VZCZCXRO8301
OO RUEHGH
DE RUEHUL #0720/01 1270641
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 070641Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4236
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC 8516
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC//DDI/OEA//
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI//FPA//
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DB-Z//
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 9681
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5823
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5915
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0659
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 4343
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 3324
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 6524
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0936
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2274
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1348
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1957

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SEOUL 000720 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; May 7, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
National Intelligence Service Chief Asked Prosecution Not to Arrest 
Former President Roh, Drawing Protests from Prosecutors 
 
JoongAng Ilbo 
Is the ROK Economy Out of the Woods? Department Stores Overflow with 
Shoppers and Purchases 
by Credit Card have Increased 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
Prosecutors Tracing Bank Accounts of Chun Shin-il, 
a Long-time Friend of President Lee Myung-bak, 
in "Park Yeon-cha Bribery Scandal" 
 
Hankook Ilbo, Hankyoreh Shinmun, Seoul Shinmun 
Prosecutors Raid Tax Office in Ongoing Bribery Scandal 
 
Segye Ilbo 
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Says U.S. Economy out of 
Recession by End of Year 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
The ROK Cabinet yesterday approved plans to offer an aid package of 
more than $74 million and dispatch additional aid workers to 
Afghanistan. (All) 
 
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth 
will visit Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo and Moscow starting today for 
consultations on the North Korean nuclear issue. Korean media has 
focused on the possibility that Ambassador Bosworth may visit 
Pyongyang, even though State Department Spokesman Robert Wood said 
on May 6 that he "has no current plans to visit North Korea." 
(Chosun, Seoul, all TVs, OhmyNews) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
According to an ROKG source, North Korea has been speeding up 
construction of a new long-range missile test site in Tongchangri, 
North Pyongan Province. Furthermore, vehicles and personnel are 
busily moving around in Kilju, North Hamgyeong Province, where the 
North conducted an underground nuclear test in 2006, showing signs 
of preparations for another test. (Chosun) 
 
Jack Pritchard, former special envoy for negotiations with North 
Korea under the Bush Administration, said in a May 5 interview with 
Chosun Ilbo that the Six-Party Talks have come to an end and that 
four-way talks between the two Koreas, the U.S. and China will 
likely be used to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue in the 
future. (Chosun) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
-------------- 
 
-North Korea 
------------ 
Bosworth to Tour Asia for Talks 
 
Most ROK media gave attention to U.S. Special Representative for 
North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth's May 7-14 visit to countries 
involved in the Six-Party Talks for consultations on the North 
Korean nuclear issue. 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo and moderate Seoul Shinmun, in particular, 
focused coverage on the possibility of Ambassador Bosworth's visit 
 
SEOUL 00000720  002 OF 004 
 
 
to Pyongyang.  Chosun noted Ambassador Bosworth's four-day stay in 
Seoul and speculated that this may have to do with his possible 
visit to North Korea.  Seoul Shinmun, on the other hand, referred to 
State Department Spokesman Robert Wood's May 6 statement, "The 
delegation's meeting schedule is still being arranged," and 
interpreted this as indicating that Washington is pursuing an 
invitation for the Ambassador to visit Pyongyang. 
 
Nuclear and Missile Activities/ Six-Party Talks 
 
Citing an ROKG source, conservative Chosun Ilbo reported that North 
Korea has been speeding up construction of a new long-range missile 
test site in Tongchangri, North Pyongan Province.  The report went 
on to say that vehicles and personnel are also busily moving around 
in Kilju, North Hamgyeong Province, where the North conducted an 
underground nuclear test in 2006, showing signs of preparations for 
another test. 
 
Chosun also featured a May 5 interview with Jack Pritchard, former 
special envoy for negotiations with North Korea under the Bush 
Administration, quoting him as saying that the Six-Party Talks have 
come to an end and that four-way talks between the two Koreas, the 
U.S. and China will likely be used to resolve the North Korean 
nuclear issue in the future. 
 
