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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 SEOUL 001391 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; August 31, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
All, All TVs 
Japan Elections Mark Historic Shift in Power; 
Opposition Wins by Landslide 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
According to maritime police, North Korea on Saturday freed four ROK 
fishermen it had held for almost a month.  The fishing vessel 
Yeonanho and its relieved crew arrived at the ROK's Sokcho port and 
following a brief reunion with their families, the fishermen were 
taken to a military base to be questioned by investigators about 
their detention. (Chosun, Dong-a, Hankook, Segye, Seoul, All TVs) 
 
According to the "White Paper on Investigation into Candlelight 
Protests" released by the Seoul-based Supreme Prosecutors' Office, 
an estimated 932,000 people rallied on nearly 2,400 occasions in the 
ROK last year to protest their government's decision to resume 
imports of U.S. beef.  The report said that the rallies cost 3.7 
trillion won in social and economic damage. (Dong-a, Hankyoreh) 
 
A senior (ROKG) source knowledgeable about the North Korean nuclear 
issue said on August 30 that Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. Special 
Representative for North Korea Policy, will visit the ROK, Japan and 
China early next month along with Sung Kim, Special Envoy for the 
Six-Party Talks. (Hankook, Voice of People, All TVs) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
According to diplomatic sources, an Australian-owned ship was seized 
in the United Arab Emirates carrying North Korean weapons, including 
rocket-propelled grenades, headed for Iran.  The seizure was the 
first since the UN Security Council tightened sanctions against 
North Korea in June in response to its second nuclear test and 
missile launches. (All, All TVs) 
 
Japan's opposition party won historic elections in an apparent 
landslide Sunday, sending the conservatives to defeat after 54 years 
of nearly unbroken rule amid widespread economic anxiety and desire 
for change. This will open the way for Yukio Hatoyama who leads the 
Democratic Party to replace Prime Minister Taro Aso. (All, All TVs) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
-------------- 
 
-N. Korea 
--------- 
The release of ROK fishermen, who had been towed to North Korea 
after crossing the border in the East Sea on July 30, received wide 
press coverage.  According to Conservative Chosun Ilbo, North 
Korea's official Rodong Sinmun on Saturday indirectly called for 
inter-Korean talks to implement the North-South Joint Declarations. 
The newspaper also cited North Korean weekly Tongil Sinbo as saying 
that normalizing North-South relations is a national request and an 
urgent demand of the times, adding that a breakthrough for a new 
turn in North-South relations has already been found.  However, 
Chosun Ilbo also quoted an ROK official as saying on Sunday, "It 
seems that North Korea has recently launched a heavy charm 
offensive.  The first priority should be given to ascertaining North 
Korea's sincerity." 
 
All ROK newspapers reported that an Australian-owned ship was seized 
in the United Arab Emirates carrying North Korean weapons, including 
rocket-propelled grenades, headed for Iran.  According to the media 
reports, the seizure was the first since the UN Security Council 
tightened sanctions against North Korea in June in response to its 
 
SEOUL 00001391  002 OF 006 
 
 
second nuclear test and missile launches. 
Dong-a Ilbo editorialized: "It could be said that North Korea has 
adopted conciliatory tactics in order to avoid difficulties caused 
by international pressure but, as shown in its weapons shipment to 
Iran, North Korea has not fundamentally changed.  The way for the 
North to survive will open up when it gives up the delusion that 
Pyongyang, while not giving up its nuclear programs, can deceive the 
international community with conciliatory gestures." 
 
-Japan Elections 
---------------- 
All ROK media gave top front-and inside-page play to Japan's 
elections that mark an historic shift in power.  According to media 
reports, Japan's opposition party won elections in an apparent 
landslide Sunday, sending the conservatives to defeat after 54 years 
of nearly unbroken rule amid widespread economic anxiety and desire 
for change.  The media reported that this will open the way for 
Yukio Hatoyama who leads the Democratic Party to replace Prime 
Minister Taro Aso. 
 
