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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SEOUL 000065 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; JANUARY 15, 2010 
 
TOP HEADLINES 
------------- 
 
Chosun Ilbo 
¶N. Korea Proposes Talks on Resuming Cross-Border Tours 
 
JoongAng Ilbo 
In Quake-Hit Haiti, Even President Has Nowhere to Go 
 
Dong-a Ilbo, All TVs 
Haiti Quake Toll May Top 100,000 
 
Hankook Ilbo, Seoul Shinmun 
Job Market Likely to Remain Bleak in 2010 
 
Hankyoreh Shinmun 
ROKG Signs MOU with Companies Planning to Invest in Sejong City Even 
Before Passage of Sejong City Revision Bill 
 
Segye Ilbo 
ROK Wins Deal to Build Jordan's Nuclear Reactor 
 
 
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
The ROKG announced yesterday that it would provide emergency 
supplies worth $1 million and send relief workers to Haiti which has 
been devastated by a massive earthquake. (All) 
 
North Korea yesterday proposed working-level talks on resuming 
cross-border tours to Mt. Kumgang and the North's border city of 
Kaesong from Jan. 26-27 at Mt. Kumgang. (All) 
 
According to a recent report by U.S. industries to the USTR, 21 U.S. 
agro-livestock, food and pharmaceutical companies and groups are 
strongly dissatisfied with the ROK's high tariffs and various 
non-tariff barriers, and called on the USTR to redress the 
situation. (Dong-a) 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 
------------------ 
 
Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth, in a 
Jan. 13 event hosted by the Korea Economic Institute in Washington, 
expressed hope that relevant countries will convene soon to discuss 
the North's nuclear issue. (Segye, KBS, VoiceofPeople) 
 
 
MEDIA ANALYSIS 
-------------- 
 
-N. Korea 
--------- 
Conservative Segye Ilbo, state-run KBS and VoiceofPeople, a 
progressive internet news outlet, quoted Special Representative for 
North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth as saying in a Jan. 13 event 
hosted by the Korea Economic Institute in Washington: "When North 
Korea comes back to the Six-Party Talks and resumes making progress 
for the goal of denuclearization, the Security Council will examine 
the appropriateness of a revision of the sanctions resolution."  He 
was further quoted: "We hope sometime in the next few weeks or 
months we could be back to the diplomatic process and begin then 
seriously brushing up the terminology and hopefully making some 
progress." 
 
-Haiti Earthquake 
------------------ 
All ROK media covered the ROKG's announcement yesterday that it 
would provide emergency supplies worth $1 million and send relief 
workers to Haiti, devastated by a powerful earthquake that may have 
left hundreds of thousands dead. 
 
SEOUL 00000065  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
Conservative Dong-a Ibo editorialized: "It is high time for the 
international community to extend a helping hand in the spirit of 
humanitarianism, lest the Haitians collapse into despair. ... Given 
the ROK's status in the world, the ROKG's planned $1 million of 
relief aid seems rather insufficient.  ROK companies and civic 
groups should also come forward to help.  The ROK owes a lot to 
international society.  From a humanitarian and moral perspective, 
it should proactively help a nation like Haiti that cannot stand on 
its own feet." 
 
An editorial in conservative Chosun Ilbo echoed Dong-a Ilbo's 
argument, writing in the headline: "Massive Earthquake in Haiti; ROK 
Should Provide Help In Line with Its Status as the World's 10th 
Largest Economy" 
 
Moderate Hankook Ilbo commented in an editorial: "The earthquake in 
Haiti is a disaster in itself.  However, the country's poor 
infrastructure, corruption and incompetence as a state have made 
this disaster grow out of control. ... This is why the international 
community, while rushing to help the country, dwells on the man-made 
aspects of the disaster." 
 
 
FEATURES 
-------- 
 
U.S. AGRO-LIVESTOCK, FOOD AND PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES STRONGLY 
DISSATISFIED WITH ROK'S TRADE BARRIERS 
(Dong-a Ilbo, January 15, Page B1) 
 
By Correspondent Choe young-hae 
 
U.S. agro-livestock, food and pharmaceutical companies and groups 
are reportedly strongly dissatisfied with the ROK's high trade 
barriers.  These groups demanded that the U.S. Trade Representative 
(USTR) call on the ROK to remove its high tariffs and various 
non-tariff barriers. 
 
