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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SEOUL 001134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; July 17, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
 
Chosun Ilbo, All TVs 
On Eve of Constitution Day, Rival Parties Continue Sit-in 
at National Assembly, Paralyzing Legislative Operations 
 
JoongAng Ilbo 
President Lee:"Overcoming Economic Crisis Should Begin 
by Recovering Sound Corporate Ethics" 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
Committee to be Launched July 29 to Discuss 
How to Deal with "Spent Nuclear Fuel" 
 
Hankook Ilbo 
Former President Kim Dae-jung Put on Respirator 
but in Stable Condition 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
New Human Rights Commission Head Appointed, but Appointee Has No 
Expertise and Experience in Human Rights Activities 
 
Segye Ilbo 
Five N. Korean Officials Face Travel Ban, Asset Freeze by U.N. 
 
Seoul Shinmun 
"Middle Class in Crisis" 
ROK's Middle Class Is Shrinking amid Economic Crisis 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
U.S. Ambassador to the ROK Kathleen Stephens was named an honorary 
goodwill ambassador yesterday for an ROK project to celebrate the 
100th anniversary of the opening of the National Museum of Korea. 
(JoongAng, Segye, Seoul) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a July 15 speech at the 
Council on Foreign Relations, urged the world to join forces to 
denuclearize North Korea. (Chosun, JoongAng) 
 
According to Michael Nacht, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
Global Strategic Affairs, the U.S. is developing a scenario in 
preparation for a future North Korea, possibly without ailing leader 
Kim Jong-il. (Chosun, all TVs) 
 
Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's nominal head of state and No. 2 leader, 
said at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Egypt on July 15: "For 
us, there can be neither dialogue nor any negotiations where the 
principles of respect for sovereign rights and equality are denied. 
The (Six-Party) Talks came to a permanent end because the U.S. and 
the majority of the obedient parties to the talks abandoned this 
principle." (All) 
 
The UN Security Council agreed yesterday to impose travel bans on 
and freeze the assets of five North Korean officials for their 
involvement in developing missiles and carrying out the North's 
second nuclear test. The UNSC also listed five North Korean firms 
subject to sanctions under Resolution 1874, adopted on June 12. This 
is the first time the UNSC put specific North Korean officials on 
the list of targets for sanctions. (JoongAng, Dong-a, Hankook, 
Hankyoreh, Segye, Seoul) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
 
SEOUL 00001134  002 OF 003 
 
 
-------------- 
 
-N. Korea 
--------- 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo and right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo ran 
inside-page reports on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's July 15 
speech at the Council on Foreign Relations, in which she urged the 
world to join forces to denuclearize North Korea.  She was quoted: 
"We have invested a significant amount of diplomatic resources to 
achieve a Security Council consensus in response to North Korea's 
provocative actions.  ... The short-term results were two unanimous 
Security Council resolutions... and the long-term result, we 
believe, will be a tougher joint effort toward the complete and 
verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." 
 
Conservative Chosun also cited two other senior U.S. officials as 
stating that UNSC Resolution 1874 will be strongly pursued (around 
the world.)  Chosun viewed this series of remarks on North Korea by 
U.S. officials as suggesting the Obama Administration's confidence 
in spreading sanctions against North Korea following the return of 
the North Korean cargo ship, "Kang Nam," to its home port after 
being trailed by the U.S. Navy. 
 
The July 15 remark by Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's nominal head of 
state and No. 2 leader, at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Egypt 
that the (Six-Party) Talks came to a permanent end, continues to 
draw the attention of the ROK media.  Conservative Chosun Ilbo cited 
a local expert as interpreting this to indicate North Korea's 
intention to engage in nuclear disarmament talks only with the U.S., 
instead of the Six-Party Talks aimed at denuclearizing the North. 
Chosun went on to comment: "North Korea was only developing a 
nuclear program when the Six-Party Talks started in 2003, but it has 
now become a nuclear state after two nuclear tests.  Pyongyang is 
apparently after a new dialogue framework that will replace the 
Six-Party Talks." 
 
The UNSC's July 16 imposition of sanctions against five North Korean 
officials involved in developing missiles and carrying out the 
North's second nuclear test also received wide media coverage.  Most 
media noted that this is the first time the UNSC put specific North 
Korean officials on the list of targets for sanctions. 
 
