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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SEOUL 001723 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; October 29, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
Chosun Ilbo, Dong-a Ilbo 
Main Opposition DP Beats Ruling GNP in By-Elections by Winning 
Three of Five Contested Seats 
 
JoongAng Ilbo, Hankook Ilbo, Hankyoreh Shinmun, Segye Ilbo, Seoul 
Shinmun 
GNP Suffers Crushing Defeat in Seoul Metropolitan Area and 
Chungcheong Province 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
-------------------- 
 
12 ROK students who were studying in the U.S. have halted their 
study and returned home, because the owner of the boarding house 
where they stayed was arrested on Oct. 22 by local police for 
allegedly beating one of the students in his care. (JoongAng) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks Sung Kim and Ri Gun, Director 
General of American Affairs at North Korea's Foreign Ministry, 
exchanged views about regional security, including the North Korean 
nuclear issue, at the Northeast Asia Cooperative Dialogue in San 
Diego, but they had no formal contacts for direct U.S.-North Korea 
talks. (Hankook) 
 
A huge car bomb tore through a busy market in northwestern Pakistan 
on Oct. 28, killing nearly 100 people. The blast came just three 
hours after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in the 
country for talks. (All) 
 
In Afghanistan on the same day, Taliban gunmen attacked a guest 
house used by UN staff, killing 12 people including six UN 
employees. (All) 
 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
-------------- 
 
- N. Korea 
---------- 
Moderate Hankook Ilbo carried an inside-page report from Washington 
that Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks Sung Kim and Ri Gun, 
Director General of American Affairs at North Korea's Foreign 
Ministry, exchanged views about regional security, including the 
North Korean nuclear issue, at the Oct. 26-27 Northeast Asia 
Cooperative Dialogue in San Diego but that they had no formal 
contacts for direct U.S.-North Korea talks. 
 
The report quoted sources as predicting at least one or two more 
contacts between the U.S. and North Korea, since Director Ri will 
stay in New York for six days to attend another security forum 
organized by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy 
(NCAFP) and the Korea Society. 
 
- Aid for Afghanistan 
--------------------- 
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo carried a commentary headed, "Is the 
ROK Ready to Get Bogged Down in Afghanistan?"  It said: "It is 
almost meaningless to draw a distinction between combatants and 
non-combatants in the current Afghan situation.  There is no safety 
zone. ...   The U.S. has yet to decide how to lead the Afghan war in 
the future.  ... In this situation, there is no reason for us to 
make a decision to redeploy troops to the war-torn country.  It will 
not be too late to wait until the Nov. 7 presidential runoff 
election in Afghanistan and the U.S. reaches a final decision." 
 
SEOUL 00001723  002 OF 004 
 
 
 
- Terrorist Attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
All newspapers led their international news section with reports on 
Oct. 28 terrorist attacks on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani 
border.  According to media reports, the brutal bomb attack in 
Pakistan came just three hours after Secretary of State Hillary 
Clinton arrived in the country for talks. 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo wrote in the headline: "All-out 
Counterattacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan... October Marks Deadliest 
Month for U.S. Military."  Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo's headline 
read: "Taliban Attack UN Guest House to Obstruct Next Month's 
Presidential Run-off Election" 
 
 
 
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS 
-------------------- 
 
OBAMA AND THE KOREA-US FTA 
(Dong-a Ilbo, October 29, 2009, page 38) 
 
By Editorial writer Bang Hyung-nam 
 
President Barack Obama has made several comments on the Korea-U.S. 
free trade agreement this year.  At a bilateral summit in April, he 
said, "I understand that ROK President Lee Myung-bak has made a lot 
of efforts to pursue the Korea-U.S. FTA.  I have a strong will to 
pursue the FTA."  In receiving credentials from ROK Ambassador to 
the U.S. Han Duck-soo, Obama said that "an FTA with Korea, our 
seventh-largest trading partner, will boost prosperity for the 
people of the two nations."  The Joint Vision for the ROK-U.S. 
Alliance, a statement released by both leaders in June (following 
the June 16 Summit in Washington), also says, "We will continue to 
deepen our strong bilateral economic, trade and investment 
relations."  It goes on to say that "based on the recognition that 
the agreement will further strengthen such relations, we'll work 
together to plan our way to go for the future."  (Editor's Note: 
The final sentence above actually reads "We recognize that the 
Korea-U.S. (KORUS) Free Trade Agreement could further strengthen 
these ties, and we are committed to working together to chart a way 
forward." 
 