The U.S. industry recently submitted an opinion on barriers to ROK 
market to the USTR.  The 2010 National Trade Estimate Report on 
Foreign Trade Barriers will be drawn up from this data and opinions 
on barriers to other countries and will be reported to President 
Barack Obama and the U.S Congress by late March.  The USTR has put 
pressure on the U.S.'s trading partners based on this report.  This 
time, 50 U.S. companies and groups presented 104 opinions on the 
U.S.'s 60 major trading partners. 
 
Twenty one companies and groups from different fields voiced their 
discontent with the ROK.  They include 8 agro-livestock companies 
and groups, 5 food companies, 3 industrial goods companies, 2 
pharmaceutical and medical device companies, 2 service companies and 
1 liquor company.  They expressed strong dissatisfaction with high 
tariffs (18 to 304%), complicated quarantine procedures, prohibition 
of food coloring, cautionary labeling requirements, duplicate tests, 
and certification requirements. 
 
The U.S. Rice Federation in Arlington, Virginia demanded that the 
ROK fully complies with its quota for U.S. rice imports that goes to 
consumers as "table rice." 
 
The Northwest Fruit Growers' Association demanded that the ROK lift 
high tariffs on apples (45%), cherries (24%), and pears (45%). 
 
This Association's annual fruit production is worth 2.5 billion 
dollars.  The American Potato Trade Alliance argued that high 
tariffs on frozen and dehydrated potato products should be removed 
and that the ROK's import quota for dehydrated potato pieces should 
be changed in accordance with the international standard, saying 
that the (current) quota amounts to only one shipment per year. 
 
ConAgra Foods, one of the U.S. leading packaged food companies, made 
an issue of an 18 percent tariff on frozen potato pieces, for which 
the ROK depends entirely on imports.  The company said that since 
 
SEOUL 00000065  003 OF 003 
 
 
the ROK already signed the FTA with the EU, a potato exporter, and 
is in the final stage of the FTA negotiations with Canada, the 
tariff on the U.S. products should be promptly lifted so that the 
U.S. will not lose the ROK market to other nations.  Yum! 
Restaurants International, a Dallas, Texas-based company operating 
over 34,000 franchise restaurants, claimed that high tariffs on farm 
produce and restaurant equipment should be removed. 
 
A group representative of food, beverage, and general consumer 
product companies complained that the ROK, the fifth largest market 
for U.S. high-priced food products, slaps excessively high tariffs 
on their products.  The group also pointed out that the ROK's 
regulations on quarantine inspections and food labeling changed so 
many times.  Herbalife, a multinational manufacturer and seller of 
supplementary food products, said that high duties on their herbal 
teas and cosmetics are high trade barriers. 
 
The U.S. Brewers' Association argued that since a 20 percent tariff 
on liquor is too high and as the ROK bans TV ads for liquor 
containing more than 17 percent alcohol, U.S. brewers cannot 
increase their brand recognition (in the ROK.) 
 
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said that 
the ROKG's new measures to control pharmaceutical expenditures (the 
Policy for the Optimization of the Pharmaceutical Expenditures in 
Korean National Health Insurance System) do not have a clear 
standard for innovative new medicines and raised concerns that U.S. 
pharmaceuticals might be subject to a discriminatory investigation 
by the Korea Fair Trade Commission, which is now investing domestic 
and innovative drug makers. 
 
Among the 21 business entities that expressed dissatisfaction about 
the ROK's trade barriers to the USTR, 15 groups urged an early 
ratification of the ROK-U.S. FTA, which would remove tariff 
barriers.  However, with the mid-term elections slated for November, 
the Obama Administration is sensitive to the opinion of U.S. 
automakers and their labor unions, which are opposed to the ROK-U.S. 
FTA, and therefore, many in Washington political circles think that 
it will not be easy to get the FTA ratified within this year. 
 
 
STEPHENS