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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 SEOUL 001142 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; July 20, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
Number of "Working Poor" Reaches 3 Million 
 
JoongAng Ilbo 
Showdown Looms Today as Ruling GNP Pushes 
to Pass Contentious Media Reform Bills 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
Ruling GNP Likely to Delay Vote on Media Reform Bills 
in Face of Former Chairwoman's Opposition 
to Unilateral Media Bill Passage 
 
Hankook Ilbo, Hankyoreh Shinmun, Segye Ilbo 
Former Chairwoman Opposes GNP's Media Bill Passage 
 
Seoul Shinmun 
Rival Parties' Showdown on Media Bills Enters New Phase 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
According to a senior ROKG official, the ROKG will soon draw up and 
implement guidelines on inspecting ships going into and out of North 
Korea as a full member of the U.S.-led Proliferation Security 
Initiative (PSI), which aims to prevent the spread of weapons of 
mass destruction, and in line with UN Security Council Resolution 
1874 against North Korea. (Dong-a) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and 
Pacific Affairs, told reporters after a July 18 meeting in Seoul 
with ROK Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon that, "If North Korea 
is prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., the 
ROK, Japan, China and others will be able to put together a 
comprehensive package that would be attractive to North Korea." 
(All) 
 
According to the Italian daily Libero, Italian police have seized 
two luxury yachts that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il ordered from 
an Italian shipbuilder, in compliance with U.N. Security Council 
Resolution 1718, which was passed in 2006 to ban exports of luxury 
goods to North Korea. (Chosun, Dong-a, Hankook, Segye, Seoul) 
 
According to an influential source in Washington, the U.S. has 
entered into "delicate" negotiations with North Korea over the two 
U.S. journalists detained in the North, and the next three or four 
weeks will be crucial in deciding whether the two journalists can 
walk free. (Chosun) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
-------------- 
 
-N. Korea 
--------- 
 
All ROK media today gave prominent attention to July 18 press 
remarks in Seoul by Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for 
East Asian and Pacific Affairs, in which he said: "If North Korea is 
prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., the ROK, 
Japan, China and others will be able to put together a comprehensive 
package that would be attractive to North Korea."  The Assistant 
Secretary was further quoted as saying: "We believe there have to be 
consequences.  We're looking at a full range of particular steps 
designed to put pressure on North Korea." 
 
 
SEOUL 00001142  002 OF 010 
 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo interpreted these remarks as suggesting a 
shift in U.S. policy on North Korea from the previous "step-by-step 
approach" to an approach to resolve all pending issues at once. 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo, meanwhile, wrote in the headline: "Obama 
Administration Discloses New Approach to Resolve N. Korea's Nuclear 
and Missile Issues with Sanctions, Not Compensation."  Moderate 
Hankook Ilbo's headline read: "U.S.: A Stick in One Hand, a Signal 
of Dialogue in the Other" Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun headlined 
its article: "U.S. Overtures for Dialogue Amid Sanctions" 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo carried an inside-page report citing  an 
influential source in Washington as saying on July 19 that the U.S. 
has entered into "delicate" negotiations with North Korea over the 
two U.S. journalists detained in the North and that the next three 
or four weeks will be crucial in deciding whether the two 
journalists can walk free.  The report went on to quote another 
source as saying that Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate 
Foreign Relations Committee and the Democrats' 2004 presidential 
nominee, is being mentioned as a possible special envoy to Pyongyang 
for the journalists' release, as well as former Vice President Al 
Gore, co-founder of Current TV for which the detained journalists 
work. 
 
Most ROK media replayed a July 17 report by the Italian daily Libero 
that Italian police have seized two luxury yachts that North Korean 
leader Kim Jong-il ordered from an Italian shipbuilder, in 
compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718, which was 
passed in 2006 to ban exports of luxury goods to North Korea. 
 