 
FEATURES 
--------- 
 
SEOUL PLANS TO SEND TAEKWONDO INSTRUCTORS AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING 
WORKERS TO AFGHANISTAN 
(JoongAng Ilbo, May 7, 2009, Front Page) 
 
By Reporter Ye Young-joon 
 
The aid package to Afghanistan announced by the ROKG on May 6 
includes plans to increase the number of ROK aid workers of the 
Provincial Reconstruction Teams from 25, mainly medical staff, to 85 
by sending trainers in vocational education and computer skills and 
taekwondo instructors early next year.  The ROKG also plans to spend 
an additional 25.3 billion won (19.5 million dollars) building and 
expanding vocational training centers and hospitals and to provide 
ambulances and patrol motorbikes worth 5 million dollars.  This plan 
was approved at a Cabinet meeting, which was held on May 6 under the 
presidency of Prime Minister Han Seung-soo. 
 
A total of 12 taekwondo instructors will be tasked with training 
police in Afghanistan.  From 2002 to last year, the ROKG provided 
aid worth 66 million dollars to the reconstruction efforts in 
Afghanistan.  This time, the aid package does not include cash 
contributions and troop redeployment, which have continuously 
stirred up controversy. 
 
 
ACTIVITY AT N. KOREAN TEST SITES INTENSIFIES 
(Chosun Ilbo, May 7, 2009, Page 4) 
 
By Military Affairs Reporter Yoo Yong-won 
 
North Korea has been speeding up construction of a new long-range 
missile test site in Tongchangri, North Pyongan Province.   In 
addition, vehicles and personnel are busily moving around in Kilju, 
North Hamgyeong Province, where the North conducted an underground 
nuclear test in 2006, showing signs of preparations for another. 
 
"The North has recently been speeding up construction at the test 
site in Tongchangri by deploying more equipment and personnel," an 
ROKG source said Wednesday.  "We expected the North would complete 
construction sometime late this year, but it now seems that it could 
be completed several months earlier."  Construction of the test site 
began eight years ago and was 80 percent complete last September. 
 
ROK military authorities believe the North could accelerate 
completion of the test site and test-launch a long-range ballistic 
 
SEOUL 00000720  003 OF 004 
 
 
missile from there.  North Korea on April 29 threatened to conduct a 
second nuclear test and test an intercontinental ballistic missile, 
unless the UN Security Council lifts sanctions against it and 
"apologizes." 
 
The test site in Tongchangri is believed to be capable of launching 
both ICBMs and satellite rockets, and is much larger and has more 
up-to-date facilities than the current similar test site in 
Musudanri, North Hamgyong Province. 
 
The ROKG source noted, "Since an underground nuclear test is 
difficult to predict in advance, we do not know exactly when a 
nuclear test will be possible, but we think that the North is 
prepared to conduct the test in the near future whenever it wants." 
 
(We have compared the English version on the website with the Korean 
version and added the last paragraph to make them identical.) 
 
 
"SIX-PARTY TALKS HAVE COME TO AN END... FOUR-WAY TALKS WILL LIKELY 
BE USED TO RESOLVE NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR ISSUE" 
(Chosun Ilbo, May 7, 2009, Page 4) 
 
By Washington Correspondent Lee Ha-won 
 
Interview with Jack Pritchard, former Bush Administration Special 
Envoy for Negotiations with North Korea 
 
"North Korea is missing a good opportunity by continuing its 
provocations against Obama, who wants dialogue." 
 
"North Korea failed to understand exactly the position of the Obama 
Administration, which intends to carry out a different policy from 
the Bush Administration.  North Korea's National Defense Committee 
Chairman Kim Jong-il should immediately dismiss the North Korean 
experts on the U.S. due to their incorrect analysis of the position 
of the Obama Administration." 
 
Jack Pritchard, former Bush Administration Special Envoy for 
Negotiations with North Korea, made the statement during a May 5 
interview with Chosun Ilbo.  He also criticized the North, which is 
rejecting dialogue even after its missile launch, for "missing a 
good opportunity."  Saying, "The Six-Party Talks have ended now," he 
predicted that if the North returns to dialogue, new multilateral 
talks like the four-party talks in the 1990s will emerge.  The 
hour-long interview was conducted on May 5 at the Korea Economic 
Institute headed by Mr. Pritchard. 
 