If Obama's comments were not an empty promise, the ratification of 
the deal might have proceeded more smoothly.  Yet little progress 
has been made 28 months after the accord was signed.  In an opinion 
piece Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal said Obama has done nothing 
to get the agreement ratified.  His administration's stance is in 
stark contrast to that of the ROK Government, which presented the 
deal to the National Assembly for ratification long ago. 
 
Americans favor ratification of the free trade deal.  When the U.S. 
Trade Representative conducted a survey of 288 American businesses 
in July, 92 percent said they back ratification.  They urged 
Washington to promptly ratify the pact, saying it will contribute to 
U.S. economic growth and improve bilateral relations in security and 
diplomacy.  Nevertheless, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Wendy 
Cutler is pinning hopes on renegotiation due to fears in the auto 
sector.  Delaying the deal's ratification because of one certain 
industry is not right. 
 
Obama will arrive in Seoul Nov. 18 for a two-day visit.  What 
suggestions he will make is attracting interest.  Over the short 
term, Korea will announce a plan to send troops to Afghanistan to 
protect reconstruction teams to contribute to world peace, 
strengthen its alliance with the U.S., and mark Obama's first visit 
to Korea.  His predecessor President George W. Bush said, "The 
Korea-U.S. FTA will further cement political ties between the U.S. 
and Korea."  It is a high time for Obama to speak from his heart. 
 
 
IS THE ROK READY TO GET BOGGED DOWN IN AFGHANISTAN? 
(JoongAng Ilbo, October 29, 2009, page 47: Excerpts) 
 
SEOUL 00001723  003 OF 004 
 
 
 
By Editorial writer Bae Myung-bok 
 
Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told the National Assembly It seems 
that the ROKG has finally decided to redeploy troops to Afghanistan. 
 The ROKG plans to increase the number of Provincial Reconstruction 
Team (PRT) personnel to 130 from the current 25 and send a 300 to 
500 person-strong guard force to protect them.  The ROKG apparently 
wants to emphasize its position that it will send non-combatant 
forces only for self-defense, not combatant forces. 
 
What the ROKG claims is half right and half wrong.  Even if 
non-combatant forces are deployed, they cannot but serve as 
combatants when embroiled in a battle.  It is almost meaningless to 
draw a distinction between combatants and non-combatants in the 
current Afghan situation.  There is no safety zone.   This situation 
is fundamentally different from when the Zaytun unit was deployed to 
carry out civil affairs operation in a secure area of Iraq and 
returned safely.  German troops in Afghanistan are a good example 
indicating what could happen if we send our troops. 
 
Germany deployed its troops to Afghanistan mainly to protect the 
PRTs.  However, things began to turn different.  They often engaged 
in a battle to counter attacks from the Taliban which expanded its 
presence to northern Afghanistan.  So far, 56 German soldiers have 
been killed. 
 
It is understandable why the ROKG decided to redeploy troops to 
Afghanistan despite the lingering nightmare of the hostage incident. 
 It is likely that the ROKG viewed it as an urgent task to enhance 
its national status by making contributions to the world as a host 
of the next G20 Summit.  The U.S. anticipates assistance to 
Afghanistan from the ROK even if it has not made a direct request. 
The ROK apparently calculated that it can make further contributions 
to Afghanistan and have the desired effect by deciding to expand the 
number of PRT personnel and send hundreds of troops to protect them. 
 The ROKG also wanted to demonstrate that it has made its own 
decision on troop redeployment ahead of President Obama's visit to 
the ROK. 
 
However, it is hard to avoid an argument that this decision has been 
made too hastily.  The U.S. has yet to decide how to lead the Afghan 
war in the future.  The goal of the Afghanistan war is unclear.  It 
is likely that shortly after the 9.11 terrorist attack, the U.S. 
aimed to overthrow the Taliban regime which provided a shelter to 
Islam terrorist al-Qaida.  When this goal was realized, the U.S. 
focused on establishing a stable and democratic government in 
Afghanistan.  In the meantime, al-Qaida hid out in the border area 
of Pakistan and the Taliban intensified its resistance against 
foreign forces. 
 