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo editorialized on Saturday (July 18): 
"The North Korean nuclear issue... is a regional headache that 
seriously undermines the international nonproliferation campaign. 
It poses a risk to the ROK, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia, as 
well as the entire world.  North Korea has been pitching the nuclear 
issue as a bilateral problem with the U.S.  However, even if the 
U.S. spearheads negotiations with Pyongyang, the problem can only be 
resolved when the international community is involved.  The first 
key to the solution is China, the North's long-standing ally.  The 
tepid and uncooperative role that China has chosen to play in the 
call for tougher action against North Korea is partly responsible 
for the fruitless disarmament talks for the past 20 years.  A more 
active voice from Beijing can determine the success and failure of 
future negotiations." 
 
 
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS 
-------------------- 
 
FEWER DOVES IN WASHINGTON? 
(Dong-a Ilbo, July 20, 2009, Page 30) 
 
By Editorial Writer Lee Jin-nyong 
 
People say the doves in Washington have disappeared.  In 
international politics, doves refer to those who favor dialogue and 
negotiations in diplomacy.  On North Korea, only U.S. special envoy 
to Pyongyang Stephen Bosworth and special U.S. envoy for the 
Six-Party Talks Sung Kim are doves.  The U.S. State Department 
convened a news conference Wednesday on North Korea and major 
figures from the State Department, the Treasury, and the White House 
National Security Council attended.  Conspicuously absent were the 
two envoys, vividly attesting to the disappearance of doves. 
 
North Korea must initially have viewed the Obama Administration as a 
dove.  In the beginning, U.S. President Barack Obama suggested 
dialogue with North Korea within the bounds of never allowing 
Pyongyang to possess nuclear weapons.  Though the U.S. extended a 
hand, Pyongyang slapped Washington in the face by conducting missile 
launches and its second nuclear test.  North Korea must have thought 
that if it got tough, the U.S. would propose negotiations and 
concessions and reward it for its threats.  This has turned out to 
be a grave miscalculation, however.  President Obama has clearly 
ruled out rewards for wrong behavior.  Under such circumstances, it 
is no surprise that doves have no leg to stand on.  North Korea 
 
SEOUL 00001142  003 OF 010 
 
 
asked for it. 
 
The Obama Administration is firming up its stance against North 
Korea.  Washington took the lead in passing U.N. Security Council 
Resolution 1874, which imposes harsh sanctions on Pyongyang for its 
nuclear test.  U.S. intelligence also tailed a North Korean ship 
suspected of carrying weapons, forcing it to change course and 
return home.  The U.N. Security Council also slapped tough sanctions 
on North Korea Thursday, including on five North Korean individuals. 
 This was possible because the international community, including 
North Korea's traditional allies China and Russia, agreed.  North 
Korea has nobody to turn to. 
 
Kurt Campbell, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for East Asia and 
Pacific Affairs, visited Seoul yesterday and said, "If North Korea 
is prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., South 
Korea, Japan, China and others will be able to put together a 
comprehensive package that would be attractive to North Korea." 
This means the U.S. is still trying to keep the door open for North 
Korea.  In Washington, however, voices are rising that North Korea 
should be re-included on the U.S. terrorism blacklist.  If Pyongyang 
continues to reject dialogue and threaten the international 
community with its nuclear program, it will only see hawks fly in 
the skies over Washington. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
¶S. KOREA MUST CLEAR THE WAY BEYOND UNSC SANCTIONS 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, July 18, 2009, Page 27) 
 
The day before yesterday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 
confirmed a plan for sanctions against North Korea in connection 
with its second nuclear test.  The UNSC's decision, which serves as 
the core element of multilateral sanctions, was essentially settled 
34 days after the adoption of a resolution.  Now is the time to come 
up with a basic solution for the nuclear problem that goes beyond 
sanctions. 
 
These UNSC sanctions target five North Korean individuals, five 
companies and institutions, and two types of goods, including 
high-tech materials.  This represents a considerably smaller range 
of targets from those initially presented by the U.S. and other 
Western countries, but it does appear likely to apply some pressure 
on North Korea, as the decision was adopted unanimously with China 
and Russia also voting in favor.  This is the first time sanctions, 
including travel restrictions, have been applied against North 
Korean individuals.  North Korean society is already isolated from 
the international community; the possibility that these sanctions 
will deal a decisive blow is slim. 
 
