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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 SEOUL 001243 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; August 06, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
"Very Happy"... U.S. Says No More Two U.S. Journalists Reunited with 
Families after 141 Days of N. Korea Ordeal 
 
JoongAng Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun 
Freed Journalists: "Nightmare of Our Lives Over... We are So 
Grateful to Our Country" 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
Foreign Residents Exceed 1 Million 
 
Hankook Ilbo 
Hillary Clinton: "Release of Two American Journalists Is Separate 
from N. Korea's Nuclear Issue" 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
Police Gain Control of Most of Ssangyong Motor Plant, Leaving 
Hundreds of Striking Workers Isolated in Their Stronghold 
 
Segye Ilbo 
Clinton, Two Freed Journalists Arrive in Los Angeles 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
An ROKG official cautioned yesterday against reading too much into 
former U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit to North Korea to secure 
the release of the two U.S. journalists, saying that, for the time 
being, it would be difficult for the U.S. and North Korea to resume 
dialogue. (JoongAng) 
 
The ROKG official also said that the ROKG had received enough 
information about Clinton's trip in advance and that close 
consultations took place. (JoongAng) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya 
yesterday that the release of the two journalists is a totally 
separate issue from efforts to re-engage North Korea, to have the 
country return to the Six-Party Talks, and work toward a commitment 
for the full verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 
She went on to say: "The future of our relationship with the North 
Koreans is really up to them."(All) 
 
White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs denied the (North) Korean Central 
News Agency's claim that former President Bill Clinton expressed 
words of sincere apology to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il for the 
hostile acts committed by the two journalists. (Dong-a, Hankook, 
Segye, Seoul, KBS) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
--------------- 
 
North Korea Releases U.S. Journalists 
All media gave prominent coverage to yesterday's release of the two 
U.S. journalists after 141 days of detention in North Korea. 
 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was widely quoted as telling 
reporters in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday that the release of the two 
journalists is a totally separate issue from efforts to re-engage 
North Korea, to have the country return to the Six-Party Talks, and 
work toward a commitment for the full verifiable denuclearization of 
the Korean Peninsula.  She was further quoted: "The future of our 
relationship with the North Koreans is really up to them." 
 
SEOUL 00001243  002 OF 010 
 
 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo carried a front-page article noting that 
former President Bill Clinton, after his return to the U.S., made no 
mention at all of U.S.-North Korea relations or his meeting with 
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.  Chosun interpreted this as his 
intention to support the USG's official position that his mission 
was private and that his meeting with the North Korean leader did 
not involve any issues beyond the release of the U.S. journalists - 
issues including the stalled Six-Party Talks on North Korea's 
nuclear disarmament. 
 
In another inside-page story entitled "U.S. North Korea Policy 
Hinges on Clinton's Mouth," Chosun Ilbo speculated that former 
President Clinton's expected briefing to President Obama about his 
meeting in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il would have 
some influence on the Obama Administration's North Korea policy, 
because Clinton is the first high-ranking U.S. official to meet Kim 
since the North Korean leader began showing signs of ill health last 
summer and the USG is currently preparing contingency plans to deal 
with sudden changes in the North following Kim's death. 
 
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo, in an article titled "Kim Jong-il 
Demonstrates that He is in Good Health and Obama Rescues Fellow 
Citizens," evaluated Clinton's visit to North Korea as a "win-win" 
approach.  In an accompanying article, JoongAng quoted an ROKG 
official as cautioning against reading too much into Clinton's North 
Korea visit, saying: "It will be difficult for the U.S. and North 
Korea to resume dialogue for the time being." 
 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo wrote in their headline: "Smiling Kim 
Jong-il, Solemn-faced Clinton...  (Clinton's 21-hour Stay in 
Pyongyang) Reveals 'Same Bed, Different Dreams Situation' for North 
Korea and U.S." Dong-a also ran an editorial and said: "Some experts 
raised the possibility that Clinton's visit may undermine 
international sanctions against North Korea.  Others criticize (the 
USG) for rewarding North Korea for its bad behavior.  If the U.S. 
shows a conciliatory attitude toward the North following its 'small 
achievement' of getting the female journalists released, it will 
ruin international cooperation to enforce sanctions against North 
Korea.  If the U.S. backs off, it may lead China and Russia to stop 
implementing sanctions against the North, which have been imposed 
under UN Security Council resolutions." 
 
