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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 SEOUL 001344
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - PRESS BULLETIN; August 21, 2009
TOP HEADLINES
-------------
Chosun Ilbo
"Bio-Sovereignty" in Jeopardy; ROK May
Run Out of New Flu Drugs This Year
JoongAng Ilbo
Senior ROKG Source: "N. Korean Leader Kim Jong-il Told Military to
Free ROK Fishing Boat Held in N. Korea"
Dong-a Ilbo, Hankook Ilbo, Hankyoreh Shinmun,
Seoul Shinmun
N. Korea Lifts Cross-Border Traffic Restrictions
Segye Ilbo
ROKG to Give Tax Breaks and Other Incentives to Local Governments
that Promote Mergers
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
---------------------
North Korea informed the ROK yesterday that it will lift
cross-border traffic restrictions it has imposed since last December
and that the measure will take effect today. (All)
A six-member North Korean delegation will arrive in Seoul today for
a two-day visit to pay respects to the late former President Kim
Dae-jung. The delegation includes Kim Ki-nam, a secretary of the
Workers' Party Central Committee; Kim Yang-gon, a party department
director in charge of inter-Korean affairs; and Won Tong-yon, a
ranking member of the (North) Korea Asia Pacific Committee, which
handles inter-Korean business ties. (All)
According to the Unification Ministry, the ROK National Red Cross
asked its North Korean counterpart yesterday to hold talks on August
26-28 to discuss arranging reunions of separated families during the
Oct. 3 Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday. (All)
It has been confirmed that China confiscated video footage shot by
two U.S. journalists - both were freed on August 5 after being
detained in North Korea after filming on the Chinese border - and
used it to round up North Korean refugees. China also deported one
ROK human rights activist who is seen in the footage and closed five
orphanages that had protected North Korean children. (Chosun)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
------------------
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said on CNN after an August 19
meeting with two North Korean diplomats at his mansion in Santa Fe
that the North Korean delegation told him that their country is "now
prepared to have a dialogue with us." Gov. Richardson went on to
say: "They want a new format. And the format they want is direct
talks with the U.S." (All)
State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly downplayed the meeting between
the New Mexico Governor and the North Koreans, saying during a
regular briefing: "I don't necessarily see the travel of a couple
North Korean diplomats (to New Mexico) as a positive signal." (All)
MEDIA ANALYSIS
--------------
-N. Korea
---------
North Korea's decision to lift cross-border traffic restrictions
today received wide media attention. Restrictions had been imposed
since last December.
SEOUL 00001344 002 OF 009
Conservative Chosun Ilbo observed that this move by the North may
have come out of consideration of a possible meeting between ROK and
North Korean authorities when a North Korean condolence delegation
visits Seoul to pay respects to the late former President Kim
Dae-jung.
All ROK media, in a related development, reported that a six-member
North Korean delegation will arrive in Seoul today for a two-day
visit. According to media reports, the delegation includes Kim
Ki-nam, a secretary of the Workers' Party Central Committee; Kim
Yang-gon, a party department director in charge of inter-Korean
affairs; and Won Tong-yon, a ranking member of the (North) Korea
Asia Pacific Committee, which handles inter-Korean business ties.
Conservative Chosun Ilbo, in an inside-page article entitled "Will
Visiting N. Korean Delegation Meet with Unification Minister?,"
noted Kim Yang-gon's inclusion in the delegation. Kim not only leads
the ruling party's inter-Korean affairs but also appeared at North
Korean leader Kim Jong-il's recent meetings with former President
Bill Clinton and Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun. The
Chosun article quoted a source as saying: "The South and the North
are prepared to meet, but both sides expect their counterparts to
make the proposal first. Since it's unofficial, chances are that
the meeting will be arranged immediately on the delegation's arrival
without fine-turning the timing."
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's August 19 meeting with two North
Korean diplomats at his mansion in Santa Fe also received wide press
attention. The governor was widely quoted as telling CNN after the
meeting: "The North Koreans want direct talks with the U.S. They
think the Six-Party Talks are not working, and they don't want to
return to that."
