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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 SEOUL 001946 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; December 14, 2009 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-a Ilbo, 
Hankook Ilbo, All TVs 
Arms Cargo from N. Korea Seized in Thailand 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun, Seoul Shinmun 
¶N. Korean Weapons Seizure May Affect U.S.-N. Korea Dialogue 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------- 
 
On Dec. 12, Thai authorities, reportedly acting on a tip from their 
U.S. counterparts, seized 35 tons of weapons on a plane that flew 
from North Korea and arrested five crew members on board. This Thai 
action was in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1874 banning 
the transportation of weapons to or from North Korea. (All) 
 
An ROKG official commented that the seizure clearly demonstrated 
Washington's "two-track" approach: applying pressure on the North 
through tough international sanctions while keeping the door open 
for dialogue until the North takes significant steps to 
denuclearize. (JoongAng) 
 
Referring to the Dec. 9 talks in Pyongyang between Ambassador 
Bosworth and North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju, 
an ROKG source said on Dec. 13 that North Korea's message to 
Ambassador Bosworth is that in order for the North to return to the 
Six-Party Talks, (the U.S.) should create an atmosphere in which the 
North can "save face." (JoongAng) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
--------------- 
 
-N. Korea 
--------- 
The seizure in Thailand of a Georgian cargo plane carrying 35 tons 
of North Korean weapons received wide press coverage today. 
According to media reports, this Thai action was in line with UN 
Security Council Resolution 1874 banning the transportation of 
weapons from or to North Korea.  It is also the first time an 
airplane carrying North Korean weapons has been caught since the UN 
Security Council adopted sanctions in June, according to media 
reports. 
 
Most media speculated that this incident may have a negative impact 
on U.S.-North Korea relations, because it came shortly after the 
Dec. 8 visit to Pyongyang by U.S. Special Representative for North 
Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth. 
 
Right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo quoted an ROKG official as commenting 
that the seizure clearly demonstrated Washington's "two-track" 
approach: applying pressure on the North through tough international 
sanctions while keeping the door open for dialogue until the North 
takes significant steps to denuclearize. 
 
Conservative Chosun Ilbo editorialized: "Selling weapons has long 
been regarded as a major cash cow for North Korea.  However, arms 
smuggling cannot be a means to revive the North Korean economy and 
to save North Korean citizens from starvation. ... This incident 
once again confirms that Pyongyang's only interest is in maintaining 
its regime and that it remains preoccupied with obtaining funds 
needed to maintain its power through illegal arms deals." 
 
An editorial in right-of-center JoongAng Ilbo argued: "Although we 
hope that this incident will not pour cold water on the hard-won 
atmosphere for dialogue between North Korea and the U.S., there is 
one thing that the North should bear in mind: It is just an illusion 
to think that UN sanctions, as in the past, will not be effective. 
 
SEOUL 00001946  002 OF 006 
 
 
The only way for the North to escape the sanctions is to return to 
the Six-Party Talks and to clearly express its intention to abandon 
its nuclear ambitions." 
 
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo editorialized: "Another worrisome factor is 
that North Korea used an aircraft for weapons transport this time. 
Pyongyang has apparently used air transport to deceive the world 
after scrutiny was raised on its ships. ... The latest incident 
shows that the world should never relax sanctions on North Korea and 
let its guard down." 
 
With regard to the Dec. 9 talks in Pyongyang between Ambassador 
Bosworth and North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju, 
JoongAng Ilbo carried a report quoting an ROKG source as saying on 
Dec. 13: "North Korea's message to Ambassador Bosworth is that in 
order for the North to return to the Six-Party Talks, (the U.S.) 
should create an atmosphere in which the North can "save face." 
 
Most media replayed foreign media reports that Ambassador Bosworth 
said in Beijing on Dec. 12 that there is no immediate plan for more 
talks with North Korea and urged "strategic patience" from the 
countries seeking the North's nuclear disarmament. 
 
An editorial in moderate Hankook Ilbo noted media reports that the 
U.S. and North Korea agreed during Ambassador Bosworth's visit to 
Pyongyang to discuss a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula in a 
'four-nation setting' with the ROK and China, and commented: "The 
'comprehensive package,' which promises normalization of diplomatic 
ties, a permanent peace regime and massive economic assistance in 
return for the North's complete denuclearization, is not different 
from our government's 'grand bargain' proposal.  ...  We should be 
prudent in preparing for discussions on a peace regime because the 
talks involve other sensitive issues that could affect the ROK-U.S. 
alliance.  However, if such talks help to restart the Six-Party 
Talks and other denuclearization negotiations, we view them 
positively." 
 