Dong-a Ilbo editorialized: "The Democratic Party favors the idea of 
free trade agreements with the ROK and the U.S.  On North Korea, the 
Democratic Party of Japan rejects the North as a nuclear power in 
the same manner as the ROK and the U.S.  The cooperation of the 
international community including the ROK, Japan and the U.S. is 
crucial in maintaining this principle after Japan's transition of 
power." 
 
Chosun Ilbo editorialized: "Yukio Hatoyama, who will be Japan's next 
prime minister, has stressed the importance of Asia-focused 
diplomacy, steering away from U.S.-focused diplomacy.  Hatoyama, who 
leads the Democratic Party, said that, up until now,-Japan's 
diplomacy has been tailored to U.S. circumstances but from now on 
should be on an equal footing with the U.S.  Since the cold war era, 
the U.S.-Japan alliance has served as an axis of Northeast Asia 
security alongside the ROK-U.S. alliance.  There is a likelihood 
that the U.S.-Japan alliance will change in concert with the 
ROK-U.S. alliance." 
 
 
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS 
------------------- 
 
THE MEANING OF THE SIX-PARTY TALKS SHOULD BE PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD 
(Seoul Shinmun, August 31, 2009, Page 30) 
 
By Kim Young-ho, Professor of International Relations at Sungshin 
Women's University 
 
With the Six-Party Talks at a stalemate and the international 
community strengthening its sanctions against North Korea, North 
Korea has adopted a conciliatory attitude.  This change of tack is 
revealed in its series of steps, such as the release of the two U.S. 
female journalists following former U.S. President Clinton's visit 
to the North, the release of a detained ROK employee, who worked at 
the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the five-point agreement with 
Hyundai Group, and the dispatch of a condolence delegation to the 
funeral of former ROK President Kim Dae-jung.  Inter-Korean dialogue 
is also expected to resume soon.  We have no reason to oppose 
inter-Korean reconciliation, cooperation and dialogue.  However, we 
should not let the conciliatory gestures blindside us to the 
ultimate goal of a complete nuclear dismantlement in North Korea. 
In order to accomplish this goal, we must have a clear principle in 
dealing with North Korea's moves. 
 
A strategic principle in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue 
should be based on accurate understanding of the true nature of the 
Six-Party Talks.  Although the Six-Party Talks involve six nations, 
those nations are, in fact, divided into two groups: North Korea, a 
nation that wants to break the status quo in Northeast Asia, and the 
remaining five nations that want to maintain the status quo.  If we 
look back at the history of the last century, we can understand how 
important maintaining the status quo is for peace and economic 
prosperity in the region.  Since the late 20th century after the end 
 
SEOUL 00001391  003 OF 006 
 
 
of the Korean War, Northeast Asia has been enjoying an "era of 
peace" without serious conflicts.  On the other hand, the early half 
of the 20th century was an "era of war."  The Northeast Asian region 
was plunged into a string of wars, such as the Sino-Japanese War, 
the Russo-Japanese War, the Manchurian Incident, the Pacific War, 
and the Korean War.  After the Korean War, as the ROK-U.S. alliance 
was forged, U.S. troops were stationed in the ROK, and the U.S. 
emerged as a power balancer in the region, thereby ushering in an 
era of peace.  Furthermore, after the Korean War, China made clear 
its opposition to North Korea's war provocations, contributing to an 
era of peace of over 50 years in Northeast Asia.  Thanks to this 
long-lasting peace, the Northeast Asian region is still enjoying the 
most dynamic economic growth in the world.  However, North Korea's 
nuclear possession poses a direct threat to this long-lasting 
peace. 
 
The Six-Party nations are clearly divided between the five nations 
that desire to maintain peace in Northeast Asia through North 
Korea's complete dismantlement of nuclear programs and North Korea, 
which rejects opening and reform and acts in an abnormal way. 
Recently, there has been controversy in political circles over 
remarks by some ROKG officials that, with the Six-Party Talks in a 
stalemate, five-party talks or consultations should be considered. 
Whether the five-party talks will be held or not, from the 
perspective of peace and prosperity in the Northeast Asian region, 
the remarks about the importance of the "five-party" talks touched 
the core of the principle that the ROK will have to pursue in terms 
of its national strategy.  It is regrettable that strategists under 
the Lee Myung-bak Administration failed to make this point to the 
people and the neighboring countries persuasively. 
 
