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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 SEOUL 000997 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; June 23, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
"Half-baked Success" for First Generation of Korean Expat Students; 
Most Satisfied with U.S. Education System but Achievements Fall 
Short of Expectations 
 
JoongAng Ilbo 
Developed Countries Bent on Healthy Dietary Education 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
Foreign MBA Students Flock to ROK 
to Learn Korean-style Business Model 
 
Hankook Ilbo 
Ruling GNP Pushes Ahead with Opening Assembly Session on June 26, 
while Opposition Vows 
to Block Unilateral Assembly Opening 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
Most Local Government Grants Go 
to Conservative Organizations 
 
Segye Ilbo, All TVs 
ROK Develops New Anti-Submarine Torpedo 
 
Seoul Shinmun 
President Lee: "There is a Need 
for Change to Prosecution and National Tax Service" 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
President Barack Obama, in a June 22 interview with CBS News' Harry 
Smith, said that "This administration - and our military - is fully 
prepared for any contingencies" involving North Korea (JoongAng, 
Dong-a, Hankook, Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul) 
 
A diplomatic source in Washington who is familiar with the Obama 
Administration's Korea policy said that this strengthened USG 
position is a reflection of the public anger mounting in the U.S. 
against North Korea. (JoongAng) 
 
According to a Russian news agency, the Russian Foreign Ministry, in 
a June 22 statement, supported "five-way talks" proposed by the ROKG 
to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. (JoongAng, Hankook, 
Segye, Seoul) 
 
The Japanese Maritime Security Agency (JMSA) said yesterday that 
North Korea informed the agency of its plan to conduct military 
drills between June 25 and July 10. A Japanese government official 
speculated that the North may test-fire short-range missiles during 
this period. (Hankook, Segye, Seoul) 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
----------------- 
 
-N. Korea 
---------- 
Most ROK media gave prominent attention to President Barack Obama's 
June 22 interview with CBS News' Harry Smith, in which he said that 
"This administration - and our military - is fully prepared for any 
contingencies" involving North Korea. 
 
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo saw this remark as leaving open the 
possibility of military action against North Korea, and cited a 
diplomatic source in Washington who is familiar with the Obama 
Administration's Korea policy: "This strengthened USG position is a 
reflection of the public anger mounting in the U.S. against North 
Korea.  Most Americans are worried and angered by the North's 
 
SEOUL 00000997  002 OF 005 
 
 
missile and nuclear threats, especially during this tough economic 
situation." 
 
Citing a Russian news agency, most ROK media reported that the 
Russian Foreign Ministry, in a June 22 statement, supported 
"five-way talks" proposed by the ROKG to resolve the North Korean 
nuclear issue. 
 
-Afghanistan 
------------ 
Regarding the controversy over whether there was a discussion during 
the latest ROK-U.S. summit about sending Korean troops to 
Afghanistan, right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo editorialized: "There is 
a good reason to send troops to Afghanistan: It would show that our 
country participates in the international war against terrorism.  As 
of now, 41 countries have sent 55,000 soldiers to the troubled 
country. ...  If it is difficult to send troops to Afghanistan 
because of public opinion, the ROKG can increase financial support 
and send more troops for the provincial reconstruction team, as it 
said it would.  If the ROKG wants to do something more than this, it 
must persuade the people with a sincere, straightforward approach. 
It is hard to understand why it is being evasive." 
 
-Iran 
------ 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo noted the June 21 arrests of relatives of 
former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, including his daughter, for her 
open support for opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, and wrote in 
the headline: "The Iranian Situation Escalates into a Split among 
Highest-ranking Leaders" 
 
Newspapers reported on gruesome YouTube video purporting to show the 
fatal shooting of a teenage girl.  Conservative Dong-a Ilbo, in 
particular, headlined its article: "Death of 16-year-old Girl 
Emerges as Variable in Iranian Street Demonstrations." 
 
 
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS 
------------------- 
 
¶N. KOREA'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS THE GATE OF UNIFICATION 
(JoongAng Ilbo, June 23, 2009, Page 43) 
 
By Senior Journalist Moon Chang-geuk 
 
What are the most tangible results of the ROK-U.S summit between 
President Lee Myung-bak and President Obama?  (People) generally 
point to the two leaders' joint front against the North Korean 
nuclear issue, the U.S.' reaffirmation of its security commitment, 
and their mutual understanding about the Korea-U.S. Free Trade 
Agreement (KORUS FTA).  On the day before the summit, I attended a 
seminar on the Korean Peninsula which took place at American 
University in Washington.  At the seminar, I expressed my view that 
China's cooperation is essential in resolving the North Korean 
nuclear issue.  From this perspective, I doubt whether the North 
Korean nuclear issue can be settled in the future because China's 
role was not specifically mentioned during the summit. 
 