Moderate Hankook Ilbo editorialized: "If North Korea wants to take 
the release of the U.S. journalists as an opportunity to get out of 
international sanctions and isolation, it should also free an ROK 
worker - who has been held in the North for 130 days - and the four 
sailors who were recently seized for straying into North Korean 
waters." 
 
 
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS 
------------------- 
 
U.S., ROK Should Not Tolerate Nuclear-Armed N. Korea 
(Dong-a Ilbo, August 6, 2009, page 31) 
 
Two U.S. journalists, who had been held in North Korea for 141 days, 
have been released.  Now, international attention is focusing on the 
ramifications of a meeting between former U.S. President Bill 
Clinton, who successfully secured their release, and North Korean 
leader Kim Jong-il.  Some observers say that since the former 
President's visit to Pyongyang led to the release of the U.S. 
journalists, it will serve as a breakthrough for bilateral talks 
between the U.S. and North Korea. 
 
However, the issue of the U.S. journalists is not directly related 
to North Korea's nuclear development and tests, or the international 
sanctions imposed on it.  The White House and the U.S. State 
Department reiterated multiple times that the release of the two 
journalists is a separate issue from other concerns, such as the 
North Korean nuclear issue.  Also, the U.S. government made it clear 
that Clinton's visit was a humanitarian and a private one.  If this 
position is true, the U.S. has no reason to change its approach in 
 
SEOUL 00001243  003 OF 010 
 
 
dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue following the Clinton 
and Kim Jong-il meeting. 
 
Still, people voice concerns in the U.S.  Some experts raised the 
possibility that Clinton's visit may undermine international 
sanctions against North Korea.  Others criticize (the USG) for 
rewarding North Korea for its bad behavior.  If the U.S. shows a 
conciliatory attitude toward the North following its 'small 
achievement' of getting the female journalists released, it will 
ruin international cooperation to enforce sanctions against North 
Korea.  If the U.S. backs off, it may lead China and Russia to stop 
implementing sanctions against the North, which have been imposed 
under UN Security Council resolutions.  The ROK and the U.S. 
governments should closely cooperate to make sure that this meeting 
will not adversely affect their response to the North Korean nuclear 
issue. 
 
U.S. governments have often been outmaneuvered by North Korea. 
While in office, former President Clinton reached the Geneva Agreed 
Framework with North Korea, but was stabbed in the back when North 
Korea pursued nuclear development.  President Barack Obama vowed to 
break the pattern of rewarding North Korea for its bad behavior.  If 
the U.S. backs away from its position of not tolerating North 
Korea's nuclearization, Obama's promise will become empty. 
 
ROK people also should not have illusions.  Some people criticize 
the ROK government for not doing anything when the U.S. and North 
Korea are moving toward direct dialogue.  But this will only draw 
them into North Korea's scheme.  When freeing the U.S. journalists, 
North Korea stressed that the release was (based on) 
"humanitarianism and peace policy."  (It is absurd that) North Korea 
mentions humanitarianism and peace when it has detained a Kaesong 
Industrial Complex employee for 129 days and four crewmembers of an 
ROK ship for seven days. 
History Repeats Itself 
(JoongAng Ilbo, August 6, 2009, page 35: EXCERPTS) 
 
By Editorial writer Bae Myung-bok 
 
The truth behind former President Clinton's visit to North Korea 
won't be revealed for quite some time.  It is too early to decide 
whether his visit was a one-time humanitarian event to secure the 
release of the U.S. journalists or a sophisticated political act to 
find a breakthrough for negotiations.  However, looking back on what 
happened 15 years ago, there is a greater likelihood that the latter 
is the truth.  During a meeting with North Korean leader Kim 
Il-sung, former President Carter presented a proposal that called on 
North Korea to freeze its nuclear program in return for receiving 
light water reactors.  This proposal concretely was laid out during 
high-level talks between the U.S. and North Korea that ensued 
shortly thereafter. 
 
