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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SEOUL 001745 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; November 3, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
Board of Audit and Inspection Asks Prosecution to Investigate 16 
Cultural and Civic Organizations on Suspicion of 
Embezzling 50 Billion Won in Government Subsidies 
 
JoongAng Ilbo 
President Lee Says He Won't Duck Sejong City Issue 
 
Dong-a Ilbo 
National Tax Service to Bring 270 Trillion Won 
Underground Economy to Above Ground 
 
Hankook Ilbo, All TVs 
ROKG to Raise "New Flu" Alert to Highest "Red" Level Today 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
Land Ministry Lowered Grades of Highly Protected Greenbelt Areas to 
Build Low-Cost Apartments 
 
Segye Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun 
President Lee Urges Prudence over Sejong City Project 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
---------------------- 
 
A week after the ROKG offered 10,000 tons of corn in food aid to 
North Korea, the North remained silent yesterday, putting the ROKG 
in an awkward position. (Hankook) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said yesterday that "If 
the U.S. is not ready to sit down face to face with us, we will go 
our own way." This remark seems designed to press for bilateral 
talks with the U.S. (All) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
--------------- 
 
-N. Korea 
---------- 
All ROK media covered Nov. 2 press remarks by a North Korean Foreign 
Ministry spokesman, in which he said: "If the U.S. is not ready to 
sit down face to face with us, we will go our own way."  The 
spokesman was further quoted: "As we magnanimously clarified our 
position that it is possible to hold multilateral talks, including 
the Six-Party Talks depending on talks with the U.S., now it is the 
U.S.'s turn to make a decision."  Most media interpreted this North 
Korean statement as designed to press for bilateral talks with the 
U.S. 
 
-Afghanistan Election Over 
-------------------------- 
The ROK media gave attention to Afghanistan's election commission's 
declaration yesterday that Hamid Karzai will continue as president 
after it called off a run-off following the withdrawal of his only 
rival. 
 
Newspapers carried the following headlines: "Though Regrettable... 
U.S. Again in the Same Boat with Karzai" (conservative Chosun Ilbo); 
"U.S. Likely to Speed up Decision on Afghan Troop Deployment" 
(right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo); and "Doubts Remain over Legitimacy 
of New Government, Including Allegations of Fraud in Favor of 
Karzai" (moderate Hankook Ilbo, left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun, 
conservative Segye Ilbo, moderate Seoul Shinmun) 
 
 
SEOUL 00001745  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
FEATURES 
--------- 
 
¶N. KOREA GETS IMPATIENT WITH U.S. 
(Chosun Ilbo, November 3, 2009, Page 6; Excerpts) 
 
By Reporter Ahn Yong-hyun 
 
North Korea on Monday warned it will "go its own way if the U.S. is 
not yet ready to sit down" for dialogue about the North Korean 
nuclear issue. 
 
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman made the remarks to the 
official KCNA news agency.  "As we magnanimously clarified our 
position that it is possible to hold multilateral talks, including 
the Six-Party Talks depending on talks with the U.S., now it is the 
U.S.'s turn to make a decision." 
 
A South Korean security official said the remarks sound like 
blackmail, warning of some kind of military action "including 
increasing its nuclear capability" unless the U.S. jumps into talks. 
 But he said the substance was a "rehash" of previous statements. 
 
In a recent meeting held between Ri Gun, the Chief of the North 
Korean Foreign Ministry's American Affairs Bureau, and Sung Kim, the 
Chief U.S. Delegate to the Six-Party Talks, the spokesman complained 
that "no discussion" took place "on any substantial issue concerning 
the bilateral dialogue." 
 
This can be interpreted as meaning that, during the meeting, the 
difference of opinions between the two over issues, such as the 
North's return to the Six-Party Talks, was hardly narrowed.  The 
spokesman claimed the North suffered huge economic losses in the 
process of talks to solve its nuclear issue, since it did not 
receive the light-water reactor as promised.  This is being read as 
a broad hint that the North wants greater economic support as a 
reward for returning to the Six-Party Talks. 
 
The spokesman already drew lines for future talks by saying that the 
Sept. 19, 2005 statement of principles was a "dead document," 
because the U.S. brought North Korea's "satellite launch" - widely 
understood to have been a long-range missile test - to the UN 
Security Council and invoked sanctions.  The 2005 statement 
stipulates a stage-by-stage dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear 
weapons on the "action-for-action" principle. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper.  We have compared 
the English version on the website with the Korean version and added 
some sentences in English to make them identical.) 
 
 
STEPHENS