
between the ruling and opposition parties to vote on the KORUS FTA 
during a special session of the National Assembly in April.  In a 
related development, new ROK Ambassador to the U.S. Han Duck-soo was 
quoted by moderate Hankook Ilbo as stressing in a March 4 press 
conference ahead of his March 9 departure for Washington: "The ROK 
should first ratify the KORUS FTA, irrespective of U.S. moves." 
Moderate Hankook Ilbo editorialized: "In a situation where trade 
protectionism is rampant throughout the world, there is no denying 
that a prompt ratification of the KORUS FTA will bring various 
benefits, such as expanded trade, creation of jobs and strengthening 
of the (ROK-U.S.) alliance.  However, chances are slim that the 
Obama Administration will prioritize the ratification of the KORUS 
FTA at a time when job protection is the most urgent task at hand 
for the Administration with the collapse of the U.S. manufacturing 
industry.  Furthermore, given that the Democratic Party, which 
controls the U.S. Congress, is not supportive of the KORUS FTA, it 
is unclear whether the Democratic-led Congress will ratify the trade 
deal this year.  In this regard, this agreement by the ruling and 
opposition parties to deal with the KORUS FTA in April will serve to 
put pressure on the U.S. Administration." 
 
- SECRETARY CLINTON'S VISIT TO THE MIDDLE EAST 
 
Most of the ROK media gave attention to Secretary of State Hillary 
Clinton's March 3 press remarks in Israel, quoting her as saying 
that she will send two envoys to Syria to improve bilateral ties. 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo headlined its article: "Syria Transformed 
from an 'Outpost of Tyranny' to the Core of U.S. Middle East 
Diplomacy." 
 
 
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS 
 
Calls for Additional Negotiations on KORUS FTA Resurfacing 
(Hankook Ilbo, March 5, 2009, Page 39) 
 
An issue concerning ratification of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade 
Agreement (KORUS FTA) is resurfacing.  This is apparently because 
the Obama Administration has several times proclaimed the need to 
take additional measures on the KORUS FTA.  Treasury Secretary 
Timothy Geithner told Congress that President Obama will cooperate 
closely with Congress for progress on the trade deal.  Meanwhile, he 
stressed that it is important to deliver on the promise to establish 
a trade pact that advances the interests of the businesses and 
laborers.  The office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said, 
"We will set benchmarks for progress on the FTAs signed with the ROK 
and Colombia." 
 
President Obama hinted at additional negotiations on the free trade 
agreements after Congress urged the administration to take necessary 
steps to swiftly deliberate three pending FTAs.  The prevailing 
opinion is that the Obama Administration merely reaffirmed its 
existing stance that it would set benchmarks after closely 
reexamining the FTAs signed under the Bush Administration. 
 
It seems that the KORUS FTA has made little headway even though the 
U.S. administration and Congress expressed interest in it.  It would 
be too rosy a picture to prematurely anticipate early ratification 
of the FTA from U.S. Congress. 
 
In a situation where trade protectionism is rampant throughout the 
world, there is no denying that a prompt ratification of the KORUS 
FTA will bring various benefits, such as expanded trade, creation of 
jobs and strengthening of the (ROK-U.S.) alliance.  However, chances 
are slim that the Obama Administration will make the ratification of 
the KORUS FTA a priority at a time when job protection is the most 
urgent task at hand for the Administration with the collapse of the 
U.S. manufacturing industry.  Furthermore, given that the Democratic 
Party, which controls the U.S. Congress, is not supportive of the 
KORUS FTA, it is unclear whether the Democratic-led Congress will 
ratify the trade deal this year.  In this regard, this agreement by 
the ruling and opposition parties to deal with the KORUS FTA in 
April will serve to put pressure on the U.S. Administration.  The 
ROKG and politicians should closely watch movements of the Obama 
Administration and Congress which have been lukewarm about the FTA, 
while persuading them to ratify it.  The ROK should deploy an 
effective strategy for the sake of its national interest. 
 
 
FEATURES 
 
President Says It Is Best If Kim Jong-il Retains Rule 
(JoongAng Ilbo, March 5, 2009, Page 2) 
 
North Korea may enjoy some short-term benefits from escalating 
tension by preparing for a suspected missile launch, but such a 
provocative action will play against Pyongyang in the long run, 
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said yesterday. 
 
In an interview with the Australian media, Lee said, "North Korea 
has taken such actions as firing a missile in the past when it deems 
it appropriate, and I believe it is again trying to take such a 
strong action because a new U.S. administration has come into office 
and another round of the six-nation talks could be held in the near 
future.  Such tough action may place North Korea in a better 
position in negotiations, but in the long run it will not be so 
rewarding to North Korea in the international community." 
 
Lee also made a rare, direct comment about the North Korean leader 
Kim Jong-il's health.   Kim is believed to be recovering from a 
stroke he suffered in August. 
 
"It appears from Chairman Kim's recent activities that there are no 
serious obstacles for him to continue ruling North Korea, and I 
think it is better to have a stabilized North Korean regime at this 
point in time for inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation," Lee said. 
 
 
Regarding the East Asia situation, Lee said, "Since the two Koreas 
are divided, North Korea may pursue nuclearization, and the East 
Asia region is increasingly requiring peace and stability."  He 
added, "We should develop the multilateral security cooperation 
system in order to achieve arsenal reduction."  Lee noted that "to 
stop North Korea from going nuclear and maintain peace and security 
in East Asia, some people are asserting the need to develop the 
Six-Party Talks into a permanent peace system."  He went on to say, 
"I agree with this idea and think it will happen." 
 
Lee arrived in Sydney yesterday and a summit with Australian Prime 
Minister Kevin Rudd is scheduled for today in Canberra. 
 
* We have compared the English version on the website with the 
Korean version and made some changes to make them identical. 
 
 
"The ROK Should First Ratify the KORUS FTA" 
(Hankook Ilbo, March 5, 2009, Page 6) 
 
New ROK Ambassador to the U.S. Han Duck-soo said Wednesday that the 
ROK should take action on the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS 
FTA) no matter what else develops outside Korea.  He noted that the 
ROK should take all necessary measures according to its own 
(internal) plans.  This means that the ROK should first ratify the 
KORUS FTA, regardless of whether the U.S. takes action (on the 
agreement.) 
 
At a press conference before his departure for Washington in March 
9, Ambassador Han said that he would make an effort to elicit more 
understanding and approval of the KORUS FTA from the U.S. public. 
 
Han stressed that in the post-cold war era, the ROK and the U.S. 
showed economic cooperation by clinching the KORUS FTA.  He added 
that in terms of the ROK-U.S. alliance, this could help U.S. 
'engagement' expand to economic issues. 
 
He singled out his tasks as Ambassador to the U.S.  The missions 
include strengthening strategic alliance between the ROK and the 
U.S., expanding bilateral economic relations, and elevating 
bilateral social and cultural ties to a new level. 
 
Ambassador Han said that he would see that the two countries 
establish thorough coordination regarding the North Korean nuclear 
issue.  He also noted that the ROK and the U.S. should make 
concerted efforts to spurn trade protectionism and enhance soundness 
of the financial market. 
 
Han has served as Minister of Trade, Senior Secretary for Economic 
Affairs, Minister of the Office of Government Policy Coordination, 
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, and Prime Minister.  In 
January, he was appointed Ambassador to the U.S.  He is the second 
former Prime Minister to serve as Ambassador to the U.S. 
 
 
Stephens 
1