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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SEOUL 001024 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; June 30, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
Rival Parties Fail to Reach Agreement on Non-Regular Workers, with 
Hundreds of Thousands of Non-Regular Workers Set 
to Lose Jobs Next Month If Proposed Labor Law Revision Is 
Not Passed This Month 
 
JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-a Ilbo, Segye Ilbo, 
Seoul Shinmun, All TVs 
President Lee Pledges Not to Push Canal Project 
during His Term in Office 
 
Hankook Ilbo 
Finance Minister Yoon Hints at Shelving Planned Corporate 
and Individual Income Tax Cuts 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
City Mayors and Provincial Governors Suspected of Illegal Donations 
and Breach of Trust 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
Despite North Korea's second nuclear test and its series of 
provocations, the ROKG has decided to budget some 1.5 trillion won 
for the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund for 2010, a level similar to 
the 2009 budget. (Hankook) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
Britain's Financial Times reported on June 28 that the third son and 
heir apparent of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il actually visited 
China in mid-June. The report came after intensive, two-day coverage 
on the junior Kim's alleged trip by Japan's Asahi Shimbun, which was 
officially denied by the Chinese government. (Chosun, Dong-a, 
Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul, all TVs) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
-------------- 
 
-N. Korea 
--------- 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo ran an op-ed written by former Foreign 
Minister Han Sung-joo: "While North Korea is boycotting the 
Six-Party Talks, we should continue diplomatic efforts, in addition 
to (implementing) sanctions under the UNSC Resolution.  At present, 
the only way to do this is to hold consultations among the five 
nations of the Six-Party Talks - not including North Korea. ...  For 
these consultations, the delegates from the five nations do not 
necessarily need to meet regularly in the same place.  The talks 
could involve two, three, or all five nations.  ... The five-party 
consultations should not be pursued (as a means) to replace the 
Six-Party Talks.  The consultations should just be a tool for 
resuming the Six-Party Talks.  ...  Mindful of the North, China has 
had reservations about five-party consultations.  However, if the 
ROK and the U.S. agree (on these ... points), then Beijing has no 
reason to reject five-party consultations." 
 
-Honduras 
--------- 
Most newspapers led their international news section with a report 
on the June 28 coup in Honduras in which the army ousted elected 
President Manuel Zelaya and sent him into exile. 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo, in a report entitled "'Honduras Coup'... 
Obama's Solution?," commented that the ouster of the anti-American 
 
SEOUL 00001024  002 OF 003 
 
 
president would be welcome news for the U.S. but that accepting such 
a coup would also be burdensome for the U.S.  The Chosun report went 
on to comment that Obama's diplomatic capability has been put to the 
test. 
 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo filed a similar report entitled "Favor? 
Oppose?... Obama in a Dilemma over Policy toward Central and South 
America." 
 
 
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS 
------------------- 
NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR ISSUE AND TRUTH AND FALSEHOOD OF FIVE-WAY 
CONSULTATIONS 
(Dong-a Ilbo, June 30, page 30) 
 
By Han Sung-joo, professor at Korea University and former Foreign 
Minister 
 
In the 2004 U.S. presidential race, Republican candidate President 
George W Bush and Democratic candidate John Kerry engaged in a 
heated debate over the Six-Party Talks.  Senator Kerry argued that 
the U.S. should hold bilateral talks with North Korea within the 
framework of the Six-Party Talks while President Bush was 
steadfastly opposed to it.  At that time, the Bush Administration 
was reluctant to talk bilaterally with North Korea because Pyongyang 
admitted, during the 2002 U.S.-North Korea talks, to having an 
enriched uranium program but later denied it.  Through the Six-Party 
Talks, the U.S. intended to engage not only Japan, the ROK and 
Russia but also China while preventing North Korea from reversing 
what it had said.  Moreover, the Six-Party Talks were meant to make 
sure that, should an agreement be reached, the five parties 
(excluding North Korea) will take a shared responsibility to 
guarantee and implement the agreement (on the North Korean nuclear 
issue.) 
 