It is hard for the U.S. to attack North Korea first due to the 
geographical proximity of the ROK, Japan and China.  The U.S. has no 
choice but to wait for the North Korean regime to collapse or to 
resolve the North Korean issue through dialogue.  But if the current 
course is continued, North Korea is increasingly likely to 
"consolidate" its status as a nuclear state.  North Korea is also 
suspected of spreading its nuclear technology to Myanmar.  Against 
this backdrop, the U.S. cannot just wait. 
 
Due to Clinton's visit, Kim Jong-il saved face and found a 
justification to stop his government's brinkmanship tactics.  Kim 
Jong-il achieved huge success internally and externally.  Now he 
joyfully is tamping down public anxiety that has been rising because 
of his ill health, the succession issue, and international 
sanctions. 
 
Whether Six-Party Talks or bilateral talks, the format is not 
essentially important.  When the summer vacation season is over in 
Washington, the U.S. and North Korea may sit at a negotiating table 
talking over a "comprehensive package," with China's mediation.  If 
North Korea has any intention to negotiate, any format can work. 
This has been proven by 20 years of North Korea's nuclear history. 
 
SEOUL 00001243  004 OF 010 
 
 
History repeats itself. 
A Shameful Moment for Kim Jong-il 
(Chosun Ilbo, August 6, 2009, page 35) 
 
Following his daylong visit to North Korea, former U.S. president 
Bill Clinton arrived in Los Angeles with Euna Lee and Laura Ling, 
the two American journalists who had been arrested and sentenced to 
hard labor in the North.  The U.S. government is stressing that the 
sole purpose of Clinton's visit was to secure the release of the 
journalists.  It has denied North Korean media reports that Clinton 
conveyed a verbal message from President Barack Obama and the 
North's claims that the United States apologized for the problems 
caused by Lee and Ling. 
 
One photograph taken during Clinton's visit caused ROK people to 
blush in embarrassment.  In it, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il 
displays a wide grin as he talks to Clinton, who listens without 
expression. 
 
North Korean security forces arrested the two ambitious U.S. 
journalists at the border with China, and they were sentenced to 12 
years of hard labor in a detention camp.  How can a country, even a 
renegade like North Korea, hold two women hostage to achieve its 
political goals and issue a photo to the world of its leader smiling 
in content that his country has succeeded? 
 
Petitions by the family members of the two journalists are said to 
have played a major role in Obama's decision to send a heavyweight 
like Clinton to North Korea.  In the eyes of the international 
community, the image of the incumbent and former U.S. presidents 
engrossed in securing the freedom of two fellow Americans must have 
contrasted starkly with the image of Kim beaming at the success of 
his hostage-taking operation. 
 
North Korea pardoned the two U.S. journalists - both of whom crossed 
over the border - on purpose while refusing to free ROK fishermen 
who were towed to the North six days ago after accidentally straying 
into the North's waters.  What kind of hostage scheme does Kim have 
in mind this time?  A North Korean fishing boat that crossed over 
into ROK territorial waters on that same day was sent back without 
any problems.  And North Korea has been holding a Hyundai Asan 
staffer for over four months without explaining why he was arrested. 
 
 
The North held the U.S. journalists at a hotel and let them call 
their family back home.  But Yoo has been denied the right to see 
anyone.  It gives special treatment to American hostages while 
trampling on the basic rights of South Koreans. 
 
Many people who visited North Korea say they witnessed government 
workers shouting at citizens and bullying them. Yet they give 
preferential treatment to Americans.  This is the true face of North 
Korea's so-called Juche ideology of self-sufficiency. 
 
