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C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 000187 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2029 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR AF JP CH KN KS
SUBJECT: A/S CAMPBELL'S FEBRUARY 3 MEETING WITH ROK DEPUTY 
FOREIGN MINISTER LEE YONG-JOON 
 
Classified By: EAP A/S Kurt Campbell. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) During a February 3 meeting with EAP Assistant 
Secretary Kurt Campbell, Deputy Foreign Minister Lee 
Yong-joon dismissed ROK press speculation that a North-South 
summit was imminent.  Lee related that veteran DPRK Six-Party 
Talks negotiator Kim Gye-gwan would visit China week of 
February 8, and speculated Kim Jong-il would go to the PRC in 
March.  Lee, who had just returned from Beijing, said he and 
his Japanese and Chinese counterparts agreed to establish a 
trilateral secretariat in Seoul next year; Lee would consult 
with his counterparts on U.S. participation as an observer. 
The DFM reassured Campbell that the ROKG remained committed 
to establishing a PRT in Afghanistan by July.  Lee hoped the 
USG would "take into consideration" the overall security 
situation on the Korean peninsula as the date for OPCON 
transfer to Korea drew nearer.  According to Lee, the Joint 
Environmental Assessment Procedure (JEAP) was instrumental in 
the smooth implementation of the Camp Hialeah return; the 
ROKG hoped to use it for future base returns.  Lee claimed 
that open-ended strategic flexibility "jeopardized" an 
important aspect of ROK security:  a strong U.S. military 
presence on the peninsula.  The ROKG's preference is that 
this year's "2 plus 2" meeting (between Secretaries Clinton 
and Gates and their ROK counterparts) be held in Seoul during 
the first half of the year.  End Summary. 
 
DFM Lee: On Prospects for North-South Summit 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) During a February 3 meeting with EAP Assistant 
Secretary Kurt Campbell, Deputy Foreign Minister Lee 
Yong-joon dismissed press speculation that a North-South 
summit is imminent.  Lee stressed that if a summit happened, 
the North Korean nuclear issue would be a key element. 
 
Kim Gye-gwan's visit to China 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Lee, who had just returned from Beijing, related that 
veteran DPRK Six-Party Talks negotiator Kim Gye-gwan would 
visit China the week of February 8.  Lee said that, according 
to his PRC interlocutors, Kim accepted the invitation only 
after intense Chinese lobbying.  Lee speculated that a trip 
by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to the PRC would occur in 
March. 
 
China-Japan-ROK Trilateral 
-------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Commenting about his visit to Beijing, Lee said he and 
his Japanese and Chinese counterparts agreed to establish a 
trilateral secretariat in Seoul next year.  The deputy 
foreign ministers would meet again in April to "tee up" 
deliverables for a May 2010 summit on Cheju island. 
According to Lee, the institutionalized Japan-ROK-PRC summit 
integrated more than fifty on-going meetings with China and 
Japan and created positive momentum for the East Asian 
Community.  He asserted the establishment of the secretariat 
in 2011 will prompt Seoul to play a more active role in 
regional architecture.  Responding to a question from A/S 
Campbell, Lee said he would consult with his counterparts on 
participation of the United States as an observer once the 
secretariat is established. 
 
¶5. (C) DFM Lee observed that the Chinese way of conducting 
business had changed greatly.  In the past, he noted, Chinese 
foreign ministry officials never diverted from reading 
talking points and "playing it safe"; now, Lee said, Chinese 
diplQats were "eager participants" in free flowing 
discussions. 
 
Afghanistan PRT 
--------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Lee noted that the Afghanistan PRT bill would go 
forward to the National Assembly this month, and assured 
Campbell that the ROKG was committed to establishing a PRT 
"under any circumstances" by July.  Even if the construction 
of the PRT base could not be completed, the troops would 
nonetheless deploy and stay temporarily at Bagram airbase. 
 
OPCON Transfer 
-------------- 
¶7. (C) While noting that he respected the decision to 
transfer wartime operational control (OPCON) to Korea in 
April 2012 and that the process was on track, Lee said he 
nonetheless hoped the USG would "take into consideration" the 
overall security situation on the Korean peninsula as the 
handover date drew nearer.  A/S Campbell praised the ROK 
military's capability, and assured Lee that OPCON transfer 
would be well coordinated between the ROK and United States. 
 
Base Returns 
------------ 
 
¶8. (C) Lee affirmed that base returns were on the "right 
track," noting the "extremely sensitive" but successful 
transfer of Busan's Camp Hialeah in January.  According to 
Lee, the Joint Environmental Assessment Procedure (JEAP) was 
instrumental in the smooth implementation of the Hialeah 
return; the ROKG hoped to use it for future returns. 
Director General for North American Affairs Chang Ho-jin 
seconded Lee's comments about the positive role of the JEAP. 
Chang called for the ROK and the United States to use similar 
scientific criteria and an agreed "scenario" (i.e. an 
agreement on what condition property should be in as it is 
returned) to "narrow the gap" between the two sides during 
future environmental risk assessments at former U.S. bases. 
 
and Strategic Flexibility/ "2 plus 2" 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) When the ROK agreed to the principles of strategic 
flexibility in 2006, it had not agreed to "open-ended" 
strategic flexibility, Lee said.  The open-ended arrangement, 
which allowed U.S. troops based in Korea to be deployed 
elsewhere, "jeopardized" an important aspect of ROK security: 
a strong U.S. military presence on the peninsula.  Lee 
suggested that bilateral consultations should be held to 
determine a guaranteed minimum level of U.S. military 
presence in South Korea, in the context of strategic 
flexibility. 
 
¶10. (C) The deputy foreign minister said it was the ROKG's 
preference that this year's 2 plus 2 meeting (between 
Secretaries Clinton and Gates and their ROK counterparts) be 
held in Seoul during the first half of 2010.  Lee added that 
it would be useful to hold annual or biennial "2 plus 2" 
meetings at the Assistant Secretary level.  Such 
consultations could cover issues like strategic flexibility, 
OPCON transfer, instability planning, and other Alliance 
issues. 
STEPHENS