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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SEOUL 000778 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; May 15, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
Despite Rising Cancer Survival Rates, Life Insurers Still Reluctant 
to Sell Insurance Policies to Cancer Survivors 
 
JoongAng Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun, All TVs 
Seoul City to Pave Miles of New Bike Lanes in Central Seoul 
 
Dong-a Ilbo, Segye Ilbo 
Three Pro-Park Geun-hye Lawmakers Lose Seats 
 
Hankook Ilbo 
New Circumstantial Evidence that 
Former President Roh's Family Spent the $1.6 Million Provided 
by Taekwang Industrial CEO on Buying a House in the U.S. 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
"Job Sharing" in the Netherlands: Part-timers Account 
for 40 Percent of the Country's Workforce, But No Discrimination 
Exists 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
According to a senior ROKG official, presidents Lee Myung-bak and 
Barack Obama will not discuss the issue of Seoul's troop deployment 
to Afghanistan during their upcoming summit in June. The ROKG will 
decide on the matter after the summit. (JoongAng) 
 
According to the Federation of Korean Industries, former U.S. 
President George W. Bush will visit Seoul in late July to deliver a 
speech urging the ratification of the KORUS FTA. (JoongAng, Dong-a, 
Hankook, Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul) 
 
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will also visit Seoul to discuss 
the North Korean nuclear issue with former President Kim Dae-jung on 
May 18. (Dong-a) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
According to the official (North) Korean Central News Agency, North 
Korea will put the two U.S. journalists they detained March 17 on 
trial on June 4. The KCNA did not elaborate on the condition and 
charges of the detained journalists. (All) 
 
Larry Niksch, a specialist in Asian Affairs at the U.S. 
Congressional Research Service, speculated in a May 14 interview 
with Radio Free Asia (RFA) that North Korea will probably force the 
two U.S. journalists (detained in North Korea) to plead guilty to 
charges of "illegal entry" and "hostile acts against the North" and 
then release them. (Dong-a, MBC) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
-------------- 
 
-North Korea 
------------ 
 
- U.S. Journalists Held in North Korea 
The ROK media gave wide attention to North Korea's state-run Korean 
Central News Agency's announcement yesterday that Pyongyang will put 
the two detained U.S. journalists on trial on June 4.  The KCNA did 
not elaborate on the condition and charges of the detained 
journalists, according to media reports. 
 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo quoted a local expert: "The (North Korean) 
court should finish the trial within 25 days after indictment.  That 
 
SEOUL 00000778  002 OF 004 
 
 
means the verdict could come the day of the trial or as late as June 
7." 
 
Dong-a Ilbo also quoted Larry Niksch, a specialist in Asian Affairs 
at the U.S. Congressional Research Service, who mentioned in an 
interview with Radio Free Asia yesterday the case of 
Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who was sentenced to 
eight years in prison but released Monday (May 11), and speculated 
that North Korea will probably force the two U.S. journalists to 
plead guilty to charges of "illegal entry" and "hostile acts against 
North Korea" and then release them. 
 
- North Korea's Nuclear Issue 
Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun replayed a UPI report on a May 12 
meeting in Moscow between Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks Sung 
Kim and his Russian counterpart Grigory Logvinov in which the two 
officials agreed on the need to swiftly put the stalled Six-Party 
Talks back on track, but opposed the idea of pressuring Pyongyang 
(to return to the Six-Party Talks.) 
 
Conservative Segye Ilbo reported from Washington on May 13 press 
remarks by State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly that Secretary of 
State Hillary Clinton and Special Representative for North Korea 
Policy Stephen Bosworth had an in-depth discussion on May 12 about 
the "next steps" to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. 
According to the Segye Ilbo report, diplomatic circles in Washington 
believe that the "next steps" being envisioned by the Clinton team 
are related to bilateral talks between the U.S. and North Korea and 
that the Obama Administration's North Korea policy will begin to 
take concrete shape in the process (of seeking bilateral talks with 
North Korea). 
 
 
FEATURES 
-------- 
 
¶N. KOREA TO TRY TWO DETAINED US JOURNALISTS JUNE 4 
(Dong-a Ilbo, May 15, 2009, Page 2) 
 
By Reporter Shin Suk-ho 
 
North Korea yesterday said it will put two American journalists on 
trial June 4 whom the North detained March 17.  In a short report, 
the North`s state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said, "The 
Democratic People`s Republic of Korea`s Central Court decided to try 
the two U.S. journalists June 4 since they are under indictment." 
Korean American Euna Lee and Chinese American Laura Ling, who work 
for the San Francisco-based Current TV, will go to court 79 days 
after being detained March 17.  The two (purportedly) were reporting 
on North Korean escapees near the North`s border with China. 
 