North Korea has shown no change in its stance of refusing to 
acknowledge the UNSC resolution.  Kim Yong-nam, President of the 
Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the second most 
powerful person in North Korea, said at a Non-Aligned Movement 
summit a few days ago that "the Six-Party Talks are over for good." 
This statement reiterated the policy of absolute refusal to 
participate in the Six-Party Talks announced back in April by North 
Korean authorities.  This kind of stance from North Korea is helpful 
to no one, even North Korea itself, as it deepens the country's 
international isolation.  One hopes these sanctions help North Korea 
realize how the international community is taking the North's 
unilateral actions.  It goes without saying that North Korea must 
refrain from measures that make the situation worse. 
 
Still, this does not mean that the current situation is simply going 
the way of haphazard confrontation.  North Korea-U.S. contacts are 
being achieved through New York channels, and the U.S. has presented 
its analysis that North Korea seems to be searching for a way back 
to the negotiation table.  The U.S. has begun discussions with 
related countries to find a solution to the nuclear issue.  For 
instance, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and 
Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell is heading to South Korea today for 
 
SEOUL 00001142  004 OF 010 
 
 
the first time since his confirmation by Congress.  In addition, a 
few days ago, Wu Dawei, China's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
toured the nations participating in the Six-Party Talks and made 
efforts to clear the way for the talks' resumption. 
 
As Campbell has stated, the most effective means of denuclearizing 
North Korea is through diplomacy, and pressure alone is not enough 
to bring the country back into negotiations.  For this reason, even 
if sanctions must inevitably be maintained for a certain period of 
time, they must be preceded by efforts to devise an effective 
framework for discussions and a comprehensive solution.  At times 
such as these, the position of the South Korean government is all 
the more important.  If, as it is doing now, it focuses on the role 
of spearheading pressure against North Korea, it will not only go 
against the greater flow, but will also lead to the further 
deterioration of inter-Korean relations.  At this point, the 
administration's position is in urgent need of change. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
A REGIONAL HEADACHE 
(JoongAng Ilbo, July 18, 2009, Page 34) 
 
The stakes have gotten higher in the head-on confrontation between 
the United States and North Korea, sending the Korean Peninsula into 
turmoil.  We saw U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton step up the 
rhetoric against North Korea last week, warning of "tougher joint 
efforts" from the United States and its allies toward disarming the 
emerging nuclear weapons state.  The United Nations Security Council 
proved faithful to its June resolution of stringent actions against 
North Korea in response to the May nuclear test.  It revealed the 
names of North Korean individuals and companies facing penalties and 
sanctions.  And Pyongyang's No. 2, Kim Young-nam, President of the 
Supreme People's Assembly, condemned the UN action, saying the 
Six-Party Talks on denuclearization are "now gone forever," adding 
that North Korea has now no choice but to "take decisive action to 
strengthen its nuclear deterrence." 
 
The North Korean disarmament is critical to all Korean people. 
That's why we cannot emphasize more that the ongoing efforts to 
denuclearize North Korea should not in any way impair or reverse the 
peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula.  Not under any 
circumstances should the international community indulge North Korea 
as a nuclear weapons state.  North Korea should not own nuclear 
weapons.  If it does, they should be destroyed.  In the 20-year 
process of the North Korean nuclear negotiations, there was not a 
substantial consensus on this principle among the international 
community.  Before North Korea conducted its second nuclear test, 
there may have been lack of urgency.  However, due to the second 
nuclear test and series of missile tests, North Korea's threat to 
peace in the world and Northeast Asia is getting more and more 
realistic. 
 
The North Korean nuclear issue cannot be taken lightly.  It's a 
regional headache that seriously undermines the international 
nonproliferation campaign.  It poses a risk to South Korea, the 
United States, Japan, China and Russia, as well as the entire 
world. 
 
The North has been pitching the nuclear issue as a bilateral problem 
between the United States.  However, even if the United States 
spearheads negotiations with Pyongyang, the problem can only be 
resolved when the international community is involved. 
 
The first key to the solution is China, the North's long-standing 
ally.  The tepid and uncooperative role that China has chosen to 
play in the call for tougher action against North Korea is partly 
responsible for the fruitless disarmament talks.  A more active 
voice from Beijing could determine the success and failure of future 
negotiations. 
 