¶Q. North Korea has criticized the Obama Administration, saying that 
it is no different from the Bush Administration. 
 
"There is a fundamental problem with North Korea's attitude.  The 
Obama Administration needed some time to set up a team and formulate 
policy regarding the Korean Peninsula.  However, the North Koreans 
created the wrong atmosphere by making a series of provocations, 
including the missile launch.  They did not predict how their 
provocations would affect the Obama Administration." 
 
¶Q. What is the difference between the Obama Administration and the 
Bush Administration? 
 
"Look at (U.S.) relations with Iran, Cuba and Syria.  President 
Obama publicly said that he will reach out to those nations in a 
different way.  He said he will listen to them more and have 
high-level talks.  Other nations have responded positively to this, 
but only the North is losing this good opportunity." 
 
¶Q. How does North Korea's behavior affect the Obama Administration? 
 
"Because the North continuously makes provocations, the Obama 
Administration has become very cautious (about the North).  The 
North brought the 'outlier' status on itself.  Now the Obama 
Administration neither focuses on the North Korean issue nor 
responds seriously to it." 
 
SEOUL 00000720  004 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶Q. You mean that North Korea's behavior gave a bad impression to 
high-level policy officials in the Obama Administration? 
 
"The officials, who have been dealing with North Korean issues for 
the past 17 years and have now joined the Obama Administration, are 
now one step away from the North Korean issue.  For the time being, 
they will neither adopt a too negative policy toward the North nor 
give excessive incentives to the North, but they will watch North 
Korea's self-destructive actions.  As the North has responded 
wrongly, the U.S. policy is highly likely to turn rather 
conservative." 
 
¶Q. Do you think that it will be difficult to restart the Six-Party 
Talks? 
 
"I think that the Six-Party Talks have ended now.  At the moment, 
there are no signs that the Six-Party Talks will resume.  Secretary 
of State Hillary Clinton also said at a Congressional hearing that 
it is 'implausible' that the North will return to the Six-Party 
Talks." 
 
¶Q. Why do you think the North Koreans quit the Six-Party Talks? 
 
"Since they consider the nuclear issue a bilateral issue with the 
U.S., they do not want Japan and Russia to join.  I think that we 
cannot bring the North back to the Six-Party Talks.  However, we 
could create another form of multilateral talks." 
 
¶Q. What form of multilateral talks can replace the Six-Party Talks? 
 
"In the 1990s, we had the four-party talks involving the two Koreas, 
the U.S. and China.  The fundamental agreement at that time was that 
any form of dialogue - whether they were bilateral or trilateral 
talks - were possible within the four-party talks.  It was very 
flexible.  Dialogue can initially take the form of four-party talks, 
and later Japan and Russia can joining again.  However, since the 
trilateral talks involving the U.S., China and North Korea did not 
work well, I do not think that the trilateral talks are possible." 
 
¶Q. How long do you think the current confrontation will last? 
 
"Probably for about five months.  We do not have a solution in the 
short term.  Even if the U.S. tries to do something, the North is 
not prepared to budge.  North Korea will continue to come up with an 
aggressive policy on the ground of domestic political 
considerations." 
 
¶Q. What is the possibility of North Korea conducting a second 
nuclear test? 
 
"The possibility that North Korea will (carry out another) nuclear 
test will increase.  Above all, since China agreed to the UN 
Security Council presidential statement recognizing UNSC Resolution 
1718, North Korea is furious.  When the North carried out the first 
nuclear test in 2006, it also rejected China's demand to stop the 
test." 
 
¶Q. What is the solution to the current situation? 
 
"Representative Bosworth does not need to go as far as to visit 
North Korea.  We should invite North Korea's First Vice Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Kang Suk-joo to Washington, not to New York, and 
start dialogue.  We should prevent a further deepening of 
misunderstanding between the U.S. and North Korea." 
 
 
STANTON