And it is not just America that gets the special treatment.  In 
2007, Kim took 10 of his highest ranking officials in the Workers' 
Party, the government and the military to the Chinese Embassy in 
Pyongyang and threw a party.  Before that incident, he often held 
parties at the Chinese Embassy that lasted five hours.  In 2005, Kim 
paid a personal visit to the Russian Embassy to receive a medal. 
This is the behavior of a leader of a vassal state or a colony.  Of 
course, Kim may have been unaware that deep inside, Clinton could 
despise his regime, and perhaps that is why he was so happy. 
 
In foreign countries, people refer to both North and South Koreans 
as just "Koreans."  North Korea and Kim Jong-il are the main reasons 
for the depreciating value of the Korea brand.  The image of Kim 
smiling in content at the success of his hostage operation makes 
South Koreans cringe in despair and shame. 
 
Changed Korean Peninsula Situation Should Lead to Changed North 
Korea Policy 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, August 6, 2009, Page 27) 
 
 
SEOUL 00001243  005 OF 010 
 
 
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton returned to the U.S. yesterday, 
along with the two U.S. journalists who had been detained in North 
Korea for 141 days.  This is a significant development which heralds 
a sea change on the Korean Peninsula, such as the resumption of the 
nuclear negotiations. 
 
While describing the Clinton's visit as a "private" mission, the USG 
is taking a careful approach.  This seems to be designed to gauge 
public opinion in the U.S. and to take into account concerns by the 
ROK and Japan about the U.S.'s unilateral move.  Still, a big change 
is anticipated in U.S.-North Korea relations.  First of all, North 
Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim and Clinton had 
extensive discussions and they agreed to resolve (pending issues) 
through dialogue.  This means that they discussed a wide range of 
issues, including nuclear and missile programs, diplomatic 
normalization, and the resumption of negotiations. 
 
The Kim-Clinton meeting was attended from the North by First Vice 
Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju, who is at the helm of North Korea's 
policy toward the U.S., and Kim Yang-gon, Director of the United 
Front Department of the Workers' Party of Korea, who is in charge of 
North Korea's policy toward the ROK.  This suggested that not only 
the nuclear standoff but also overall issues related to peace on the 
Korean Peninsula, such as inter-Korean ties, may have been discussed 
considerably.  From the U.S. side, President of the Center for 
American Progress John Podesta, who served as Clinton's White House 
Chief of Staff and as chief of Obama's transition team, attended the 
meeting.  This is evidence that shows that the meeting carried 
weight with the Obama Administration.  Furthermore, Pyongyang said, 
"Mr. Clinton conveyed a message from Mr. Obama reflecting views on 
ways of improving the relations between the two countries," although 
the USG denied it. 
 
Now attention is being drawn to how the two nations will use the 
current atmosphere - which has become favorable to dialogue - to 
achieve specific results.  At present, the U.S. and the North are at 
odds over whether bilateral talks or the Six-Party Talks should be 
adopted as the format of dialogue.  It is not easy, either, to 
coordinate the stances of both sides on topics regarding nuclear 
dismantlement, diplomatic normalization, and economic assistance. 
In order to resolve these issues, the two sides should become more 
flexible.  Above all, the North needs to willingly accept bilateral 
dialogue within the Six-Party framework.  This is because, if the 
ROK, China, Japan, and Russia are excluded, it will be difficult for 
the North to secure a security guarantee and economic aid.  The 
Obama Administration, for its part, should not be swayed by 
hard-line opinions in and out of the U.S. but make clear its 
commitment to negotiations.  It is important for Washington to give 
concrete shape to a "comprehensive package" as early as possible. 
Since the September 19 Joint Statement effectively covers all issues 
to be discussed with North Korea, (Washington or Pyongyang) has no 
reason to drag its feet and lose momentum for dialogue. 
 