Beyond participating in the Six-Party Talks, China played a leading 
role as a host.  China became a more active supporter of the 
Six-Party Talks than the U.S.  For Russia, Japan and China, the 
Six-Party Talks paved the way for them to engage in the North Korean 
nuclear issue.  North Korea initially did not view the Six-Party 
Talks favorably but joined due to the possibility of bilateral 
contact with the U.S.  During the Roh Moo-hyun Administration, the 
ROK served as a mediator to some extent, apparently because it took 
a soft attitude toward North Korea. 
 
The U.S. began to hold bilateral talks with North Korea after 
October 2006 when North Korea carried out a first nuclear test.  The 
Bush Administration had demanded a complete, verifiable, and 
irreversible dismantlement of the North's nuclear weapons program. 
However, upon realizing that (this U.S. stance) only gave North 
Korea the opportunity and time to operate nuclear facilities and 
produce nuclear weapons, the U.S. entered into negotiations with 
North Korea and in February 13, 2007 reached an agreement calling 
for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program in three phases, which 
meant shutting down, and disabling and dismantling nuclear 
facilities. 
 
(Five-way consultations) should be a tool for restarting the 
Six-Party Talks 
 
For two years since the February 13 Agreement, North Korea froze its 
nuclear facilities and kept discussing the dismantling of its 
nuclear programs (with the U.S.) until the end of 2008.  It was a 
lull period in North Korea's nuclear program development.  However 
at some stage, the North decided to produce additional nuclear 
materials and build nuclear facilities.  Pyongyang apparently 
decided to "actualize" the nuclear and missile programs at the same 
time.  This plan became evident when North Korea rejected the 
verification protocol in December last year, launched a long-range 
rocket, and conducted a second nuclear test this year.  (Therefore,) 
it may be concluded that Pyongyang has (its own) schedule in mind 
and intends to complete its nuclear and missile technology.  When it 
resumed its nuclear activities, North Korea announced it would not 
 
SEOUL 00001024  003 OF 003 
 
 
return to the Six-Party Talks.  North Korea also vowed to pursue 
their uranium enrichment program. 
 
By "coming out" with the existence of their highly enriched uranium 
program, North Korea is now seemingly starting to manufacture 
nuclear weapons.  North Korea intends to accelerate its efforts to 
produce nuclear weapons in flat defiance of the UN Security 
Council's sanctions. 
 
In this situation, although the five states of the Six-Party Talks 
are urging the North to rejoin the Six-Party Talks, it is doubtful 
whether Pyongyang will accept their call.  Even if the North returns 
to the Six-Party Talks in exchange for compensation from China as it 
did before, that in itself is not expected to lead to the resolution 
of the North Korean nuclear issue.  Therefore, while North Korea is 
boycotting the Six-Party Talks, we should continue diplomatic 
efforts, in addition to (implementing) sanctions under the UNSC 
Resolution.  At present, the only way to do this is to hold 
consultations among the five nations of the Six-Party Talks - not 
including North Korea.  To this end, there are several things to 
take notice of. 
 
First, consultations among the five countries should not be the same 
in nature as the Six-Party Talks.  For these consultations, the 
delegates from the five nations do not necessarily need to meet 
regularly in the same place.  The talks could involve two, three, or 
all five nations.  They could be held at the working-level or summit 
level.  Such talks can be held within the framework of the ASEAN 
Regional Forum or Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.  Second, the 
five-party consultations should not be pursued (as a means) to 
replace the Six-Party Talks.  The consultations should just be a 
tool for resuming the Six-Party Talks.  Just as the Six-Party Talks 
made it possible to hold bilateral discussions between the U.S. and 
North Korea, the five-party consultations should be beneficial to 
the Six-Party Talks. 
 
Finally, the five-party consultations should not be an end in 
itself.  In other words, even if the five-party meeting is actually 
held, we cannot satisfactorily say that we have achieved a 
diplomatic goal.  A simple meeting among the ministers or leaders of 
the five countries does not mean the resolution of the North Korean 
nuclear issue.  Excessive expectations for the talks or any attempt 
to glorify the talks must be avoided.  Mindful of the North, China 
has had reservations about the five-party consultations.  However, 
if the ROK and the U.S. agree (on these three points), then Beijing 
has no reason to reject five-party consultations.   A resolution to 
the North Korean nuclear issue should be sought based on the three 
pillars - "pressure" through sanctions, "diplomacy" through 
five-party consultations, and "conciliation" by providing rewards 
for cooperation. 
 
 
STEPHENS