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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 SEOUL 000540 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; April 3, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
Chosun Ilbo, Hankook Ilbo, All TVs 
Lee, Obama Agree to Pursue UN Sanctions on North Korea 
 
JoongAng Ilbo 
Lee, Obama Confirm United Stance on North Korea 
 
Dong-a Ilbo, Segye Ilbo, All TVs 
Lee, Obama Agree to Cooperate on UN Sanctions for North Korea's 
Rocket Launch and on KORUS FTA 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
Lee, Obama to Discuss KORUS FTA in Bilateral Meeting Scheduled for 
June 
 
Seoul Shinmun, All TVs 
Lee, Obama Committed to KORUS FTA 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
In the first summit between President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. 
President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the London Group of 20 
meetings, the two leaders agreed to push for international sanctions 
through the UN Security Council if North Korea goes ahead with its 
planned rocket launch. They pledged to pursue a "stern and unified" 
international response against North Korea. (All, All TVs) 
 
During the summit, President Lee and President Obama agreed to move 
the long-delayed ratification of the KORUS FTA forward.  According 
to a Blue House official, President Obama has strong interest in 
advancing the trade deal.  However, Seoul officials did not say 
whether it signalled that the Obama Administration will withdraw its 
demand for renegotiation. (All, All TVs) 
 
During the summit, the U.S. president thanked the ROK for supporting 
stabilization efforts in war-torn Afghanistan.  A Blue House 
official said that Lee and Obama agreed to cooperate on the Pakistan 
situation and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. (All, All TVs) 
 
The ROK and the EU last month reached a provisional trade accord, 
but failed to finalize a trade deal during Thursday's talks between 
ROK Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon and his EU counterpart Catherine 
Ashton on the sidelines of the G20 summit.  The two leaders weren't 
able to narrow their differences on the so-called duty drawback 
scheme and rules of origin. (All, All TVs) 
 
Sources said that the ROK and the U.S. have agreed to raise their 
surveillance level on North Korea if the North launches a rocket in 
the coming days. (JoongAng, Dong-a) 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
Citing informed military sources, CNN reported on April 2 that North 
Korea has begun fueling a rocket allegedly carrying a satellite, 
intending to launch it from its northeastern base.  With the fueling 
having begun, a launch is likely only days away. (All, All TVs) 
 
According to a senior air force official, North Korea has deployed a 
fleet of MiG-23 fighter jets along its eastern coast, where it plans 
to launch a rocket into orbit. (Dong-a, Hankook, Hankyoreh, Segye). 
 
 
G20 leaders on April 2 hammered out the first measures of a rescue 
plan for the global economy.  The G20 summit discussed regulating 
the financial markets and increasing funding for the International 
Monetary Fund (IMF). (All, All TVs) 
 
U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese Counterpart Hu Jintao agreed 
to fight protectionism and to improve military ties at their first 
face-to-face meeting in London on April 1. (Chosun, Dong-a, 
 
SEOUL 00000540  002 OF 005 
 
 
Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul) 
 
An ROK report claimed that the wife and children of the North Korean 
trade representative in Shanghai have recently defected to the ROK 
and are being questioned by ROK intelligence officials. (Hankook, 
JoongAng, Dong-a, Seoul) 
 
 
Media Analysis 
 
-North Korea 
------------ 
 
Most of the ROK media gave prominent play to a CNN report quoting 
informed military sources who stated that North Korea has begun 
fueling a rocket allegedly carrying a satellite to launch it from 
its northeastern base.  ROK media reported that, with the fueling 
begun, a launch is likely only days away.  ROK media also noted 
that, according to CNN, the payload of the rocket appears to have a 
"bulbous" cover, possibly indicating the presence of a satellite. 
Meanwhile, citing a senior U.S. military official, Conservative 
Chosun Ilbo reported that North Korea threatened to immediately 
retaliate at the slightest sign of any attempt to intercept its 
satellite.  The newspaper observed that North Korea seems to be 
warning other countries against interfering with its imminent rocket 
launch. 
 
-G20 Financial Summit 
--------------------- 
 
Most ROK media gave front page play to President Lee Myung-bak's 
summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, which took place on the 
sidelines of the Group of 20 meetings in London.  ROK media reported 
that the two leaders agreed to push for international sanctions 
through the UN Security Council if North Korea goes ahead with its 
planned rocket launch.  According to these media outlets, the 
leaders pledged to pursue a "stern and unified" international 
response against North Korea.  Meanwhile, moderate Hankook Ilbo 
expressed skepticism at the likelihood of a UN Security Council 
resolution because of China and Russia's cautious stance.  The daily 
reported of a high probability that either a Presidential Statement 
or a Presidential Press Statement, which carry less weight than a UN 
Resolution, could be adopted. 
 
ROK media also noted that President Lee Myung-bak and President 
Obama agreed to move the long-delayed ratification of the Korea-U.S. 
Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) forward.  In an inside page story, 
left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun reported that, during the first 
summit, the U.S. shifted its position regarding the KORUS FTA.  The 
paper quoted a Blue House official as claiming that President Obama 
has strong interest in advancing the trade deal.  However, the 
newspaper also observed that, although the ROK supports KORUS FTA 
ratification without re-negotiation or additional negotiation, this 
scenario is very unlikely given the Americans' stance thus far. 
 