Conservative Chosun and all TV networks carried reports from 
Washington quoting Michael Nacht, the Assistant Secretary of Defense 
for Global Strategic Affairs, as saying, "The U.S. is developing a 
scenario in preparation for a future North Korea, possibly without 
ailing leader Kim Jong-il." 
 
 
FEATURES 
--------- 
 
AMBASSADOR STEPHENS NAMED AN HONORARY GOODWILL AMBASSADOR FOR ROK 
PROJECT TO CELEBRATE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF OPENING OF NATIONAL MUSEUM 
OF KOREA 
(Yonhap News, July 16) 
 
By Reporter Lee Seung-gwan 
 
The U.S. Ambassador to the ROK Kathleen Stephens was awarded a 
letter of appointment by First Lady Kim Yoon-ok on July 16 as an 
honorary goodwill ambassador for a ROK project to celebrate the 
100th anniversary of the opening of the National Museum of Korea. 
 
The project was launched as the National Museum of Korea, which was 
established as the ROK's first modern museum in 1909, marks its 
100th anniversary.  Ms. Kim serves as an honorary chairman of the 
commemoration committee. 
 
Ambassador Stephens will participate as a goodwill ambassador in a 
special commemorative exhibition in September and a commemorative 
event in November.  She will play various roles to promote the 
project and to make it internationally recognized. 
 
 
SEOUL 00001134  003 OF 003 
 
 
When presenting the appointment letter, First Lady Kim proclaimed 
that Sim Eun-kyong (Stephens' Korean name) will serve as an honorary 
goodwill ambassador for the ROK project to celebrate the 100th 
anniversary of the opening of the National Museum of Korea.  Ms. Kim 
awarded Ambassador Stephens an appointment plaque made of celadon. 
 
 
Ambassador Stephens said that when she came back to Korea, she felt 
that there were many museums in Korea, and that they were 
well-curated and their exhibitions were very impressive. 
 
Attendees of the award ceremony included Stephens' son James Whong, 
Choe Kwang-shik, the Director of the National Museum of Korea, Choe 
Chong-pil the Chairman of the Korean National Committee of the 
International Council of Museums, and Chong Jea-gon, the Senior 
Presidential Secretary for Education, Science and Culture. 
 
A Blue House official said that the ROKG named Ambassador Stephens 
an honorary goodwill ambassador for the commemorative project 
because of her extraordinary love and interest in Korean culture and 
the U.S.' deep influence on the development and growth of the 
Museum. 
 
 
U.S. PREPARING SCENARIO FOR A FUTURE N. KOREA 
(Chosun Ilbo, July 17, 2009, page 6) 
 
By Correspondent Lee Ha-won 
 
The U.S. Defense Department is developing a scenario in preparation 
for a future North Korea, possibly without ailing leader Kim 
Jong-il, a senior department official indicated Wednesday. 
 
Michael Nacht, the assistant secretary of defense for global 
strategic affairs, on Wednesday said at a hearing on weapons of mass 
destruction at the House Armed Services Committee that the 
department is developing a scenario for the future of North Korea. 
 
Nacht said Kim is sick and his youngest son and heir apparent is in 
an unstable position.  Tension with the outside world over the past 
months is attributable to such domestic factors as well as external 
problems, he added. 
 
The U.S. Administration has so far avoided mentioning Kim's health. 
Nacht's remarks are unusual.  Some (ROK) observers say that the U.S. 
Administration may have obtained detailed information on Kim 
Jong-il's health condition, which has been noticeably worsening 
these days. 
 
Nacht's mention of a "scenario" shows that the U.S. military is 
getting a step closer to an operational plan that will go into 
action in case of a sudden change in North Korea.  The Defense 
Department has reportedly focused on preventing North Korean nuclear 
weapons and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) from falling in the 
hands of the outside world in case of any emergency resulting from 
Kim Jong-il's death or the North Korean regime's collapse. 
 
Previously, General Sharp, the commander of U.S. military forces in 
the ROK, said that the U.S. and ROK forces are prepared to counter 
any attack from North Korea.  North Korea railed against his 
remarks. 
 
(We have compared the English version on the website with the Korean 
version and added some sentences to make them identical.) 
 
 
STEPHENS