The ROK media also noted press remarks by State Department Spokesman
Ian Kelly, in which he downplayed the meeting between the New Mexico
Governor and the North Koreans, saying: "I don't necessarily see the
travel of a couple North Korean diplomats (to New Mexico) as a
positive signal."
Most media also carried a quote from White House Spokesman Robert
Gibbs, who said: "Any of these meetings is independent of the
Administration. We are certainly hopeful that whatever signals
(North Korea) may or may not send leads them back to the process of
living up to the responsibilities that they entered into."
Conservative Dong-a Ilbo editorialized: "North Korea seems to be
trying to weather mounting difficulties in the wake of sanctions
imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 1874. ... Even if Seoul
officials meet members of the delegation, the UN resolution and the
ROKG's principles should not be abandoned. ... The ROK should not
be deceived by North Korea's latest moves because they lack
fundamental changes. ... The ROKG should explore ways to resume
dialogue with the North, but also take a careful approach while
closely cooperating with the U.S."
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
-------------------
STICK TO PRINCIPLES ON N. KOREA
(Dong-a Ilbo, August 21, 2009, page 31)
A six-member North Korean delegation, including Workers` Party
secretary Kim Ki Nam and reunification point man Kim Yang Gon, will
arrive in Seoul today. They have yet to mention the four crewmen of
the ROK fishing vessel Yeonan, who have been detained by the North
for 23 days. The North's delegation will arrive at Gimpo
International Airport in Seoul by chartered plane via the west coast
route for a two-day stay.
Following the agreement between North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and
Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, the delegation has emerged
as a subtle issue in inter-Korean relations. Experts say North
Korea seems to be trying to weather mounting difficulties in the
SEOUL 00001344 003 OF 009
wake of sanctions imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 1874.
On the other hand, others warn that the North just wants to confuse
the ROK.
Pyongyang probably recognizes that its decision to send a delegation
to Kim Dae-jung's state funeral needs approval from Seoul.
Nevertheless, the North sent its notice about the delegation to the
Kim Dae Jung Peace Center, intentionally choosing the center as its
dialogue channel. The ROKG has not efficiently dealt with North
Korea since Seoul hurriedly confirmed the business agreement between
Kim Jong-Il and Hyun, and the North's notice on the delegation.
Pyongyang has discussed pending issues with the private sector when
it should have done so with Seoul. Thus, the ROK must not
unconditionally follow North Korea's will. When former President Roh
Moo-hyun died a few months ago, Pyongyang conducted its second
nuclear test shortly after sending a condolatory telegram. Even if
the North's delegation provides a chance to resume government-level
talks between the Korea's for the first time since President Lee
Myung-bak's inauguration, Seoul must not hastily conclude that
frozen bilateral relations will be thawed. Even if Seoul officials
meet members of the delegation, the UN resolution and the ROKG's
principles should not be abandoned.
Certain voices in the ROK are impatiently saying that the resumption
of tours to the North's Mt. Kumgang does not violate the UN
resolution. The possibility remains, however, that the fees paid by
ROK tourists could finance the North's nuclear program and missile
development. Lee Hoi-chang, the head of the minor conservative
Liberty Forward Party, said, "It seems that inter-Korean relations
will return to their condition of the past decade in which the ROK
danced to the North's tune." Seoul must listen to Lee's advice.
Before revitalizing the Kaesong Industrial Complex and resuming
tours to Mt. Kumgang, the first order of business is to guarantee
the safety of ROK tourists. The North must come clean about the
shooting death of ROK tourist Park Wang-ja last year, guarantee that
nothing like that will happen again, and issue a formal apology. It
should also return to the Six-Party nuclear talks.
The ROK should not be deceived by North Korea's latest moves because
they lack fundamental changes. On an Internet news program provided
by Dong-A Ilbo, former North Korean official Hwang Jang-yeop, who
was once the No. 2 man in Pyongyang's hierarchy, said, "North Korea
will never give up its nuclear weapons. Though the North has not
changed at all, the ROK blindly believes it will change." Hwang is
well aware of Kim Jong-il's intent, so ROK people should take his
warning seriously. The ROKG should explore ways to resume dialogue
with the North, but also take a careful approach while closely
cooperating with the U.S.
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is
identical to the Korean version.)