Nonetheless, the summit may be recorded as a historic meeting in 
that the ROK and the U.S. reassuringly sketched out the unification 
of the Korean Peninsula for the first time.  In a "Joint Vision for 
the ROK-U.S. Alliance," the two leaders stated that they are seeking 
a peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula based on free 
democracy and a market economy.  Since the Kim Dae-jung 
Administration took office, people in previous governments were 
concerned about North Korea's (reaction) and therefore were 
unwilling to state that their goal was unification.  Unlike in the 
past, when (previous) governments glorified unification to be 
achieved through the vaguely-worded "low-level federation," the ROK 
and the U.S. clearly proclaimed that unification (will be realized) 
based on free democracy.  What is more meaningful is that this 
agreement was reached by a U.S.-Democratic government espousing 
peace, not by the hawkish Republican government. 
 
 
SEOUL 00000997  003 OF 005 
 
 
In fact, it is impossible to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue 
independently (from other issues.)  That is why the Six-Party Talks 
have failed so far.  The Six-Party Talks are premised on the fact 
that the North Korean nuclear issue can be settled by diplomatic 
means.  This is a naove notion that disregards the reason why 
Pyongyang wants to go nuclear.  Nuclear programs for North Korea are 
associated with its "absolute national interest."  North Korea has 
an absolute point of view that, without nuclear development, the 
country will collapse.  No country will surrender an "absolute 
national interest" essential to its national existence.  Would North 
Korea give up its absolute national interest in return for material 
rewards or a documented peace treaty? 
 
North Korea's nuclear program is absolutely related to its existence 
(as a state,) and thus denuclearizing North Korea means imperiling 
its existence.  In other words, North Korea's nuclear development is 
inseparable from its existence, and its existence is related to the 
unification of the Korea Peninsula.  Therefore, dealing with North 
Korea's nuclearization is part of the unification process.  In this 
sense, before addressing the North Korean nuclear issue, we should 
draw a big picture of what the unification of the Korean Peninsula 
should be like.  Also, North Korea's nuclear programs should be 
dismantled according to the big picture.  China will exert absolute 
influence on this process. 
 
Without China's assistance (in providing) petroleum, North Korea 
will soon be paralyzed.  Whatever measures the UN Security Council 
takes, North Korea can maintain the current position as long as 
China keeps providing support.  China eventually should decide, by 
weighing its own national interests, whether to tolerate North 
Korea's nuclearization and keep its current regime in place or 
whether to pursue the North's denuclearization and bring a change in 
its current regime.  In April 2003 during the Bush Administration, 
former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld once distributed a Pentagon memo 
saying that in order to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, 
there should be a change in North Korea's leadership with China's 
cooperation.  To secure Chinese cooperation, the ROK and the U.S. 
should guarantee that a change in (the situation) on the Korean 
Peninsula will never negatively affect China.  The ROK and the U.S. 
should calm Chinese worries regarding the potential for hundreds of 
thousands of North Korean defectors (entering China) in case of an 
emergency in the North or the possibility of U.S. forces stationed 
in Korea marching up to the Yalu River - which is on the border 
between North Korea and China. 
 
From this point of view, the ROK and the U.S. may need to first 
agree on what a post-unification Korean Peninsula should be like. 
The agreement between the ROK and the U.S. that a unified Korea 
should seek free democracy and a market economy carries significance 
in that it can serve as a guideline for the unification (of the 
Korean Peninsula) when obstacles in dealing with the North Korean 
nuclear issue appear.  Also, the ROK and the U.S. should make China 
understand that unification (based on free democracy and a market 
economy) will (also) benefit their country. 
 
I believe that the North Korean nuclear issue will provide a turning 
point in opening the door to the unification of the Korean 
Peninsula.  The more hastily North Korea pushes for nuclear 
development, the closer the chance of unification approaches.  What 
matters is that we should be prepared (for these situations.)  Since 
the other side (North Korea) is making moves at the risk of its own 
survival, we may have to suffer pain.  There is no way for us to 
settle the North Korean nuclear issue without experiencing any pain. 
 To endure such pain, ROK leadership should also gain absolute 
public support.  Is the Lee Myung-bak Government building trust for 
that? 
 
 
SUMMIT S-E-C-R-E-T-S 
(JoongAng Ilbo, editorial, June 23, 2009, page 42) 
Was there a discussion about sending ROK troops to Afghanistan 
during the ROK-U.S. summit meeting, or not? 
 
The answer keeps changing, creating plenty of confusion.  The issue 
 
SEOUL 00000997  004 OF 005 
 
 
is very sensitive, as it is directly related to people's lives.  But 
it is difficult to determine the truth because President Lee 
Myung-bak and his aides are offering up different versions of what 
happened at the meeting. 
 
Soon after the summit meeting in Washington ended on June 16, the 
Blue House said the two sides did not broach the issue of sending 
troops to Afghanistan. 
 