Now, China and Russia, along with the U.S. and Japan, clearly 
understand that a long-lasting peace in Northeast Asia is essential 
to their prosperity.  Strategists of the Lee Administration should 
make all diplomatic efforts to closely cooperate with these four 
nations on the five-party talks so as to maintain peace and 
prosperity not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in the 
Northeast Asian region. 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD CONTINUE TO PUT PRESSURE ON NORTH 
KOREA 
(Dong-a Ilbo, August 31, 2009, Page 31) 
 
The United Arab Emirates has caught North Korea carrying illegal 
weapons to Iran on a ship of a third nation.  In the seized 
containers were detonators, explosives, and rocket-propelled 
grenades.  The UAE's seizure is very meaningful in that it is the 
first tangible result of UN Security Council Resolution 1874, which 
was adopted on June 12 after North Korea's second nuclear crisis. 
 
The U.S. Congressional Research Service once said that North Korea 
was earning 2 billion dollars per year by exporting missiles, 
missile parts, and design technologies to Iran.  It has become 
virtually impossible for the North to export weapons under the 
supervision of the U.S. and the international community.  This past 
June, the Kang Nam I, a North Korean vessel suspected of carrying 
illegal weapons, sailed allegedly to Myanmar but, after being 
shadowed by a U.S. vessel, returned home. 
 
Since international sanctions began in earnest after North Korea's 
long-range rocket launches in April and its second nuclear test in 
May, Pyongyang has been recently taking conciliatory steps toward 
Washington and Seoul.  It welcomed a visit by former U.S. President 
Bill Clinton and freed the two U.S. female journalists on August 4 
and released an ROK employee of Hyundai Asan, Yoo Seong-jin, after 
136 days of detention on August 13.  It also lifted tough border 
restrictions on August 21, and sent a condolence delegation to the 
state funeral of former ROK President Kim Dae-jung and permitted the 
delegation to meet with ROK President Lee Myung-bak.  North Korea is 
also restraining itself from lashing out at President Lee. 
Recently, The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Central 
Committee of the Workers' Party of (North) Korea, indirectly urged 
the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue. 
 
SEOUL 00001391  004 OF 006 
 
 
 
It could be said that North Korea has adopted conciliatory tactics 
in order to avoid difficulties caused by international pressure but, 
as shown in its weapons shipment to Iran, North Korea has not 
fundamentally changed.  The way for the North to survive will open 
up when it gives up the delusion that Pyongyang, while not giving up 
its nuclear programs, can deceive the international community with 
conciliatory gestures. 
 
It is fortunate that North Korea released the four crew members of 
the ROK fishing vessel 800 Yeonan, but the communist state acted as 
if it showed good faith by freeing them, although it detained the 
innocent fishermen for a month.  This is such a shameless act. 
 
 
HOW WILL THE POWER CHANGE IN JAPAN AFFECT KOREA? 
(Chosun Ilbo, August 31, 2009, Page 31; Excerpts) 
 
Japan's Democratic Party won a landslide victory in general 
elections on Sunday.  It was a humiliating defeat for the Liberal 
Democratic Party, which has governed Japan for all but 11 months 
since 1955. 
 
There is a strong likelihood of minor and major changes in Japan's 
domestic and foreign policy now that the Japanese public's desire 
for a new beginning has been demonstrated. 
 
The Democratic Party has stressed the importance of Asia-focused 
diplomacy, steering away from U.S.-focused diplomacy.  Hatoyama, who 
leads the Democratic Party, said that, up until now, Japan's 
diplomacy has been tailored to U.S. circumstances but from now on 
should be on an equal footing with the U.S.  Since the cold war era, 
the U.S.-Japan alliance has served as an axis of Northeast Asia 
security alongside the ROK-U.S. alliance.  There is a likelihood 
that the U.S.-Japan alliance will change in concert with the 
ROK-U.S. alliance. 
 