The South Korean government should employ a more tight-knit, more 
 
SEOUL 00001142  005 OF 010 
 
 
sophisticated diplomatic effort. It must concoct countermeasures for 
a host of possible scenarios, considering recent North Korean 
bellicosity has been spurred by the ailing health of its leader Kim 
Jong-il. 
 
(We have compared the English version on the website with the Korean 
version and added some sentences to make them identical.) 
 
 
FEATURES 
-------- 
 
U.S., N. KOREA NEGOTIATE OVER DETAINED JOURNALISTS 
(Chosun Ilbo, July 20, 2009, Page 4) 
 
By Washington Correspondent Lee Ha-won 
 
The U.S. and North Korea have started delicate negotiations over two 
American journalists who were detained and sentenced to hard labor 
in North Korea, an influential source in Washington said Sunday. 
The next three or four weeks will be crucial in deciding whether the 
two women can walk free. 
 
The U.S. House of Representatives intended last week to adopt a 
resolution urging the North to release reporters Euna Lee and Laura 
Ling, and the Senate intended to follow suit, but their plans have 
been postponed at the State Department's request, the source said. 
The State Department made the request to Congress because it fears 
that a resolution could anger the North at a time when the two 
countries have entered sensitive negotiations, the source added. 
 
Earlier, on July 10, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked the 
North to grant the two amnesty and allow them to return home to 
their families. 
 
John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - who 
was the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 - and former U.S. 
Vice President Al Gore, the founder of the TV station the two 
reporters work for, are being mentioned as possible special envoys 
to Pyongyang, other sources said. 
 
The U.S. government treats the release of the journalists as a 
separate issue from the North's nuclear provocations, but their 
release could lead to fresh nuclear talks. 
 
Gary Samore, a non-proliferation expert and WMD coordinator at the 
White House, said, "All the sort of straws in the wind vindicate 
that North Koreans are probably looking for a way to get back to the 
bargaining table." 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
U.S. ENVOY URGES N. KOREA TO REENGAGE IN DIALOGUE 
(Yonhap News, July 18, 2009) 
 
By Reporters Lee Chi-dong and Tony Chang 
 
A senior U.S envoy urged North Korea Saturday to take "serious and 
irreversible steps" to end its stand-off with the U.S. and other 
regional powers, saying it is a precondition for a "comprehensive 
package" of incentives. 
 
Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and 
Pacific Affairs, also emphasized that it is important to have 
patience and keep the door open for dialogue with North Korea, while 
enforcing U.N. sanctions on the communist nation for its provocative 
actions. 
 
"I would say at this juncture the most important quality that the 
U.S., South Korea, Japan, China and Russia can demonstrate is 
patience," he told reporters after a closed-door meeting with Deputy 
Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon here.  Campbell flew into South Korea 
 
SEOUL 00001142  006 OF 010 
 
 
from Japan earlier in the day for his first trip to South Korea 
since assuming his post last month. 
 
He pointed out that U.S. officials have made clear that, "If North 
Korea is prepared to take serious and irreversible steps the U.S., 
South Korea, Japan, China and others will be able to put together a 
comprehensive package that would be attractive to North Korea.  But 
in this respect, North Korea really has to take some of the first 
steps." 
 
All of the countries are participants in the Six-Party Talks aimed 
at scrapping the North's nuclear program.  The last formal session 
of the Beijing-based negotiations was held in December. 
 
North Korea announced after a long-range rocket launch in April that 
it would quit the often-troubled talks.  The North also conducted a 
second nuclear test in May, prompting the U.N. Security Council to 
adopt a resolution imposing a robust set of sanctions on it. 
 
In the latest measure against the North, a U.N. Security Council 
committee imposed a travel ban on five North Korean officials and 
asset freezes on five more entities for their involvement in missile 
and nuclear weapons development. 
 
"We believe there have to be consequences," Campbell said, citing 
the U.S. efforts to implement the resolution.  "We're looking at a 
full range of particular steps designed to put pressure on North 
Korea." 
 
He said sanctions are already proving to be effective.  He said the 
recent turnback of a North Korean cargo ship, Kang Nam 1, is an 
example. 
 