But in a June 20 meeting with leaders of ruling and opposition 
parties at the Blue House, Lee mentioned that the issue did indeed 
come up when he spoke with U.S. President Barack Obama.  This means 
that the Blue House hid the truth. 
 
There are discrepancies in the content of the dialogue as well. 
 
President Lee reportedly told the opposition party leader that Obama 
said it is not appropriate to ask the ROK to send its soldiers to 
Afghanistan - considering the ROK's political situation - although 
he mentioned that the country could make such a decision on its own. 
 Lee reportedly sympathized with Obama's situation.  However, the 
spokesperson for Lee Hoi-chang, chairman of the Liberty Forward 
Party, said Obama actually asked the ROK to send troops to 
Afghanistan.  President Lee reportedly replied by saying that it is 
impossible to send troops over for combat, though he allegedly said 
he would consider sending troops for the peacekeeping operation. 
 
But the Blue House immediately denied that assertion, saying that 
the president never mentioned the term "troops for the peacekeeping 
operation."  Rather, Lee said that there might be an opportunity to 
expand peacekeeping and reconstruction operations started under the 
former administration. 
 
Why can't the administration reveal things openly in an effort to 
educate the public on the issue? 
 
There is a good reason to send troops to Afghanistan: It would show 
that our country participates in the international war against 
terrorism.  As of now, 41 countries have sent 55,000 soldiers to the 
troubled country.  We sent 300 engineering and medical troops but 
withdrew them because of a hostage incident. 
 
If it is difficult to send troops to Afghanistan because of public 
opinion, the ROKG can increase financial support and send more 
troops for the provincial reconstruction team, as it said it would. 
If the ROKG wants to do something more than this, it must persuade 
people with a sincere, straightforward approach.  It is difficult to 
understand why the government is being evasive. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, edited for 
readability.  We have compared it to the Korean version, and it is 
identical. ) 
 
 
FEATURES 
-------- 
WHY IS OBAMA IRRITATED BY NORTH KOREA? 
(JoongAng Ilbo, June 23, 2009, Page 2) 
 
By Washington Correspondent Kim Jung-wook 
 
News Analysis 
 
Mindful of the Americans infuriated by North Korea's nuclear and 
missile threats, (President Obama) said, "(We) are fully prepared 
for any contingencies," leaving open the possibility of military 
action against North Korea. 
 
U.S. President Barack Obama said in an interview with CBS, which was 
broadcast at 7 a.m. EST on June 22, "This administration - and our 
military - is fully prepared for any contingencies" involving North 
Korea.  The Associated Press reported that during the interview 
taped on June 19, he said, "I want ... to give assurances to the 
American people that the "t's" are crossed and the "i's" are dotted 
 
SEOUL 00000997  005 OF 005 
 
 
in terms of what might happen," adding, "What we're not going to do 
is to reward (North Korea's) belligerence and provocation." 
 
Following Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen 
and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, President Obama mentioned the 
possibility of a "military response" to North Korea.  The prevalent 
view is, of course, that it is rather aimed at pressuring the North 
to halt its continued provocations.  However, the U.S. has certainly 
made it clear that, unlike in the past, it will not smooth things 
over by compromising with North Korea.  The fact that the U.S. Navy 
is tracking the Kang Nam - a North Korean ship -  shows U.S. 
commitment to abide by the UN resolution sanctioning North Korea. 
 
There could be many reasons why the Obama Administration took this 
stance.  A Washington diplomatic source knowledgeable about the 
Obama Administration's process of forming a policy toward the Korean 
Peninsula said, "Above all, it is because U.S. public opinion 
against North Korea has reached a level that even Obama cannot 
ignore."  He noted, "Most Americans are worried and angered by the 
North's missile and nuclear threats, especially during this tough 
economic situation." 
 
A recent public survey clearly reveals this atmosphere.  According 
to the results of a June 15-16 Gallup poll, 51 percent of Americans 
said that North Korea poses a "direct threat" to U.S. security, 
compared with Iran (46 percent), Iraq (35 percent), and Afghanistan 
(35 percent), and 34 percent answered that the North is a "serious 
threat" to U.S. interests.  Opinion polls by NBC and The Wall Street 
Journal on June 12-15 found that supporters of military action 
against North Korea outnumber its opponents. 
 
Mindful of this public sentiment, politicians argue in favor of a 
strong response to the North, affecting a change in Obama's "Smart 
Diplomacy," which gives priority to diplomatic negotiations. 
Senator John McCain said in a June 21 interview with NBC (sic), "If 
we have hard evidence (that that ship is carrying weapons of mass 
destruction,) I think we should board (the Kang Nam) (by force)," 
arguing, "The Security Council measure is a half measure." 
 
A Washington source said, "As of now, it is not easy to find an 
American who supports a policy seeking dialogue with North Korea. 
No government chooses a foreign policy without political 
considerations."  This indicates that as the Americans are more 
worried about North Korea, the Obama Administration has to get 
tougher (on the North). 
 
 
 
STEPHENS