N. KOREAN VISIT COMES AT A CRUCIAL TIME
(Chosun Ilbo, August 21, 2009, Page 31)
North Korea informed the South on Thursday that it is sending a
six-member delegation to Seoul for the funeral of former President
Kim Dae-jung. The delegation will be comprised of Kim Ki-nam, a
secretary of the Workers' Party Central Committee, and Kim Yang-gon,
a party department director in charge of inter-Korean affairs. This
is the first time such high-level North Korean officials will visit
Seoul since the launch of the Lee Myung-bak Administration. The
delegation, which will arrive in Seoul on Friday and return on
Saturday, has nothing else scheduled other than paying their
respects to the late former president.
Regarding its delegation visit, North Korea is not using a
government channel but is in touch with the Kim Dae-jung Peace
Center. This is why some observers say that Pyongyang may be
intentionally avoiding direct contact with the South Korean
authorities. The primary objective of the North Korean delegation
SEOUL 00001344 004 OF 009
is to pay their respects to Kim, but there is a significant chance
that a meeting with South Korean government officials could take
place. The North Korean delegation includes key officials involved
in South Korean relations. The South Korean government said nothing
has been decided, but the South Korean government is preparing to
initiate the first contact.
Seoul says the agreements reached between Hyundai Group and North
Korea, including the resumption of tours to Mt. Kumgang and Kaesong,
the reopening of land traffic across the inter-Korean border, and
the launch of tours to Mt. Baekdu, must be approved through
government level talks between the two Koreas. The business
projects require authorization, and North Korea must be aware of
this. The South Korean Red Cross on Thursday asked its North Korean
counterpart to hold talks next week to arrange the reunions of
separated family members during the Chuseok or Korean Thanksgiving
holiday on Oct. 3, which the North has also promised to resume.
Kim Ki-nam, who is leading the delegation, is known to be a key
confidant of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, accompanying him on
most of his official functions. The party secretary paid a visit to
South Korea's National Cemetery during the Aug. 15 Liberation Day
celebration back in 2005. Kim Yang-gon was present during former
U.S. President Bill Clinton's and Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun
Jung-eun's meetings with the North Korean leader.
That means key North Korean officials involved in South Korean
affairs are visiting Seoul at a time when major inter-Korean issues,
including the agreements Hyundai reached with North Korea, need to
be resolved through dialogue. If these officials deliberately avoid
contact, then the communist country will be letting the whole world
know that it has no intention of improving inter-Korean relations.
If North and South Korean officials do meet, the government should
not be bent on achieving immediate results but seek to resolve
distrust so that cross-border dialogue may resume. We must not
forget that North Korea's nuclear and missile issues need to be
resolved in order to achieve a fundamental improvement in
inter-Korean relations.
(We have compared the English version on the website with the Korean
version and made some changes to make them identical.)
FEATURES
---------
NORTH KOREA WENT ALL THE WAY TO NEW MEXICO, BUT IT BARKED UP THE
WRONG TREE
(Chosun Ilbo, August 21, 2009, Page 3)
By Washington Correspondent Lee Ha-won
North Korea visited Richardson, who is alienated from Obama.
North Korea asked for dialogue with the U.S. ... Experts say, "North
Korea made a misjudgment."
North Korea, which has been making conciliatory gestures since its
nuclear test and Taepodong missile launches, has now come forward
and asked for dialogue with the Obama Administration through New
Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.
Kim Myong-gil, a North Korean delegate to the UN, met with Gov.
Richardson, a leading U.S. expert on North Korea, at the governor's
mansion in Santa Fe on August 19. After the meeting, Governor
Richardson said on CNN, "North Korea is now prepared to have a
dialogue with us," adding, "They don't like the Six-Party Talks.
They want a new format - and the format they want is direct talks
with the U.S."
Kim and another senior diplomat with the North Korean mission to the
UN visited New Mexico on Wednesday with the permission of the U.S.
Department of State. Governor Richardson has had an independent
SEOUL 00001344 005 OF 009
channel with North Korea since his visit to the North to win the
release of a detained American in the 1990s.