 
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS 
------------------- 
 
ARMS DEALS HIGHLIGHT N. KOREA'S DUPLICITY 
(Chosun Ilbo, December 14, 2009, Page 35) 
 
While searching a Georgian cargo aircraft from Pyongyang during a 
refueling stop at Bangkok's Don Muang Airport on Saturday, Thai 
authorities found 35 tons of North Korean weapons aboard, including 
missiles and explosives, and arrested five crewmembers including the 
pilot.  Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Sunday the 
measure was based on Thai laws and on UN (Security Council) 
Resolution 1874.  Some reports said the final destination of the 
plane was Pakistan, near whose border U.S. forces are engaged in a 
fierce battle against the Taliban. 
 
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1874 following North 
Korea's second nuclear test on May 25 banning all weapons-related 
transactions with the North.  North Korea's attempted smuggling of 
weapons is a clear violation of the resolution and will inevitably 
lead to stronger sanctions against North Korea.  In August, the 
United Arab Emirates seized a vessel laden with North Korean 
weapons, while another North Korean cargo ship, the Kangnam, was 
forced to return to its home port on its way to Myanmar after being 
tracked by the U.S. Navy. 
 
North Korea is believed to have loaded the Georgian aircraft with 
missiles and explosives last Tuesday or Wednesday, just when U.S. 
special envoy on North Korea policy Stephen Bosworth was visiting 
Pyongyang.  In other words, the North was busily selling weapons 
even as it was holding its first dialogue with the U.S. in a year. 
Pyongyang is seriously mistaken if it believes the resumption of 
dialogue with the U.S. signals an easing of surveillance of its arms 
dealings.  Regardless of U.S.-North Korea talks, the international 
community is willing to enforce UN sanctions against North Korea. 
Indeed, the Georgian aircraft, which was scheduled to refuel in Sri 
 
SEOUL 00001946  003 OF 006 
 
 
Lanka, may have made an emergency landing in Thailand as a result of 
surveillance and tracking efforts by the international community. 
 
Selling weapons has long been regarded as a major cash cow for North 
Korea.  However, arms smuggling cannot be a means to revive the 
North Korean economy and to save North Korean citizens from 
starvation.  The ROK, the U.S. and the international community have 
made it clear that they are willing to offer economic aid and 
support to North Korea if it abandons its nuclear weapons and 
missile programs.  But the regime is not interested in saving North 
Korean lives.  This incident once again confirms that Pyongyang's 
only interest is in maintaining its regime and that it remains 
preoccupied with obtaining funds needed to maintain power through 
illegal arms deals. 
 
 
NK CAUGHT AGAIN FOR EXPORTING WEAPONS 
(Dong-a Ilbo, December 14, 2009, Page 35) 
 
North Korea has been caught yet again for trying to export weapons. 
The cargo aircraft seized yesterday in Thailand reportedly contained 
35 tons of weapons, including missiles and rocket launchers.  This 
shows that the North continues to export weapons in defiance of U.N. 
Security Council Resolution 1874 passed in June, which bans 
Pyongyang from exporting all weapons-related material excluding 
small weapons.  The resolution is part of the sanctions (implemented 
resulting from) the North's long-range missile program and its 
second nuclear test. 
 
Another worrisome factor is that this time North Korea used an 
aircraft for weapons transport.  Pyongyang has apparently used air 
transport to deceive the world after scrutiny was raised on its 
ships.  In August, the United Arab Emirates seized North Korean 
weapons in a ship from a third country headed for Iran.  A month 
later, North Korean cargo, including body armor, was intercepted in 
the ROK port of Busan.  Back in June, the North Korean ship Kangnam 
1, which was suspected of carrying weapons, had to sail back to 
North Korea when an American vessel began tailing it.  With its 
adoption of the air transport method, Pyongyang is playing 
hide-and-seek with the world both at sea and in the sky. 
 
North Korea is also taking advantage of bilateral talks with the 
U.S. while exporting weapons.  The cargo aircraft detained in 
Thailand had left Pyongyang two days after Stephen Bosworth, U.S. 
special envoy for North Korea policy, returned home from his visit 
to the North Korean capital.  The weapons were delivered while 
Bosworth was in Pyongyang, then the plane took off immediately after 
he left.  North Korea might have expected U.S. surveillance to 
weaken while Bosworth was in Pyongyang.  It is hard to believe that 
North Korea truly wants to reconcile with the U.S. since it 
attempted to export weapons behind Washington's back while bilateral 
talks were in progress. 
 