(Mr. Clinton's visit) has put the Lee Myung-bak Administration in an 
awkward position.  A growing number of people are criticizing the 
ROKG, asking what it has been doing to free an ROK employee of the 
Kaesong Industrial Complex and the crew members of the ROK fishing 
vessel "Yeonan" while the USG won the release of the journalists. 
Furthermore, Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, which has taken a 
hard line toward the North, is highly likely to lose the general 
elections at the end of this month.  The global situation is asking 
for an immediate overhaul of (Seoul's) policy toward the North.  The 
ROKG should accept a growing call for a swift change in inter-Korean 
ties. 
 
 
FEATURES 
-------- 
 
Bill Clinton Gains Reporters' Release 
(JoongAng Daily, August 6, 2009) 
 
By Reporter Ser Myo-ja 
 
 
SEOUL 00001243  006 OF 010 
 
 
White House, Pyongyang differ on nature of mission 
 
After talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il yesterday, former 
U.S. President Bill Clinton obtained the release of two American 
journalists held for five months in the reclusive state. 
 
An aircraft carrying the three and others was scheduled to land in 
Los Angeles Wednesday morning, California time. 
 
According to the Japanese broadcaster NHK, the plane carrying 
Clinton, Euna Lee and Laura Ling took off from the Misawa Air Base 
shortly after noon.  It stopped at the U.S. military air base in 
Aomori Prefecture for refueling, the broadcaster said. 
 
Clinton arrived in Pyongyang Tuesday on a mission to secure the 
release of the journalists who were arrested near the Chinese border 
on March 17 while working on a story about North Korean defectors. 
The two were subsequently convicted of crimes against the North 
Korean people and sentenced to 12 years each in a labor camp. 
 
The former American president sat down for dinner with "Dear Leader" 
Kim on Tuesday to discuss matters of common interest, the North's 
state-run media reported.  The North's Korean Central News Agency 
reported that Kim granted special pardons to the two jailed 
reporters. 
 
"Clinton expressed words of sincere apology to Kim Jong-il for the 
hostile acts committed against the DPRK by the two American 
journalists after illegally intruding into it," the KCNA said in its 
English report. "Clinton courteously conveyed to Kim Jong-il an 
earnest request of the U.S. government to leniently pardon them and 
send them back home from a humanitarian point of view," DPRK stands 
for the North's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of 
Korea. 
 
A senior U.S. official in Washington denied yesterday that an 
apology was made by Clinton, according to international newswires. 
The official told the AFP that the two TV reporters are in "very 
good health." 
 
The North's media outlet said Kim issued an order to grant a special 
pardon to Lee and Ling, and "Clinton courteously conveyed a verbal 
message from U.S. President Barack Obama expressing profound thanks 
for this and reflecting views on ways of improving the relations 
between the two countries." 
 
"The DPRK visit of Clinton and his party will contribute to 
deepening the understanding between the DPRK and the U.S. and 
building bilateral confidence," the report said. 
 
The White House also denied that Clinton delivered a message from 
Obama.  The presidential office said Clinton was not Obama's special 
envoy and his trip was a private, humanitarian mission. 
 
According to wire reports, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham 
Clinton said yesterday that the two journalists released from North 
Korea are "extremely excited'' to be on their way back to America. 
Secretary Clinton told reporters in Nairobi that she had spoken with 
her husband, saying she would talk more about his mission after Ling 
and Lee were reunited with their families. 
 
In Los Angeles, the families of the journalists issued a statement, 
saying: "We are so grateful to our government: President Obama, 
Secretary (Hillary) Clinton and the U.S. State Department for their 
dedication to and hard work on behalf of American citizens.  We 
especially want to thank President Bill Clinton for taking on such 
an arduous mission and Vice President Al Gore for his tireless 
efforts to bring Laura and Euna home.  We must also thank all the 
people who have supported our families through this ordeal, it has 
meant the world to us.  We are counting the seconds to hold Laura 
and Euna in our arms." 
 
Michael Saldate, Lee's husband, picked up their daughter, Hana, 
earlier than usual from a kindergarten in a Korean area in Los 
 
SEOUL 00001243  007 OF 010 
 
 
Angeles on Tuesday following the news about the two reporters' 
release, a staffer for the education center told the JoongAng Ilbo's 
Los Angeles edition.  "Other parents congratulated him.  He was 
overjoyed and told everyone that Hana's mom will arrive tomorrow." 
 