The Kang Nam 1 was suspected of carrying illegal weapons to be 
exported, probably to Myanmar.  After its voyage was closely 
monitored by the U.S. Navy for weeks, the ship reversed its course 
and returned to North Korea.  The U.N. Security Council Resolution 
1874, adopted after the North's nuclear test on May 25, authorizes 
member countries to take measures to stop the North's arms trade by 
air, land, and sea. 
 
Campbell said it sent a message to North Korea and "caused some pain 
to the leadership." 
 
He said it is North Korea that should change its course as it has 
chosen "lies, greater tensions, greater hardship for its people, 
more isolation and a lack of engagement in the international 
economy." 
 
On a proposed five-way meeting without North Korea, meanwhile, 
Campbell said it is unlikely to be held in the near future. 
 
"I think the U.S. and South Korea have explored the option of a 
five-party meeting at some point.  Preparations need to be taken for 
such a meeting.  I'm not sure we'll be ready to do it in Phuket," he 
said.  Some said that the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to be held in 
the Thai resort island next week may set the stage for such a 
five-way event.  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her 
counterparts from South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia are 
scheduled to attend the ARF. 
 
"But the U.S. and South Korea are busy coordinating our respective 
positions and ensure that all the members have an opportunity to 
interact, if not in a collective setting, then bilaterally in 
Thailand," he added. 
 
South Korea supports such a five-way gathering for discussions on 
how to bring the North to the disarmament talks but China, which 
chairs the negotiations, takes a lukewarm stance apparently due to 
concerns that it will make the North Koreans feel more isolated and 
have a negative impact on the Six-Party format. 
 
The U.S. official plans to hold a series of meetings with other top 
South Korean officials including Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and 
 
SEOUL 00001142  007 OF 010 
 
 
Unification Minister Hyun In-taek, on Monday before heading to 
Thailand later in the day. 
 
Campbell said he will "consult on a wide range of issues, 
particularly relating to North Korea to make sure of our common 
strategy." 
 
His trip comes as the North shows no signs of bowing to the 
international pressure. 
 
On Saturday, Pyongyang's official news agency KCNA belatedly 
reported comments by the country's number two leader Kim Yong-nam at 
the Non-Aligned Movement summit of 118 nations in Egypt earlier this 
week. 
 
"Noting that not only the peace and security of the country but also 
the dignity of the nation and sovereignty of the DPRK (North Korea) 
have been grossly violated by the high-handed acts of the U.S., Kim 
asserted that if such acts of the U.S. are allowed to go on, the 
DPRK would be totally deprived of the legitimate right to use 
space," the KCNA said, referring to the international condemnation 
of its failed satellite launch in April. 
 
"The DPRK can never accept dialogue or negotiations minus the 
principle of respect for sovereignty and equal sovereignty," Kim was 
quoted as saying. "The prevailing situation compelled the DPRK 
government to take decisive steps to bolster up its nuclear 
deterrence." 
 
 
KURT CAMPBELL CALLS ON NORTH KOREA TO ABANDON ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM AS 
(PRECONDITION) FOR PROVIDING ATTRACTIVE PACKAGE 
(JoongAng Ilbo, July 20, page 13; EXCERPTS) 
 
By Reporter Ye Yong-joon 
 
On his visit to the ROK, Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State 
for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said that (the U.S.) will pursue 
a "two-track strategy" as a framework of its North Korea policy. 
Under the strategy, the U.S. will attempt to sanction North Korea, 
while seeking to hold talks with the North. 
 
Campbell's remarks are significant in that the U.S. North Korea 
policy, which the Obama Administration has reviewed for six months 
since its inauguration, was revealed.  Previously, on July 17, when 
questioned by foreign reporters about whether now is the time to 
change the U.S. approach to North Korea, Assistant Secretary of 
State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley said that the U.S. has 
what could be called a "new approach." 
 
Assistant Secretary Campbell's remarks about providing a 
"comprehensive package" in return for North Korea's abandoning its 
nuclear ambitions are not much different from the North Korea policy 
which the U.S. has espoused so far.  However, he made it clear that 
the U.S. will draw the line between (the current approach) and the 
"pattern" of the second term of the former Bush Administration in 
terms of strategies or negotiation styles. 
 