Hatoyama chose to embrace an Asia-focused diplomacy instead of the 
traditional focus on relations with Washington to keep in check the 
ascendance of China, which has risen in status as the world's second 
most powerful country after the United States.  During the reign of 
the LDP, relations between Seoul and Tokyo never transcended the 
problems arising from the legacy of Japan's World War II atrocities. 
 Now the DP has vowed to take a different approach.  In order for 
the East Asia community and Asia-focused policies pitched by the DP 
to be successful, Japan must resolve the distrust its regional 
neighbors feel.  It remains to be seen whether the DP will be able 
to break the cycle of error committed by previous Japanese 
administrations when it comes to dealing with the country's wartime 
atrocities. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
ELECTION REVOLUTION ENDS LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY ERA IN JAPAN 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, August 31, 2009, Page 27) 
 
The people of Japan gave the Democratic Party an overwhelming 
victory in yesterday's election, marking the beginning of a new 
chapter in the country's political history.  The Liberal Democratic 
Party, which in the 54 years since 1955 had never once failed to 
place as the winning party, was dealt a decisive defeat as the 
Democrats achieved Japan's first change in ruling parties through 
election.  It could well be called an election revolution. 
 
Strictly speaking, however, this election is also the result of the 
Liberal Democrats' self-destruction.  The party, which united 
conservative parties that had been shifting alignments following the 
Second World War under the shared values of anti-Communism and 
market liberalism, led Japan to the status of the world's 
second-ranked economy on the strength of its large corporations and 
bureaucracy.  As the bubble burst in the 1990s though, divisions 
between the Liberal Democratic Party and the people of Japan began 
 
SEOUL 00001391  005 OF 006 
 
 
to grow deeper.  The lifetime employment system, once the pride of 
Japan, crumbled apart and the gap between rich and poor grew larger. 
 The country has also undergone a rapid aging process, while a large 
number of young people have been faced with the uneasy situation of 
going from one temporary position to another. 
 
Fundamental reforms have been needed, but the Liberal Democrats have 
been powerless in the face of resistance from their support base 
comprised of executives from large conglomerates   and bureaucrats. 
Of course, there was former Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro, who 
worked to reflect the people's demands for change, for example by 
carrying out postal service reforms in spite of resistance by vested 
interests within the party.  However, his neoliberal reforms only 
exacerbated income inequality.  When the world was struck by 
financial crisis soon afterwards, it revealed the weakness of the 
Japanese economy for all to see.  In the first quarter of 2009, the 
nation's GDP fell at an annual rate of some 11.7 percent, and 
unemployment reached its highest level in history.  The Liberal 
Democratic Party responded to this in the same way as the Lee 
Myung-bak Administration, by expanding public projects. It is all 
too natural that the people of Japan, who are demanding drastic 
changes, would abandon the party. 
 
Responsibility for reflecting this thirst for change now falls on 
the Democratic Party of Japan.  In a piece entitled "Japan's New 
Way," Democratic Party head, Hatoyama Yukio, spoke of "fraternity" 
as the crux of his political philosophy.  To him, fraternity is both 
a principle for controlling U.S.-style market fundamentalism and 
creating a society with a more solid social safety net, and also a 
philosophical foundation for creating an East Asian community.  It 
is hoped that Hatoyama's philosophy of fraternity will become a 
foundation for making Japan's society a more secure and egalitarian 
one. 
 
If Japan intends to speak of an East Asian community, it needs to 
act as a defender of peace and security in the region.  That it has 
failed to do so over the years is common knowledge.  The country has 
stirred up insecurity in the region with its historical views, 
territorial conflicts and military buildup, and it has had a 
deleterious effect on the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean 
nuclear issue due to its insistence on bringing up citizen abduction 
issues that are not directly related to the agenda.  A solution to 
the nuclear issue is urgently needed if the East Asian community 
described by Hatoyama is to be created.  In that regard, it is 
noteworthy that he is opening up the possibility for dialogue with 
North Korea. 
 