"The family had an excruciatingly difficult time, and we are so 
happy that she is coming back," Jina Lee, a younger sister of Lee, 
said in a phone interview with the newspaper.  "I still feel very 
cautious because she hasn't arrived here yet.  She will need time to 
recover from her mental and physical ordeal." 
Clinton Debriefing Could Prove Key to N. Korea Policy 
(Chosun Ilbo, August 5, 2009, page 4: EXCERTPS) 
 
By Correspondent Lee Ha-won 
 
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton's unofficial debriefing about his 
meeting with Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang, which lasted more than two 
hours, is expected to have some influence on the North Korea 
policies of the Barack Obama Administration. 
 
Clinton is the first high-ranking U.S. official to meet Kim since he 
began showing signs of ill health last summer.  The U.S. government 
is currently preparing contingency plans to deal with sudden changes 
in North Korea following Kim's death.  Clinton's briefing on the 
state of Kim's health could lead to changes in the U.S. government's 
contingency plans, observers speculate. 
 
North Korea's state-run media reported that Clinton and Kim held 
"candid and in-depth discussions on pending issues" involving the 
two countries.  It appears that Kim led the meeting and used the 
opportunity to discuss his plans to improve U.S.-North Korean 
relations.  Kim is widely expected to have used Clinton as a medium 
through which he is trying to deliver a message to Obama. 
 
The official stance of the U.S. administration is that Clinton's 
trip to North Korea was a "humanitarian" and "personal" visit and 
does not involve the U.S. government.  But for the administration, 
which lacks primary information on the North, Clinton's debriefing 
will be very useful. 
 
The contents of Clinton's unofficial report are apparently to be 
compiled by John Podesta, a former White House chief of staff, and 
David Straub, a former director of the Office of Korean Affairs at 
the State Department.  Podesta is the head of the Center for 
American Progress, which has a major influence on the policies of 
the Obama Administration.  Podesta served as the head of Obama's 
presidential transition committee. 
 
Straub is fluent in Korean and visited North Korea in October 2002 
with James Kelly, a former Assistant secretary of State.  Straub was 
the one who reported to Washington comments made by North Korea's 
first vice foreign minister Kang Sok-ju regarding the communist 
country's uranium enrichment program. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
Seoul Still Baffled by Clinton's N. Korea Trip 
(Chosun Ilbo, August 6, 2009, page 4) 
 
By Reporter Ahn Yong-hyun 
 
The ROK government was still reeling Wednesday after former U.S. 
President Bill Clinton's surprise visit to North Korea. 
 
A senior government official said, "The worst-case scenario for us 
would be to see the repetition of the nightmare of 1994."  At the 
time, the ROK government was completely left out in the cold as the 
U.S. and North Korea concluded the Geneva Agreed Framework in the 
wake of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's visit to Pyongyang. 
 
Under the deal, the ROK had to bear most of the construction costs 
for a light-water reactor that was to be traded for the North's 
closure of its plutonium-producing nuclear plant in Yongbyon. 
 
 
SEOUL 00001243  008 OF 010 
 
 
"It's important for us to maintain close cooperation with the U.S. 
to prevent us from being left out in the cold as in 1994," the 
official added. 
 
But a Unification Ministry official said a repeat of that disaster 
is unlikely.  "At the moment, North Korea is excited with memories 
of 1994, but it seems most likely that Clinton's visit was a kind of 
one-point relief pitch aimed at winning the release of the American 
journalists.  We need to watch how Washington and Pyongyang will go 
ahead with their dialogue," he said. 
 
His rationale was that Carter visited Pyongyang in 1994 expressly to 
find a solution to the nuclear issue, while Clinton visited to seek 
the release of the two U.S. reporters who had been sentenced to hard 
labor for illegally entering the country. 
 
The government is especially concerned about the possibility of 
critical public opinion seething over Seoul's failure to seek the 
release of a South Korean man detained at the Kaesong Industrial 
Complex. 
 