Campbell noted that it is important to continue to sanction North 
Korea, put pressure on the North through international cooperation, 
and bring North Korea back to the negotiating table. 
 
In particular, it is noteworthy that Campbell called on North Korea 
to take some steps first, stressing that North Korea should be the 
first to take action.  This approach is different from the "action 
for action" principle underscored by North Korea in the Six-Party 
Talks and accepted by the U.S.  This indicates that (the previous) 
phased approach to resolve North Korean issues and to provide 
rewards to the North could be under review.  His emphasis on 
irreversible steps is starkly different from the negotiation pattern 
of the second term of the Bush Administration. 
 
The Obama Administration is reviving the terms that have disappeared 
from the Six-Party Talks for quite a while.  This is interpreted to 
 
SEOUL 00001142  008 OF 010 
 
 
mean that (the Obama Administration) cool-headedly evaluated the 
Six-Party Talks process of the previous government, which focused on 
rewarding North Korea in return for its disablement of the Yongbyon 
nuclear facilities.  Since North Korea's second nuclear test, 
criticism has been mounting in the U.S. that North Korea often 
delayed the nuclear disablement or reversed course by returning to 
the original status.  This led to five countries, including the ROK 
and the U.S., being dragged (about) by North Korea. 
 
 
U.S. MAY PROVIDE "COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE" (TO NORTH KOREA) 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, July 20, page 6; EXCERPTS) 
 
By Reporter Lee Yong-in 
 
It is, in fact, the first time since North Korea's long-range rocket 
launch and its second nuclear test, that a high-ranking U.S. 
official officially said that (the U.S.) may provide a 
"comprehensive package."  Assistant Secretary Campbell's remarks on 
a comprehensive package that would be "attractive" to North Korea 
could be interpreted as an indication of the U.S.' strong overtures 
for dialogue. 
 
It seems that Campbell's approach is in the planning stage.  A 
senior ROK official said that the U.S. has not yet laid out detailed 
plans or road maps, adding that it will take time.  Also, while 
stating that (the U.S.) could put together a comprehensive package 
that would be attractive to North Korea, Kurt Campbell, Assistant 
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, called on 
North Korea to take sincere steps first.  This should be coordinated 
between the U.S. and North Korea.  It is not yet known what first 
steps Campbell demanded the North take.  However, there is a high 
possibility that the first steps will include North Korea's promise 
not to aggravate the situation further and stop developing nuclear 
programs such as the reprocessing of plutonium. 
 
The Obama Administration pursues dialogue and pressure at the same 
time, and will take resolute action against North Korea's 
provocations.  Therefore, it seems too early to expect that the U.S. 
and North Korea will (soon) enter into negotiations. 
 
 
U.S. SEEKS COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION FOR N. KOREA NUKES 
(Chosun Ilbo, July 20, 2009, Page 1, 4) 
 
By Reporter Lim Min-hyul 
 
The U.S. is looking for a comprehensive solution to the North Korean 
nuclear problem instead of the step-by-step approach previously 
favored. 
 
The new approach was suggested by Kurt Campbell, U.S. Assistant 
Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who visited 
Seoul on Saturday.  After meeting Deputy Foreign Minister Lee 
Yong-joon on Saturday, he told reporters, "If North Korea is 
prepared to take serious and irreversible steps, the U.S., the ROK, 
Japan, China and others will be able to put together a comprehensive 
package that would be attractive to North Korea." 
 
Asked about incentives for North Korea to return to the Six-Party 
Talks, Campbell said none are necessary and  that North Korea has to 
pay the price for provocations.  He said the North will find its 
isolation and economic plight unbearable and eventually come to 
dialogue.  At the same time, he added, it is important to convey a 
message to the North that the door is open when it wants to return 
to the negotiation table. 
 
Prior to this, Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary of Public 
Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, said during a July 17 
(local time) press briefing in Washington, "If North Korea wants to 
return to the denuclearization process, we'll be supportive of 
that," adding, "We are not waiting for North Korea.  We are 
aggressively doing things where (the North Koreans) pay a price for 
this recalcitrance."  He also noted, "We have what I would call a 
 
SEOUL 00001142  009 OF 010 
 
 
new approach." 
 
