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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SEOUL 001453 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; September 11, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's No. 2 Official; 
"There Is No Talk of Succession at This Time" 
 
 
JoongAng Ilbo 
Prosecutors to Introduce Post-investigation Evaluation; Prosecutors' 
Low Conviction Rate to Affect 
Their Performance Evaluation 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
ROKG to Sell As Many As Government-owned Properties to Increase Its 
Financial Revenue 
 
Hankook Ilbo 
ROK Dreams of Being "Secondary Battery Power" 
beyond "Semiconductor Korea" 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
ROKG Takes Only Wait-and-see Approach 
to Sejong City Project 
 
Segye Ilbo 
Dam Discharge Raises International Legal Issues 
 
Seoul Shinmun 
Still Difficult to Start New Businesses in ROK 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
---------------------- 
 
The ROK's Foreign Ministry is investigating whether North Korea 
breached international laws when it released water from its dam, 
which caused the lethal flood on the Imjin River last Sunday. 
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Moon Tae-young said yesterday that the 
ministry is closely examining the incident with other relevant 
government agencies. (All, All TVs) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
In a nationally televised speech Wednesday night before a joint 
session of Congress, U.S. President Barack Obama urged Congress to 
set aside partisan bickering and work with him to overhaul the U.S. 
health care system. (All, All TVs) 
 
During a September 10 interview with Japan's Kyodo news agency, Kim 
Yong-nam, North Korea's number two official and President of the 
Supreme People's Assembly said that there is no talk of succession 
at this time. (Chosun, Hankook, Hankyoreh, Segye) 
 
In a September 9 daily news briefing, State Department Spokesman Ian 
Kelly said, "Whatever we do has to be in very close consultation 
with our parties because we believe that's the best way to solve 
this conflict, in a Six-Party context." (Hankyoreh) 
 
At a September 9 press conference, U.S. Defense Department Spokesman 
Geoff Morrell said that the U.S. is strongly requesting that Japan 
continue to permit its naval fuel tankers to refuel American 
warships near Afghanistan, reiterating that the U.S. wants to 
implement all agreements with Japan, including the relocation of a 
marine airfield on Okinawa base. (Chosun, Hankook) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
-------------- 
 
Korean Peninsula - developments 
 
SEOUL 00001453  002 OF 004 
 
 
 
All ROK media gave wide attention to the ROK's Unification 
Ministry's September 10 remarks that the ministry is investigating 
whether North Korea breached international laws when it released 
water from its dam, which caused the lethal flood on the Imjin River 
last Sunday.  According to media reports, Foreign Ministry Spokesman 
Moon Tae-young said yesterday that the ministry is closely examining 
the incident with other relevant government agencies.  Moderate 
Hankook Ilbo reported in its inside-page story that customary 
international law dictates that a state may not harm another state 
in exercising its rights.  However, the newspaper noted that there 
is no international court that can rule definitively and 
authoritatively on a customary law that is not written.  Hankook 
Ilbo reported that therefore observers believe that it will be hard 
to put the customary international law into actual practice and the 
ROKG may end up only urging North Korea to apologize for its action 
and obtaining a guarantee against recurrence from Pyongyang. 
 
Major newspapers took special note of Japan's Kyodo news agency's 
September 10 interview with Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's number two 
official and president of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly. 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo quoted Kim as saying, "The matter of 
inheriting revolutionary traditions is important.  But there has 
been no talk of succession at this time."  According to the 
newspaper, he denied reports that Kim Jong-il has appointed his 
third son Jong-un as his heir apparent, which he described as an 
"attempt by some foreign media outlets to stifle our rise and 
prosperity." 
 
Anniversary of 9/11 attacks 
 
Moderate Seoul Shinmun carried a report on the eighth anniversary of 
the September 11th terrorist attacks.  In its inside-page report, 
the newspaper said that the lingering effect of the September 11th 
attacks has hampered President Obama' reform agenda.  According to 
the daily, U.S. conservatives are criticizing President Obama's 
immigration reform plan, saying that easing the pathway to 
immigration will allow for an easy inflow of terrorists, thus 
threatening U.S. security.  Hankook Ilbo also noted that there is a 
growing skepticism (in the U.S.) about the Afghanistan war that 
resulted from the September 11th attacks and that Obama's plan to 
deploy additional troops to Afghanistan has hit a snag. 
 
Iran- nuclear 
 
Conservative Segye Ilbo reported that Iran on September 9 presented 
a new package of proposals on its nuclear program to the P5+1 
countries, namely the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and 
Germany.  The package reportedly does not contain a breakthrough 
solution such as the halt of its uranium enrichment, according to 
the newspaper.  The daily also quoted State Department Spokesman Ian 
Kelly as saying that the U.S. will review the proposal seriously. 
 
Japan 
 
Chosun Ilbo and Hankook Ilbo gave an inside-page play to a September 
9 press conference by U.S. Defense Department Spokesman Geoff 
Morrell, who said that the U.S. strongly requests Japan to continue 
permitting its naval fuel tankers to refuel American warships near 
Afghanistan, reiterating that the U.S. wants to put all agreements 
with Japan into practice, including the relocation of a marine 
airfield on Okinawa base. 
 