ROK media reported that the U.S. President thanked the ROK for its 
support in stabilization efforts in war-torn Afghanistan.  A Blue 
House official said Lee and Obama agreed to cooperate regarding the 
Pakistan situation and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. 
 
Chosun Ilbo editorial: "The ROK and the U.S. pledged to push for a 
"stern and unified" international response against North Korea. 
However, actually imposing UN sanctions on North Korea could be a 
daunting task given China and Russia's lukewarm attitude.  The two 
countries should make sure that the UN Security Council sanctions 
North Korea for its rocket launch.  Also, the ROK and the U.S. 
should explore every possible avenue to block North Korea's further 
provocations following its missile launch." 
 
Dong-a Ilbo editorial: "In the first summit between President Lee 
Myung-bak and U.S. President Barack Obama, the two leaders 
reaffirmed the strong alliance and pledged to cooperate on the North 
Korean rocket launch and KORUS FTA issues.  The two leaders should 
deliver on the statements that they made during the summit. 
 
SEOUL 00000540  003 OF 005 
 
 
Otherwise, these statements will end up becoming empty diplomatic 
rhetoric." 
 
Hankook Ilbo editorial:  "As North Korea has begun fueling the 
rocket despite strong warnings from the international community, the 
nation's imminent rocket launch has almost become a reality.  The 
ROK and U.S. Presidents reaffirmed that North Korea's rocket launch 
would violate UN Security Council Resolution 1718 and agreed to 
closely cooperate to prepare a stern response.  Alternative means, 
rather than military action, could be more effective at putting 
pressure on the North." 
 
 
Opinions/Editorials 
ROK AND U.S. PRESIDENTS REAFFIRM JOINT RESPONSE TO NORTH KOREA'S 
ROCKET LAUNCH 
(Hankook Ilbo, April 3, 2009, Page 35) 
 
As North Korea has already begun fueling the rocket despite stern 
warnings from the international community, the nation's imminent 
rocket launch has almost become a reality.  Under these 
circumstances, a joint response by the ROK and the U.S. is critical. 
 The ROK and U.S. Presidents reaffirmed that North Korea's rocket 
launch would violate UN Security Council Resolution 1718 and agreed 
to closely cooperate in preparing a strong response to increase 
pressure on the North.  Ruling out a military response, such as 
intercepting the missile, should not be construed as a weak stance. 
Non-military means may be more effective at putting pressure on the 
North 
 
Because both Presidents recognize that North Korea's rocket launch 
would contravene the UN Security Council resolution, bringing the 
matter before the UN Security Council is inevitable.  During their 
summit on April 1, the ROK and Japanese leaders also agreed to bring 
this issue before the UN Security Council.  However, we still need 
to approach Russia and China because their cooperation is essential 
to drawing a unified response from the UN Security Council.  At this 
level, a measured realistic response can be much more effective than 
a recklessly strong one.  While considering an appropriate response 
to North Korea (for its rocket launch), we should also make every 
effort to restore the momentum of negotiation and dialogue, 
including the Six-Party Talks. 
 
 
ROK AND U.S. PRESIDENTS REAFFIRM COOPERATION ON NORTH KOREAN ROCKET 
LAUNCH AND KORUS FTA ISSUES 
(Seoul Shinmun, April 3, 2009, Page 31) 
 
During his summit with President Lee, President Obama said that he 
is "preparing a UN Security Council resolution sanctioning North 
Korea."   Because this is the first time that President Obama has 
directly mentioned a North Korea-related matter since taking office, 
we can attribute a fair amount of political weight to it.  President 
Obama's statement is expected to put considerable pressure on the 
North. 
 
Before the ROK-U.S. summit, there were concerns that the two 
leaders' differing ideological bents could hamper cooperation 
between their nations.  However, their brief 30-minute meeting 
dispelled any such concerns.  President Obama reaffirmed the 
strength of the ROK-U.S. alliance by stating that the ROK is "one of 
America's closest allies and greatest friends."  We hope that the 
two leaders will build upon this initial meeting and further 
solidify the ROK-U.S. alliance at the Washington summit in June. 
 
 
LEE AND OBAMA SUMMIT SHOULD GO BEYOND DIPLOMATIC RHETORIC 
(Dong-a Ilbo, April 3, 2009, Page 35) 
 
Although the initial ROK-U.S. summit was a brief 30-minute meeting 
held on the sidelines of the G20 summit, it compares favorable with 
official summit meetings because of the depth of the agenda and a 
friendly atmosphere.  Particularly, the two leaders dispelled any 
rumored concerns over the Obama Administration's North Korea policy 
 
SEOUL 00000540  004 OF 005 
 
 
by reaffirming the strength of the ROK-U.S. alliance and pledging to 
cooperate closely on the North Korean nuclear and missile issues, 
the biggest issues facing the international community. 
 