U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874 are emergency 
measures to prevent the North from spreading weapons of mass 
destruction, including nuclear weapons and missiles.  The latest 
incident shows that the world should never relax sanctions on North 
Korea and let its guard down.  For a nation that sells weapons to 
whomever it wants, North Korea might be led to believing that 
exporting WMDs is a profitable business.  As seen with Iran, a rogue 
country that has openly expanded its uranium enrichment program, 
there is clearly international demand for nuclear weapons and 
technology. 
 
Fortunately, many nations have actively cooperated in implementing 
the two (UNSC) resolutions.  Thailand seized the Georgian aircraft 
that carried the North Korean weapons based on a tip from U.S. 
intelligence.  Myanmar also rejected the entrance of Kangnam 1. 
North Korea seeks to disrupt peace by ignoring U.N. resolutions and 
continuing the export of weapons, but decisive action from the 
international community can prevent this. 
 
 
NORTH KOREAN WEAPONS SEIZURE SHOULD NOT AFFECT TALKS 
 
SEOUL 00001946  004 OF 006 
 
 
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, December 11, 2009, Page 31) 
 
On Saturday, a cargo aircraft carrying North Korean-made missiles 
and other weapons was detained at a Thai airport and the weapons 
confiscated.  Although the aircraft and its five crew members were 
all from former Soviet Union countries, it appears certain that the 
weapons intended for export were from North Korea since they 
originated from Pyongyang.  The amount of weapons came to a 
considerable 35 tons.  This unfavorable turn of events comes just 
after the visit of Stephen Bosworth, U.S. Special Representative for 
North Korea Policy. 
 
Weapons exports by North Korea are in violation of a United Nations 
(UN) resolution adopted this past spring after the country had 
conducted a nuclear test.  That resolution designates nearly all 
North Korea weapons as subject to an embargo.  While North Korea 
does not recognize this resolution, UN member nations are obligated 
to abide by its content.  As such, there may be a fair amount of 
conflict emerging between North Korea and other concerned nations in 
the future over the determinations made by the UN Sanctions 
Committee. 
 
Another concern is the negative effect this may have on the 
resumption of Six-Party Talks.  North Korea had taken another step 
closer to returning to those talks with Bosworth's visit of Dec. 8 
that lasted until Dec. 10.  Experts are predicting that talks will 
resume after an additional senior-level meeting between North Korea 
and the U.S.  These developments mean that the U.S. and North Korea 
are on the verge of a consensus on the broader framework of the 
denuclearization process.  Furthermore, if talks resume, it is 
expected that negotiations will be proceeding somewhat more 
effectively based on a reflection on past failures.  However, some 
are saying this incident may cause a delay in the resumption of 
talks.  If this incident has a negative effect on international 
opinion, we may see a repeat of the Banco Delta Asia (BDA) incident 
that took place around the time of the September 19 Joint Statement 
in 2005, which prevented the Six-Party Talks from proceeding for 
nearly a year and a half. 
 
Even if the international community moves to deal with the incident 
swiftly in accordance with the spirit of the UN resolution, it needs 
to ensure that there is no increase in needless conflict.  It goes 
without saying that we must not have factions that favor a hard line 
on North Korea using the incident to thwart nuclear negotiations as 
happened with the BDA incident.  Moreover, North Korea, for its 
part, should not engage in misguided stubbornness over facts that 
have already come to light.  It needs to bear in mind that the 
international sanctions targeting it will ultimately go away only if 
headway is made in denuclearization. 
 
If Six-Party Talks are to restart and generate results, it is 
important that all parties involved work to maintain a balance and 
steadily build up trust even if some unforeseen incident takes 
place.  North Korea in particular should view this incident as a 
test case for examining its approach. 
 
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is 
identical to the Korean version.) 
 
 
"FOUR-WAY DIALOGUE" IS DESIRABLE FOR PEACE REGIME ON KOREAN 
PENINSULA 
(Hankook Ilbo, December 14, Page 39) 
 
The U.S. and North Korea reportedly agreed to discuss a peace regime 
on the Korean Peninsula in a "four-nation setting" with the ROK and 
China.  Both sides agreed that the four-way talks should be held 
after the Six-Party Talks resume.  This mutual understanding was 
reached during Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen 
Bosworth's visit to Pyongyang.  The U.S., which urged the North to 
denuclearize first, and North Korea, which demanded a peace regime, 
agreed to discuss the two issues through separate dialogue.  This is 
desirable progress because the ROKG has considered denuclearization 
and a peace regime the two axes for a peaceful Korean Peninsula. 
 
