VZCZCXYZ0005
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHPF #0925 1910705
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 100705Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8686
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 2351
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2463
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0639
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1611
C O N F I D E N T I A L PHNOM PENH 000925
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR PRM, EAP, MLS AND EAP/K
BANGKOK ALSO FOR REFUGEE COORDINATOR
GENEVA FOR RMA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/10/2017
TAGS: PREF PREL KS KN CB
SUBJECT: SOUTH KOREANS AGREE TO VET NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES
REF: PHNOM PENH 0839 AND PREVIOUS
Classified By: Political Officer Janet E. Deutsch for reasons 1.4 (b) a
nd (d).
1. (C) On July 9, the DCM called on Embassy of the Republic
of Korea Counselors Nak-Young OH and Gon-Jong JANG regarding
the five North Korean refugees seeking resettlement in the
United States (reftel). The DCM passed biographical
information and fingerprints of the five individuals to the
Koreans who agreed to transmit the information to the ROK
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul for name checks. The
ROK will perform background security checks and determine
whether the individuals have previously been resettled in
South Korea as refugees.
2. (C) Comment. It appeared that the South Korean Embassy
had not received instructions from the ROK MFA. We suggest
that U.S. Embassy Seoul communicate with relevant contacts in
the ROK government to alert them that the refugees'
biographical data and fingerprints are forthcoming from the
ROK Embassy in Phnom Penh. OH and JANG ambiguously took on
the task of investigating the five North Koreans and Post is
uncertain whether the ROK Embassy will definitively proceed.
The Counselors were preoccupied with conveying their desire
that the ROK pipeline for North Korean refugees not be
publicly revealed and remain separate from any U.S. refugee
processing pipeline for North Koreans. The DCM stated that
this is also the intention of the U.S.G. End comment.
MUSSOMELI