In this situation, there is no reason for us to make a decision to 
redeploy troops to the war-torn country.  It will not be too late to 
wait until the Nov. 7 presidential runoff election in Afghanistan 
and the U.S. reaches a final decision. 
 
In order to redeploy troops to Afghanistan, we should be ready to 
get bogged down there.  It is hard to image that only the ROK would 
get out of Afghanistan before the war is over because it would 
breach international trust.  We cannot rule out the possibility that 
any casualties inflicted would lead to additional troop deployment. 
In spite of this, if the ROK has decided to redeploy troops, it 
should candidly explain all risks involved to people and seek their 
understanding.  The ROKG should bear in mind that if the ROKG tries 
to gloss over this situation with an expression of "non-combatants", 
it could face harsher consequences later. 
 
WORRYING TALK OF OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT OF USFK 
(Dong-a Ilbo, October 29, 2009, Page 38) 
 
By Political Affairs Reporter Yoon Sang-ho 
 
In June, 2008, after a meeting with Minister of National Defense Lee 
Sang-hee, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said during a press 
 
SEOUL 00001723  004 OF 004 
 
 
conference at Collier Field House in Yongsan Garrison, "No decision 
has been made, nor will one be made soon, (about sending the 
Apaches.)"  The statement was designed as a response to a Dong-a 
Ilbo article two weeks earlier which said that the USFK battalion of 
Apache attack helicopters would be deployed to the Middle East 
region.  Most media outlets quoted Secretary Gates' statement, 
downplaying the possibility of an Apache battalion being sent to 
Afghanistan. 
 
Five months later, however, the ROK and the U.S. announced that the 
Apache battalion would be deployed off the peninsula.  The two 
nations initially decided to replace Apache helicopters with the 
A-10 anti-tank aircraft but later said that F-16 fighter jets would 
replace Apache helicopters, creating confusion.  Controversy ensued 
over whether F-16s would be able to fill a possible security vacuum 
left by the withdrawal of the Apache battalion. 
 
Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen 
recently sparked controversy by saying that the U.S. is considering 
sending some USFK troops to the Middle East.  The Ministry of 
National Defense explained on October 27, "According to the USFK on 
October 27, Adm. Mullen said that his response to USFK servicemen 
was not an official one, and the USFK troop level will remain at the 
current level." 
 
However, observers inside and outside the military view Adm. 
Mullen's remark as a message saying that the U.S. will earnestly 
implement the USFK's "strategic flexibility," under which USFK 
troops will be deployed to other troubled parts of the world.  This 
atmosphere was felt a year ago, too, when Gen. Burwell Bell held his 
last press conference as the USFK commander.  While saying, "The 
U.S. will maintain troop levels in the ROK," Gen. Bell emphasized, 
however, that (the U.S.) should be guaranteed to deploy its military 
power to ensure victory in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
 
Some observers predict that around the year 2012, when the wartime 
operational control of ROK troops is transferred to the ROK, and the 
ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command is dissolved, there will be U.S. 
troop cuts in the ROK.  In other words, when the ROK military takes 
the leadership in defending the nation, the U.S. will withdraw U.S. 
ground troops from the ROK or redeploy them to Afghanistan.  This 
speculation is bolstered by the fact that Adm. Mullen described the 
OPCON transfer as a "significant change" while mentioning the 
possibility of sending some USFK troops to the Middle East. 
 
In the past, whenever there was talk of reducing the number of USFK 
troops or pulling them out of the peninsula, the U.S. first denied 
it, saying, "We have no such plan for the time being or at present," 
but in the end, the U.S. put its original plan into action.  Based 
on these precedents, the ROKG should figure out the true intention 
of Washington more thoroughly and fully brace for any impact that 
Washington's intention may have on security on the Korean Peninsula. 
 For the ROK-U.S combined forces to maintain deterrence against 
North Korea is directly linked with our security. 
 
 
 
STEPHENS