In this regard, State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly downplayed the
meeting between the New Mexico Governor and the North Koreans,
saying during a regular briefing, "I don't necessarily see the
travel of a couple North Korean diplomats (to New Mexico) as a
positive signal." This indicates that the U.S. does not attach
great significance to such a move, unless North Korea expresses its
willingness to denuclearize under the September, 2005 agreement.
The USG's adherence to the principle has also been revealed in a
trip to Asia by Philip Goldberg, Coordinator for Implementation of
Security Council Resolution 1874. In Singapore, the first leg of
the tour, Ambassador Goldberg met with the nation's financial
officials and urged them not to loosen the monitoring of financial
transactions related to North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile
programs.
Some analysts say that North Korea barked up the wrong tree by
sending the delegation to New Mexico. This past January, President
Obama named Governor Richardson as his choice for Secretary of
Commerce in reward for his support during the presidential campaign,
but Governor Richardson, who wanted to become the Secretary of
State, rejected the offer. Therefore, observers said that Governor
Richardson became alienated from President Obama.
Governor Richardson is not in a good relationship with Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton, either. Secretary Clinton is enraged that
although her husband former President Clinton appointed Richardson
to the important positions of U.S. Ambassador to the UN and Energy
Secretary, Richardson supported Obama - Ms. Clinton's (Democratic)
rival - in the presidential campaign. A diplomatic source in
Washington noted, "If Kim had visited Richardson with the intention
of exercising influence over the Obama Administration, he must have
made a misjudgment."
CHINA 'USED U.S. REPORTERS' FILM TO CRACK DOWN ON N. KOREANS'
(Chosun Ilbo, August 21, 2009, page 2)
By Reporter Lee Hak-Jun
Video footage shot by two TV journalists who were detained in North
Korea after filming on the Chinese border was used by China to round
up North Korean refugees. China also deported one ROK human rights
activist who can be seen in the footage and closed five orphanages
that had protected North Korean children.
The two reporters were sentenced to 12 years hard labor but freed
after former U.S. President Bill Clinton visited North Korea on Aug.
5.
Chinese police also confiscated related materials, including a list
of activists working for North Korean refugees in China, data on
North Korean orphans, and video footage showing North Korean women
who appeared in porn videos or were sold in the Chinese
countryside.
The claims were made Thursday by Lee Chan-woo (71), a pastor with
the Durihana Mission, an ROK organization that aids North Korean
defectors. Lee was caught and deported by Chinese police for
helping the two reporters, who worked for former U.S. Vice President
Al Gore's Internet news channel Current TV.
Lee said Laura Ling, Euna Lee and a man named Mitch Koss met him at
a hotel in Yanji, in China's Jilin Province, on March 14. They said
they wanted to gather information about North Korean women who were
working in adult videos at the North Korean-Chinese border area and
about other North Korean women who were sold in the Chinese
countryside.
They also wanted to know about children born to North Korean women
and Chinese men. At the time, Lee was protecting some 21 children
at five orphanages, all of whom had been abandoned by their Chinese
SEOUL 00001344 006 OF 009
families after their mothers were taken back to the North.
"I allowed them to collect information about the children on
condition that they would not film their faces," he said.
The three visited an orphanage the following day. Euna Lee, who
speaks fluent Korean, asked children to send video messages to their
mothers who had been deported to the North, and to bow to their
mothers in front of the camera. But Lee said he stopped them from
filming the scene.
The next day, the journalists filmed North Korean women at the
border. They crossed the border and were arrested by North Korean
soldiers on March 17. Ling and Lee were taken to North Korea, but
Koss made it back only to be arrested by Chinese border guards; he
handed over the video footage he was carrying.
On the early morning of Mar. 19, Chinese police raided Lee's house
and confiscated his computer, camera and various documents. "The
documents contained the personal information of 25 North Korean
orphans in addition to the children staying at the orphanages, and
the phone numbers and addresses of human rights activists and their
future plans," he said. "I was interrogated intensively by three
Korean-Chinese police officers until March 26. It was during
interrogation that I found out that Chinese police had confiscated
the video."
Lee was deported to the ROK on April 8 after paying a fine of 20,000
yuan (approximately 4 million won). "The five orphanages were
forced to close down one by one," he said. "I found Chinese
relatives for 17 of the 21 orphans and a safe shelter for the
remaining four, who have no relatives there."