SEOUL 00001946  005 OF 006 
 
 
 
The need to discuss a peace regime such as replacing the armistice 
agreement with a peace treaty also was brought up in the 1991 Basic 
Agreement and during the Four-Party Talks in Geneva in 1997.  The 
U.S. and North Korea mentioned a four-nation negotiation framework 
for signing a peace treaty in 2000 when special envoy Jo Myong-rok 
visited the U.S.  The September 19, 2005 Joint Statement also 
stipulates that "the directly related parties" will negotiate a 
peace regime (on the Korean Peninsula) at an appropriate separate 
forum. 
 
However, the peace treaty issue has made little progress and was not 
addressed seriously in the Six-Party Talks.  In response to UN 
Security Council's sanctions imposed after its long-range rocket 
launch, North Korea boycotted the Six-Party Talks apparently because 
it aimed to transform denuclearization negotiations into peace 
treaty negotiations.  North Korea called for the removal of the 
U.S.'s threats against North Korea and its nuclear umbrella for the 
ROK as a prerequisite for its denuclearization. 
 
Even though the agreement this time embraced the North's demand, it 
is consistent with the common positions of the U.S. and the ROK. 
The four-way dialogue will take place only after the Six-Party Talks 
resume and the ROK has been reaffirmed as one of the "directly 
related parties."  The U.S. has been pressuring the North to rejoin 
the Six-Party Talks while at the same time proposing an alternate 
road to take.  The 'comprehensive package,' which promises 
normalization of diplomatic ties, a permanent peace regime and 
massive economic assistance in return for the North's complete 
denuclearization, is not different from our government's 'grand 
bargain' proposal.  Thai authorities impounded a Georgian cargo 
plane carrying North Korean weapons including missiles.  This move 
indicates (the U.S.'s) determination to pursue pressure and dialogue 
at the same time. 
 
We should be prudent in preparing for discussions on a peace regime 
because the talks involve other sensitive issues that could affect 
the ROK-U.S. alliance.  However, if such talks help to restart the 
Six-Party Talks and other denuclearization negotiations, we view 
them positively. 
 
 
¶N. KOREAN WEAPONS SEIZURE REAFFIRMS (THE USG'S) TWO-TRACK PRINCIPLE 
OF SANCTIONS AND DIALOGUE 
(JoongAng Ilbo, December 14, 2009, Page 38) 
 
A cargo plane carrying North Korean weapons was seized in Thailand 
on December 12.  It was only two days after the U.S.-North Korean 
high-level talks ended.  This incident clearly shows the Obama 
Administration's determination to implement a two-track strategy of 
pressure and dialogue toward the North and not to repeat the past 
pattern of the Bush Administration, when sanctions against the North 
disappeared after the communist state entered into dialogue. 
 
As far as it is known, it seems to be certain that North Korea 
violated UN Security Council Resolution 1874.   Thai authorities 
reported that they inspected and seized a Georgian cargo plane from 
Pyongyang carrying 35 tons of North Korean weaponry, including about 
20 missiles and 48 rocket-propelled grenades, when the plane stopped 
for refueling.  The U.S. intelligence authorities reportedly asked 
for cooperation in that process.  Although more details are expected 
to be revealed after the Thai authorities complete their 
investigation, it appears obvious that the North was caught 
exporting weapons through a plane of a third nation. 
 
UNSC Resolution 1874, which was adopted in June after the North 
Korea's second nuclear test, bans all trade in North Korean-made 
weapons.  This Resolution "calls upon all States to inspect all 
cargo to and from the DPRK, in their territory, including seaports 
and airports, if the State concerned has information that provides 
reasonable grounds to believe the cargo contains prohibited items 
(Article 11)," authorizes "all Member States to, and that all Member 
States shall, seize and dispose of prohibited items (article 14)" 
and "requires any Member State to submit promptly reports containing 
 
SEOUL 00001946  006 OF 006 
 
 
relevant details to the Committee on the inspection, seizure and 
disposal (of prohibited cargo) (Article 15)."  Thailand seems to 
have inspected the cargo plane on a tip-off from the U.S. and seized 
the weapons.  In August, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) seized North 
Korean-made weapons on a third nation's vessel bound for Iran, and 
at the end of June, a North Korean ship suspected of carrying 
weapons toward Myanmar returned home after being tracked by a U.S. 
Navy vessel.  It is getting clearer that it is becoming more 
difficult for North Korea to export weapons in defiance of the UNSC 
Resolution. 
 
Although we hope that this incident will not pour cold water on the 
hard-won atmosphere for dialogue between North Korea and the U.S., 
there is one thing that the North should bear in mind: It is just an 
illusion to think that UN sanctions, as in the past, will not be 
effective.   The only way for the North to escape the sanctions is 
to return to the Six-Party Talks and clearly express its intention 
to abandon its nuclear ambitions. 
 
 
STEPHENS