These statements suggest that Washington's North Korea strategy is 
to create a situation, through tough sanctions under UN Security 
Council Resolution 1874, where Pyongyang has no choice but to return 
to the table and, when dialogue starts, to find a swift and complete 
resolution through a comprehensive package deal. 
 
The U.S. seems to have in mind a package settlement in which all 
available bargaining chips are placed on the same table:  From the 
U.S., the establishment of diplomatic relations with the North, a 
security guarantee to the North, economic and energy assistance to 
Pyongyang; and from the North, nuclear weapons, programs and 
facilities, and missiles. 
 
It was reported that the U.S. has not devised the details of the 
comprehensive package yet.  An ROKG official said on July 19, 
"Because the current situation is still focused on sanctions, rather 
than on dialogue, the U.S. has just provided a large framework.  As 
to what may be included in the package or how to approach it, 
consultations with related nations are necessary."  However, the ROK 
and the U.S. seem to have discussed this issue in advance.  An (ROK) 
foreign policy and security official said, "When I met with key Blue 
House officials after the ROK-U.S. summit last month, they told me, 
'President Lee Myung-bak said that he was interested in a package 
deal to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and asked me what I 
thought of the deal,'" adding, "There seemed to be some kind of 
proposal from the U.S." 
 
An ROKG official noted, "The comprehensive package stemmed from a 
reconsideration of the phased approach led by former U.S. Chief 
Negotiator to the Six-Party Talks Christopher Hill."  In other 
words, the current USG intends to shorten the timeframe (to resolve 
the nuclear issue) while taking a direct approach to "nuclear 
dismantlement." 
 
Although the September 19, 2005, Joint Statement, produced by former 
Assistant Secretary Hill, set the goal, it did not have agreement on 
specific ways to implement it.  Therefore, (the related parties) had 
to reach an agreement at every stage on how to implement the steps. 
Consequently, whenever specific roadmaps, such as the February 13, 
2007 Agreement and the October 4, 2007 Agreement, were created, 
North Korea changed its words and made new demands.  Furthermore, 
after the North rolled back its disablement process, (the September 
19 Joint Statement) became a mere scrap of paper. 
 
In this context, the term "CVID (Complete, Verifiable, and 
Irreversible Nuclear Dismantlement)" is carrying more weight these 
days.  The CVID, the early Bush Administration's principle on the 
North Korean nuclear issue, was once considered as exclusively 
belonging to the neo-cons and thus was almost excluded from the 
Six-Party Talks, but the current Democratic administration in the 
U.S. is actively raising the need for the principle. 
 
Of course, there is a long way to go before the comprehensive 
package plan is realized.  To date, under the phased approach, 
Pyongyang has successfully pretended to join the negotiations, 
pocketed benefits, and then retracted its promises.  However, under 
the comprehensive package, it is impossible to renege on promises 
later.  Therefore, although North Korea's "intention of abandoning 
nuclear programs" is absolutely needed for the comprehensive 
package, it does not appear easy for the North to make such a 
decision in the current situation.  A diplomatic source said, "Due 
to uncertainty over North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's health and the 
growing influence of the North Korean military leadership, the 
situation may become more difficult." 
 
(Editor's Note:  We have compared the English version on the website 
with the Korean version and added some paragraphs to make them 
identical.  The same story was also reported by the Dong-a Ilbo and 
the Hankook Ilbo.  Under the headline, "With 'Sticks' in One Hand, 
Washington Sends Pyongyang Signal for Dialogue," the Hankook Ilbo 
reported: "There is still a pessimistic view on the possibility that 
U.S.-North Korea negotiations may resume in the near future. 
 
SEOUL 00001142  010 OF 010 
 
 
Washington's position is that North Korea should first take steps 
toward denuclearization, and Pyongyang cannot easily accept this. 
Some observers say that Washington's "new approach" is a "more 
direct and tough" response based on the judgment that North Korea is 
pursuing nuclear programs in order to become a nuclear-possessing 
state, instead of gaining an edge over the U.S. at the negotiation 
table.") 
 
 
 
STEPHENS