Koss declined to comment, and it was not possible to contact Euna
Lee.
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is
identical to the Korean version.)
N. KOREA LIFTS CROSS-BORDER TRAFFIC BAN ON S. KOREA
(Hankyoreh Shinmun, August 21, 2009, Front Page)
By Reporter Lee Yong-in
Conciliatory gestures from Pyongyang signals change in foreign
policy strategy towards improving relations with South Korea and
U.S.
North Korea has informed South Korea that it will completely lift
restrictions on cross-border traffic and stay in North Korean
territory on Friday. The bans have been in place since Dec. 1.
In particular, North Korea announced that it will normalize
operations of the Office for the Economic Cooperation of South-North
Korea, which it had closed down on Dec. 1, and will restart rail
service between the two Koreas.
Officials from the South Korean Ministry of Unification said, "North
Korea sent a message via fax today in the name of the military
officer responsible for the East and West Sea district." After
sending the message to the Unification Ministry, North Korea sent an
additional message via fax to the Kaesong Industrial District
Management Committee (KIDMAC). The message outlined its four
proposed actions, including the normalization of operations of its
National Economic Cooperation Federation.
The announcement signals the complete lifting of all restrictions
that Pyongyang had imposed in December in protest of Seoul's
hardline policy toward North Korea.
Analysts suggest this move results from the joint press release
announced by North Korea's Asia Pacific Peace Commission and Hyundai
Group on Aug. 17. Some are saying it is extraordinary that North
SEOUL 00001344 007 OF 009
Korea lifted the ban on cross-border traffic when it referred to the
South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command's announced Ulji Freedom
Guardian military exercise as "a war exercise for invading North
Korea."
Meanwhile, a South Korean official dismissed the significance of
these messages and said, "The unusual situation, which was caused by
North Korea's unilateral actions, has just been normalized."
The official has also confirmed that South Korea and North Korea
agreed to reopen the telephone line between the two Koreas' Red
Cross offices located in Panmunjom as of 9:00 a.m. Friday. The
official said, "North Korea asked us to reopen it and said 'it is
necessary for the offices to be in communication with each other in
order for Pyongyang to prepare for the mourning delegation's visit
for late South Korean former President Kim Dae-jung." He also said,
"I am not sure that the direct telephone line will remain open after
the delegation's return."
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is
identical to the Korean version.)
WILL VISITING N. KOREAN DELEGATION MEET WITH UNIFICATION MINISTER?
(Chosun Ilbo, August 21, 2009, page 3: EXCERPTS)
By Reporter Lim Min-hyuk
Senior government officials are expected to meet with a North Korean
delegation attending the funeral of former President Kim Dae-jung
during its stay in Seoul from Friday to Saturday. The delegation is
headed by Kim Ki-nam, a secretary of the Workers' Party Central
Committee and close confidant of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
It includes Kim Yang-gon, the director of North Korea's United Front
Department, which is in charge of ROK policy. They are expected to
meet Unification Minister Hyun In-taek.
Pyongyang on Thursday informed Seoul of the names of the people who
will join the six-member delegation. It also includes Won Tong-yon,
a ranking member of the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, which handles
inter-Korean affairs, Maeng Kyong-il and Ri Hyon, officials at the
committee, and Kim Un-ju, an official of the National Defense
Commission. The North Koreans are scheduled to arrive at Gimpo
International Airport in Seoul aboard a special plane on Friday
afternoon and leave on Saturday.
Upon their arrival, they will go straight to the National Assembly,
where (former President) Kim lies in state, lay a wreath on behalf
of Kim Jong-il and deliver their condolences to the family. Then
they are scheduled to meet key aides of former President Kim like
former National Intelligence Agency director Im Dong-won, former
Unification Minister Chung Se-hyun and lawmaker Park Jie-won.
The North had not proposed an official meeting by late Thursday
afternoon, but the Unification Minister is reportedly preparing to
meet the delegation on Friday or Saturday. "The South and the North
are prepared to meet, but both sides expect their counterparts to
make the proposal first," said a source. "Since it's unofficial,
chances are that the meeting will be arranged immediately on the
delegation's arrival without fine-turning the timing."