Given the North`s announcement that the Central Court will try them, 
the two journalists are expected to face a single trial, on charges 
of illegal entry and hostile acts against North Korea.  Sentencing 
could come as soon as the day of the trial or a few days later.  In 
South Korea, Choi Eun-seok, a professor at the Institute for Far 
Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University in Masan, South Gyeongsang 
Province, said, "North Korea has a double-trial system but the 
Central Court also has the capacity to hold a single trial."  "The 
court should finish the trial within 25 days after indictment.  That 
means the verdict could come the day of the trial or as late as June 
7." 
 
The U.S-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported yesterday that the 
families of the two detained journalists visited the U.S. State 
Department in Washington to discuss Lee and Ling`s safety.  Shortly 
after the two were detained, Washington began working for their 
release through the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang.  Since March 30, 
however, the North has prevented Swedish diplomats from meeting the 
two detainees. 
 
Larry Niksch, a specialist in Asian Affairs at the U.S. 
Congressional Research Service, mentioned in an interview with RFA 
yesterday the case of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who 
 
SEOUL 00000778  003 OF 004 
 
 
was sentenced to eight years in prison but released Monday, granted 
a stay of execution after three months in prison.  Niksch said North 
Korea will probably force Lee and Ling to plead guilty to the 
charges and then release them. 
 
 
TROOP DISPATCH TO AFGHANISTAN NOT TO BE DISCUSSED AT ROK-U.S. SUMMIT 
IN JUNE 
(JoongAng Ilbo, May 15, 2009, Front Page) 
 
By Reporters Ye Young-joon and Suh Seung-wook 
 
ROKG: "We will make a decision (on troop deployment to Afghanistan) 
after the ROK-U.S. summit"... taking last year's beef controversy 
into consideration 
 
With the ROK's troop deployment to Afghanistan emerging as a key 
issue between the ROK and the U.S. in the lead-up to the June summit 
in Washington, a high-ranking ROKG official said on May 13, "We will 
decide on the deployment of ROK troops to Afghanistan after the 
ROK-U.S. summit in June." 
 
The official, who asked not to be named, added, "During the June 
summit, the two nations will have only principle discussions on the 
Afghan issue, with President Lee saying, 'If there is anything we 
can do regarding aid to Afghanistan, we will do it' and U.S. 
President Barack Obama responding, 'We appreciate your help.'"  He 
also noted, "Working-level talks are currently under way in this 
direction." 
 
The official also said, "During the summit, President Lee will 
explain to President Obama only measures that have already been 
decided, such as a plan to expand the Provincial Reconstruction Team 
in Afghanistan, which was approved at a Cabinet meeting in early 
May."  He added, "We will not hasten to decide on 'additional 
assistance' - whether to provide a large amount of cash for 
reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan or to send non-combat troops 
to the war-torn nation.  We will make a decision after the 
(ROK-U.S.) summit in consideration of public opinion."  This defies 
previous speculations that the ROKG may make a final decision on aid 
to Afghanistan, including a troop dispatch, before the June 16 
summit and announce the decision right before or after the summit. 
 
 
In a May 6 cabinet meeting, the ROKG decided to increase the number 
of Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) personnel to 85.  The ROKG 
plans to dispatch work trainers and taekwondo trainers early next 
year in order to help rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan.  Currently, 
25 PRT personnel are in Afghanistan to mainly provide medical 
support. 
 
The ROKG's position is that during the ROK-U.S. summit, it will only 
deliver the decision (on dispatching more PRT personnel) to the U.S. 
and will not discuss controversial points until after the summit. 
An ROKG official said that since last April's ROK-U.S. summit 
coincided with Seoul's decision to import U.S. beef, things took a 
turn for the worse, sparking a candlelight vigil and a controversy 
over renegotiation.  The official added that this trial and error 
will be taken into consideration this time.  The official went on to 
say that the ROK will decide on the issue (of troop deployment to 
Afghanistan) by taking time after the summit and gathering public 
opinions. 
 
A Blue House official said that unlike the previous Republican 
administration, the Obama Administration does not specifically ask 
its allies to provide aid which includes troop deployments.  The 
official added that U.S. basic policy is that U.S. forces and the 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are fully responsible for 
carrying out combat operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The 
official noted that even if the ROK goes ahead with a military 
contribution, non-combat forces instead of combat forces will be 
dispatched to help rebuild the war-ravaged country. 
 
 
 
SEOUL 00000778  004 OF 004 
 
 
STANTON