A Cheong Wa Dae official claimed there had been a "sharing of views" 
between the ROK and the U.S. over humanitarian issues such as the 
female journalists under detention and the South Korean man held 
incommunicado at Kaesong, before Clinton went to Pyongyang.  "I 
believe there'll also be progress in the issue of the South Korean 
man under detention," he said. 
 
So far, however, North Korea has said nothing about the man, 
identified as Yoo, who has been held incommunicado for 129 days, and 
the crew of an ROK fishing boat, 800 Yeonan, who were towed to the 
North on July 30. 
 
In a press briefing, the ministry said, "The government is watching 
closely how the release of the female journalists will affect the 
issues of the ROK staffer at Kaesong or the Yeonan.  It's still too 
early to judge what kind of effect their release will have on these 
issues." 
 
Clinton's Visit to Pyongyang Could Be a Turning Point in N. 
Korea-U.S. Relations 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, August 6, 2009, pages 4 and 5: EXCERPTS) 
 
By Reporters Jeong Eui-gil, Son Won-je, and Lee Je-hun 
 
Although the White House says Clinton's visit was a private mission, 
a KCTV report suggests it is a sign of possible improvement in 
relations 
 
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton left Pyongyang Wednesday morning 
with the two U.S. reporters who had been detained in North Korea, 
and arrived in Los Angeles late at night (Korea time). 
 
The visit to North Korea lasted only two days and one night, but its 
significance is great.  The visit has provided a possible stepping 
stone for a turning point in the political situation on the Korean 
Peninsula, which has been growing increasingly tense since North 
Korea's long-range rocket launch and second nuclear test. 
 
The Obama Administration's decision to approve Clinton's visit is a 
"gift" to North Korea to see if a change in the North Korea-US 
relationship is possible. 
 
In a report on the results of the visit, which was released 
Wednesday morning, (North) Korean Central TV (KCTV) said Clinton had 
respectfully conveyed a verbal message from President Obama on his 
views on plans to improve relations between North Korea and the U.S. 
 
 
There is controversy over whether there was a verbal message from 
Obama, but it appears that Clinton may have conveyed an outline of 
the Obama Administration's North Korea policy.  One diplomatic 
expert said he must have explained at least as much as his wife, 
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, did last month at 
 
SEOUL 00001243  009 OF 010 
 
 
the ASEAN Regional Forum.  At the time, Secretary Clinton said if 
North Korea gives up nuclear weapons, everything was possible, 
including economic aid and the construction of a peace regime and 
normalization of relations with North Korea. 
 
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's "return courtesy" for former 
President Clinton's visit, in addition to the pardon of the two U.S. 
journalists, has not yet been released.  Some believe it is possible 
that North Korea, which has been claiming it would never abandon 
nuclear weapons, may have made a gesture of good faith concerning 
denuclearization.  On the matter of "dialogue," some believe Kim may 
have indicated some direction for possible follow-up by saying 
something along the lines that North Korea has only rejected a 
Six-Party framework that abandons the spirit of mutual coexistence 
as embodied in the September 19 Joint Statement made in 2005, and 
not the Six-Party Talks themselves. 
 
In addition, KCTV reported that Kim and Clinton shared a frank and 
deep discussion concerning pending issues between North Korea and 
the U.S. and that both agreed to resolve issues through dialogue. 
Some see this as suggesting Kim is promising not to take additional 
actions to aggravate the situation in order to contribute to 
building the necessary atmosphere needed to for North Korea-U.S. 
talks. 
 
Thanks to Kim and Clinton's "unofficial dialogue," moves toward 
official talks between North Korea and the U.S. are expected to take 
place. Some analysts suggest changes may be made in the internal 
power structure of the Obama Administration concerning North Korea 
policy.  Kim Yeon-cheol, the head of the Hankyoreh Peace Research 
Institute said until recently, those in favor of sanctions had been 
the loudest.  He said that while arguments for sanctions would not 
completely go away, the atmosphere in Washington for a resolution 
through dialogue might gain strength. 
 