 
FEATURES 
-------- 
 
KIM JONG-IL 'HAS NOT APPOINTED A SUCCESSOR' 
(Chosun Ilbo, September 11, 2009, Front Page) 
 
By Tokyo Correspondent Shin Jung-rok 
 
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is well and has not appointed a 
successor, the North's no. 2 official claimed Thursday.  Kim 
 
SEOUL 00001453  003 OF 004 
 
 
Yong-nam, President of the Presidium of North Korea's Supreme 
People's Assembly, told Japan's Kyodo news agency Monday, "The 
matter of inheriting revolutionary traditions is important.  But 
this has nothing to do with the successor issue." "There is no talk 
of succession at this time," he added. 
 
Kim Yong-nam was interviewed in Pyongyang.  He denied reports that 
Kim Jong-il has appointed his third son Jong-un as his heir 
apparent, which he described as an "attempt by some foreign media 
outlets to stifle our rise and prosperity."  He added, "Our people 
are now strongly united under Chairman Kim Jong-il to safeguard the 
republic and socialism."  He added Kim Jong-il is "currently running 
the entire party, state, and military energetically and wisely." 
 
Kim Yong-nam also called for better relations with Tokyo.  "We 
respect the Pyongyang Declaration" signed between the two sides on 
normalization of diplomatic relations, which includes a Japanese 
promise to supply the North with economic assistance, including 
humanitarian aid and soft loans.  "We must seriously overcome the 
unfortunate past based on this declaration." 
 
He added, "We oppose the Japanese government's wrongful hostile 
policies, but the Japanese people are not our enemy.  The prospect 
of (North) Korea-Japan relations will solely depend on the attitude 
of the Japanese government." 
 
That is being read as an offer of dialogue to improve ties after the 
election of a new government in Japan.  In August last year, during 
the Yasuo Fukuda's premiership, Pyongyang and Japan agreed to reopen 
investigations of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 
1970s and 80s.  But contacts stopped with the inauguration of the 
Taro Aso government in September last year. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
KIM JONG-IL ASSERTS CONTROL 
(Chosun Ilbo, September 11, 2009, Page 5) 
 
By Reporter Ahn Yong-hyun 
 
Why did North Korea's no. 2 Kim Yong-nam publicly announce that 
finding a successor to leader Kim Jong-il was "not being discussed 
at this point"? Given Kim Jong-il's absolute rule, the comments must 
be viewed as coming straight from the "dear leader" himself.  In 
other words, there is a strong chance that Kim Jong-il personally 
took steps to quell rumors about the succession. 
 
"Kim Yong-nam's comments are probably related to the fact that there 
has recently been no more talk of Kim's third son Jong-un being 
chosen as a successor, following a steady flow of intelligence 
information showing the leader's health had recovered," one South 
Korean intelligence official speculated. 
 
Rumors that Jong-un had been appointed as a successor began 
circulating at the beginning of this year.  South Korea's National 
Intelligence Service told lawmakers in June that the North sent out 
diplomatic notices to a number of counries following its second 
nuclear test informing them that Jong-un had been chosen as heir 
apparent. 
 
But early this month, newsletters with the latest information on 
North Korean reported rumors that that the regime ordered all 
officials to refrain from talking about the issue of a successor. 
They said Kim Jong-il is in the pink of health and capable of 
leading the country for the next 10 years and more. 
 
One North Korea expert said, "Early this year, when Kim Jong-il's 
recovery seemed uncertain, there was plenty of reason for North 
Koreans to talk about a successor.  But if the health issue has been 
resolved, discussions over a successor could be seen as a threat." 
 
Experts believe Kim Jong-il knows from experience that the 
 
SEOUL 00001453  004 OF 004 
 
 
appointment of a successor could weaken his absolute power.  After 
being chosen to succeed his father Kim Il-sung in 1980, Kim is 
believed to have quickly taken over the reins of power. 
 
There have been numerous accounts of Kim having recovered his 
health.  "I've been told that Deputy U.S. Secretary of State James 
Steinberg, who visited South Korea in June, told our intelligence 
official that Kim Jong-il would live for at least another five 
years," one government source said.  Steinberg's comment is based on 
the observations and analyses of medical experts who were shown four 
hours of footage of Kim moving around. 
 
In mid-August, Kim had dinner with Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun 
Jeong-eun for around four hours.  One South Korean government 
official said, "I heard Kim Jong-il drank pink champagne and smoked 
Marlboro cigarettes.  People who have had a stroke must avoid 
alcohol and cigarettes, but Kim seems to have recovered 
significantly judging from his drinking and smoking, even in small 
amounts." 
 
Ryu Dong-ryeol, a researcher at the Police Science Institute said, 
"Kim Jong-il is sending out a message to the world that he is alive 
and well and that they should negotiate with him.  Under these 
circumstances, any talk of a successor would not be welcome, and 
this was voiced through Kim Yong-nam's comments." 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
TOKOLA