If a meeting between the Unification Minister and the North Korean
delegation is realized, Kim Yang-gon is expected to be Hyun's
counterpart. His inclusion in the delegation despite his lack of
acquaintance with Kim Dae-jung is interpreted as evidence that the
North also has pending inter-Korean issues in mind. As director of
inter-Korean affairs and head of the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee,
Kim was present when Kim Jong-il recently met former U.S. President
Bill Clinton and Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun.
If the meeting happens, Seoul is expected to state its position on
inter-Korean exchanges and the cooperation project which Kim
Jong-il, in a meeting with Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun,
agreed to resume, and to propose reviving a dialogue channel between
SEOUL 00001344 008 OF 009
the two governments.
"Since senior officials of the two sides are meeting for the first
time since the inauguration of the Lee Myung-bak Administration, the
emphasis will probably be on confirming mutual positions on major
matters rather than working-level discussions," speculated Kim
Sung-han, a professor at Korea University.
Whether the delegation will pay a courtesy call on President Lee
Myung-bak or meet with senior presidential aides remains to be
seen.
(This is a translation provided by the newspaper, and it is
identical to the Korean version.)
NORTH DELEGATION PLANS TO ARRIVE TODAY FOR MOURNING
(JoongAng Daily, August 21, 2009)
By Reporter Yoo Jee-ho
Unification Ministry says no formal talks are scheduled
A six-member North Korean delegation will arrive in Seoul today for
a two-day visit to mourn the death of former ROK President Kim
Dae-jung, officials here said yesterday.
The Unification Ministry in Seoul announced yesterday that North
Korea's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, an agency handling
inter-Korean affairs, sent a letter to the Seoul-based Kim Dae-jung
Peace Center, an organization set up by the late former president,
with a list of officials and traveling schedules. Three senior
North Korean officials are expected to travel.
Chun Hae-sung, the ministry spokesman, and Choi Gyung-hwan, one of
Kim's aides, confirmed that the six officials are: Kim Ki-nam,
secretary of the Workers' Party; Kim Yang-gon, head of the United
Front Department at the Workers' Party; Won Tong-yon, a senior
official with the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee; Maeng Kyong-il, a
secretary at the committee; Ri Hyon, a secretary at the committee;
and Kim Eun-joo, an official with the National Defense Commission.
North Korea said earlier yesterday in a short dispatch on the
state-run Korean Central News Agency that Kim Ki-nam will visit the
ROK capital today through tomorrow.
The North first offered to send a delegation on Wednesday to mourn
the passing of Kim Dae-jung.
Chun said the North Koreans will arrive on the west coast route
today and will depart for Pyongyang tomorrow.
Choi, an aide to Kim Dae-jung, said the delegation was scheduled to
arrive at Gimpo Airport, west of Seoul, at 3:10 p.m. and their
flight out of Gimpo tomorrow is scheduled to depart at 2 p.m.
Sources said the North Koreans will stay at the Grand Hilton Hotel
in Hongeun-dong, northwestern Seoul.
The ministry spokesman said the ROKG accepted the North Korean visit
"out of respect for President Kim's surviving family and for
inter-Korean relations." Choi said his camp was discussing the
North Korean delegation's itinerary with the government.
This will be the first visit by North Korean officials for the death
of an ROK politician. In 2001, four North Koreans came to the ROK
for the funeral of Hyundai Group Chairman Chung Ju-yung. Chung
started several inter-Korean business projects.
The trip comes amid a series of indications that inter-Korean
relations are thawing after a period of tension following a recent
nuclear test, missile launches and after the future of tourism and
trade projects (were put in question).
Kim Jong-il met with Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun last
SEOUL 00001344 009 OF 009
Sunday to reach an agreement on resuming stalled tourism programs
and to set up reunions for separated families. Before that, North
Korea released an ROK worker who had been detained for more than
four months.
But Chun, the Unification Ministry spokesman, said the North Korean
officials are only visiting Seoul to honor Kim Dae-jung and no talks
have been scheduled.
Kim Ki-nam and Kim Yang-gon are both considered close aides to Kim
Jong-il.
TOKOLA