Meanwhile, at a briefing Tuesday afternoon (local time), White House 
press secretary Robert Gibbs repeatedly stressed that the issue of 
the journalists' release is seen separate from North Korea policy 
matters, and Clinton's visit was "solely (a) private mission." 
 
Kim Jong-il Demonstrates that He is in Good Health and Obama Rescues 
Fellow Citizens 
(JoongAng Ilbo, August 6, 2009, Page 4) 
 
By Washington Correspondent Choi Sang-yeon and Reporter Ye 
Young-joon 
 
Profit and loss statement of Clinton's visit to Pyongyang 
 
It is presumed that former U.S. President Bill Clinton's surprise 
visit to North Korea does not have a "big deal" that could change 
the tone of U.S.-North Korea relations.  This is why both the White 
House and the Department of State are working hard to emphasize that 
Mr. Clinton's visit was a "private mission."  Still, observers say 
that the North and the U.S. have secured their respective benefits. 
In other words, the visit was a "win-win" event for both sides. 
 
On August 5, domestic and foreign media outlets, including Newsweek, 
released their analysis about what was gained and lost in Clinton's 
visit to Pyongyang.  Above all, they said that North Korea and its 
leader Kim Jong-il succeeded in asserting themselves on the global 
stage once again. 
 
Profits for North Korea 
 
(The U.S.) said that Mr. Clinton went to Pyongyang as a "private 
citizen," but given his political weight, the meeting between 
Clinton and Kim Jong-il looked like U.S.-North Korea bilateral 
dialogue, which Pyongyang has sought.  Consequently, this could 
change U.S.-North Korea relations - which have seen no way out due 
to North Korea's nuclear test and U.S.-led UN Security Council 
sanctions - from confrontation to dialogue.  This also seems to be 
related to the reason why North Korean media outlets stressed, "The 
meeting featured candid and in-depth discussions on the pending 
 
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issues between North Korea and the U.S. in a sincere atmosphere." 
Although U.S.-North Korea relations are not close to the negotiation 
stage, Pyongyang hinted at its intention to pave the way, at least, 
for dialogue with the U.S. 
 
In addition, Kim dispelled rumors, rampant in the international 
community, of North Korea's imminent collapse and demonstrated that 
he is still in control of the state.  Furthermore, Clinton's visit 
presented an opportunity for Kim to flaunt his leadership inside the 
North and trumpet victory over the U.S. 
 
Profits for the U.S. 
 
Foreign media reported that the U.S. successfully won the release of 
the journalists without upsetting the sanctions.  Indeed, after 
Clinton's visit to the North, the White House and the Department of 
State reiterated that sanctions on the North will continue until 
North Korea takes "irreversible" steps toward denuclearization.  In 
particular, they clearly cautioned against viewing Clinton's visit 
as a thaw in U.S.-North Korea relations.  This means that Washington 
is adhering to a "two-track" approach of sanctions and dialogue on 
North Korea. 
 
Through his visit to the North, Mr. Clinton himself achieved the 
result of making his mark.  Newsweek said that Mr. Clinton is back 
on the diplomatic stage with his successful visit to Pyongyang, a 
feat that was not realized during his presidency. 
 
Prospects for U.S.-North Korea relations 
 
It is clear that the atmosphere between the U.S. and the North has 
improved.  Now that Pyongyang's conciliatory gesture has been 
confirmed, it will likely give a boost to the resumption of 
dialogue.  Through Clinton's visit, the U.S. showed the North that, 
"The door to dialogue is open."  However, it is expected to take 
some time until negotiations over the North Korean nuclear issue 
begin in earnest.  An ROKG official predicted, "Unless North Korea 
changes its attitude with sincerity, the U.S., for the time being, 
will stick to pressure rather than dialogue," adding, however, "The 
key is what decision the North will make.  Therefore, the true 
nature (of the current situation) has not changed." 
 
 
 
STEPHENS