The changes in the ruling parties of the U.S. and Japan are 
demanding a complete change in our foreign policy.  The South Korean 
government should expand the approach of dialogue with North Korea 
initiated by the death of former president Kim Dae-jung, and ensure 
that the country is not left out by a shifting international 
situation. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
"JAPAN'S HISTORIC POWER TRANSITION; THE JAPANESE DEMOCRATIC PARTY 
GOVERNMENT, CAN IT INCREASE NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES' CONFIDENCE? 
(Dong-a Ilbo, August 31, 2009, Page 31) 
 
The landslide victory of the Democratic Party of Japan in 
yesterday's general elections has ended the 54-year reign of the 
Liberal Democratic Party, which was formed in 1955.  The August 30 
general elections, which enabled the first major transition of power 
in post-World War II Japan, hold great significance in Japanese 
political history.  Though a non-Liberal Democratic coalition took 
power for 10 months after the 1993 general elections, the Liberal 
Democratic Party still held control. 
 
The Democratic Party's victory resulted from the Japanese people's 
desire for change.  The Japanese public had long been fed up with 
the near total domination of the Liberal Democrats, who lost support 
 
SEOUL 00001391  006 OF 006 
 
 
due to bureaucratic politics, corruption, chronic factionalism and 
frequent replacement of prime ministers.  Another factor was that 
the Japanese economy, which had been revived under Prime Minister 
Junichiro Koizumi after the "lost decade," took another turn for the 
worse due to the global economic crisis.  Led by Yukio Hatoyama, the 
Democratic Party lambasted collusion between the government and the 
Liberal Democrats and achieved a revolutionary transition of power 
by promising down-to-earth policies such as childcare support and 
ending budget waste. 
 
Hatoyama, who will be Japan's next prime minister, has stressed the 
importance of Asia-focused diplomacy, especially Korea-Japan 
relations.  He publicly announced his opposition to visiting the 
Yasukuni Shrine, where Class A war criminals are honored.  Hatoyama 
also says he will follow the Murayama Danwa, an official statement 
made by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1995 to apologize for 
Japan's invasion and colonial rule of Asian countries.  Hatoyama's 
first foreign visit in May was to Korea after his election as party 
leader. 
 
Bilateral relations substantially improved after President Lee 
Myung-bak took power early last year.  Both public and private 
cooperation are needed to achieve a more mature partnership after 
the Democratic Party takes over the Japanese government. 
Nevertheless, it is premature to hold hasty hopes since factors that 
could worsen relations persist, such as the territorial dispute over 
the Dokdo islets.  The Hatoyama-led government must make great 
efforts to prevent an action that could hurt Korean sentiment and 
deteriorate bilateral relations. 
 
The Democratic Party favors the idea of free trade agreements with 
the ROK and the U.S.  Both Korea and Japan have groups backing such 
an agreement and those urging extreme caution.  If Tokyo cooperates 
with Seoul in reducing Korea's chronic trade imbalance with Japan, 
it will help resume free trade talks between both sides. 
 
 
On North Korea, the Democratic Party of Japan rejects the North as a 
nuclear power in the same manner as the ROK and the U.S.  The 
cooperation of the international community including the ROK, Japan 
and the U.S. is crucial in maintaining this principle after Japan's 
transition of power.  The Democratic Party has also pledged to do 
everything it can with government resources to resolve the North's 
past abductions of Japanese nationals. 
 
On domestic policy, the party introduced measures to support 
childcare, make public high school education free, accelerate 
decentralization, prohibit political appointments of public 
officials, and pursue eco-friendly economic development.  While some 
expressed hope for the introduction of a new economic growth model, 
others have criticized the party's pledges as pork barrel measures 
that fail to consider economic resources.  It also remains to see 
how the Japanese economy, which experienced rapid growth after the 
Second World War with the Liberal Democratic Party model, will fare 
under the Democratic Party. 
 
Korea and Japan must still rectify remnants of their unfortunate 
history, but are indispensable to each other given their 
geographical proximity and shared respect for a free democracy and 
market economy.  Japan's historic transition of power should serve 
as an opportunity to upgrade bilateral relations. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper.  Some minor 
changes have been made to make it identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
TOKOLA