The North Korean  Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's 
Army  issued an "important report" yesterday, threatening to "strike 
retaliatory blows at any attempts to intercept its rocket," while 
North Korea redeployed a squadron of jet fighters near a rocket 
launch site.  In response to the missile launch which poses a threat 
to peace and stability in Northeast Asia and escalates military 
tension on and surrounding the Korean Peninsula, the ROK and the 
U.S. should make sure that they are fully prepared for any 
contingency and adopt prudent security measures.  They should also 
reinforce a cooperative framework to ultimately dismantle North 
Korea's nuclear and missile programs.  They should actualize the 
understandings reached at this summit not through empty rhetoric, 
but through actual practice. 
 
 
A "STERN AND UNIFIED" MESSAGE FROM LEE AND OBAMA 
(Chosun Ilbo, April 3, 2009, Page 31) 
 
Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Barack Obama held their first summit in 
London on Thursday and agreed that a "stern and unified" response 
was necessary to deal with North Korea's launch of a long-range 
rocket.  During the meeting, Obama said the U.S. will seek UN 
sanctions in response.  Lee said it was necessary to demonstrate a 
strong resolve through the UN, while reconvening the Six-Party Talks 
at the appropriate time to use both dialogue and pressure. 
 
The two leaders said North Korea's possession and proliferation of 
nuclear materials are unacceptable and vowed to seek the complete 
and verifiable dismantlement of its nuclear program.  Regarding 
North Korea's intention to pursue direct dialogue with the U.S. 
while bypassing South Korea, Obama said it would be impossible for 
the communist country to drive a wedge in the long-standing alliance 
between Seoul and Washington and vowed to hold transparent and 
inclusive negotiations with South Korea involving all North 
Korea-related policies.  It was a brief summit, lasting just around 
half an hour ahead of the G20 summit, but the two leaders sent a 
strong and clear warning to North Korea. 
 
But North Korea began fueling its multi-stage rocket that day, the 
final step before a launch.  And in what it called "an important 
report," broadcast by the official Korean Central News Agency, 
Pyongyang said if its foes "recklessly" intercept the satellite the 
People's Army will "mercilessly deal deadly blows not only at the 
already deployed intercepting means but at major targets."  North 
Korea has virtually admitted that the launch involved a long-range 
missile.  If it launches it despite the final warnings of world 
leaders, Seoul, Washington and Tokyo will submit a resolution 
seeking UN sanctions against the communist country. 
 
Considering the reluctance of China and Russia, which have veto 
rights at the UN Security Council, it will not be easy to impose 
sanctions against North Korea.  But to make North Korea realize that 
the situation is grave, sanctions must be imposed.  That is how the 
"stern and unified" response voiced by Seoul and Washington will 
prove to be more than mere words.  South Korea and the U.S. must 
look into all possible measures to stop acts of provocation by the 
North. 
 
Regarding the South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, Obama said his 
administration had a strong will to advance the deal.  Considering 
his negative stance until now, that is an important step.  Both 
Seoul and Washington must strive to have their lawmakers ratify the 
FTA as soon as possible. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
A REALISTIC RESPONSE TO NORTH KOREA 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, April 3, 2009, Page 23) 
 
SEOUL 00000540  005 OF 005 
 
 
 
President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President Barack Obama held a 
bilateral summit meeting yesterday while in London for the G20 
summit.  It is their first meeting since Obama was inaugurated, and 
primarily served to give introductions to each other.  They met for 
a mere 30 minutes, within a busy schedule of discussions on 
multilateral agreements.  It does not seem that they were able to 
discuss any of the issues between the two countries.  Since trust 
between leaders is just as important as policy and ideology in any 
two countries' relations, it is nonetheless significant that the two 
men were able to meet-all the more so because their ideas and 
policies differ and some worried that it may be difficult for them 
to work together on various issues. 
 
The two leaders exchanged views on North Korea, overcoming the 
global financial crisis, the US-Korea alliance, climate change, 
reconstructing Afghanistan and on other areas of global cooperation. 
 It is reported they spent most of their time talking about North 
Korea policy, since Pyongyang's "satellite launch" is just around 
the corner.  A Blue House official later announced that they agreed 
on cooperating for the complete and verifiable dismantlement of 
North Korea's nuclear programs.  They also agreed to put forth a 
"strict and united" response in the case that the North does launch 
a long-range missile, asserting that the international community 
also needs to put forth a "strict and united" response.  One 
high-ranking government official explained that the leaders would 
see to it the United Nations Security Council discusses any missile 
launch, but that they would continue to work for the resumption of 
the Six-Party Talks. 
 
They sought such an agreement because China and Russia oppose UN 
sanctions and the US wants to place greater weight on resolving the 
issue of North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities through 
dialogue.  This joint response, then, is a realistic one.  The 
problem, then, is what to do after a "satellite" launch.  It looks 
like there will be tension for some time if the international 
community imposes some level of sanctions and Pyongyang responds in 
anger.  However, all the countries except North Korea are in 
agreement about resuming the Six-Party Talks process.  Now that our 
government together with President Obama has decided to issue an 
appropriate warning while maintaining efforts to resume talks, it 
should work closely with the other countries to make the Six-Party 
Talks process happen. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
STEPHENS