Cablegate: Media Reaction: South Korea

VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #3656 2992241
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 262241Z OCT 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2765
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5833
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7050

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 003656

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: SOUTH KOREA

1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their
coverage October 26 on the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral
races; on the controversial party assets bill, which will be
discussed in the Legislative Yuan on Friday; and on the decision by
Chinatrust Financial Holding Company Vice Chairman Jeffrey Koo, Jr.,
who is allegedly involved an illegal merger case, about whether he
should return early from an Eisenhower fellowship in the U.S. The
pro-unification "United Daily News" front-paged its latest survey on
the December Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections; it showed that
support for Taipei KMT candidate Hau Lung-pin has risen from 34
percent to 41 percent, while support for Chen Chu, a DPP candidate
in Kaohsiung, has dropped from 28 percent to 23 percent.

2. The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" is the only
paper today to run a news story on North Korean sanctions; it lead
its page three with the headline "Taiwan to Follow U.N. Sanctions
against North Korea." A column in the mass-circulation "Apple
Daily" commented on South Korea's development of cruise missiles,
saying that President Roh Moo-Hyun is double-dealing with North
Korea - showing goodwill on the one hand while holding a stick
behind his back. End summary.

"The Stick Behind South Korea"

Columnist Antonio Chiang noted in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily"
[circulation: 500,000] (10/26):

"... South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun has been proactively
calling for independent diplomacy ever since he rose to power. On
the one hand, he wants to retrieve the power of command during
war-time from the United States, while on the other hand, he has
been actively adopting a friendly policy toward North Korea. The
relationship between Washington and Seoul has gradually fallen to a
low tide. The two look like a perfect couple on the surface, but in
reality, they have been separated for a long time. Pyongyang's
nuclear test this time proved that [Seoul's] North policy has
failed, and it has got itself stuck in a dilemma. ...

"Seoul's development of cruise missiles was aimed at addressing the
threats posed by North Korea. But a more important reason for South
Korea is that the missiles can be used as a strategic weapon to its
neighboring countries once unification between North and South Korea
is realized. Seoul was worried that such a move would stimulate
China and Japan, so it kept it top secret. But now South Korea has
been forced to deliberately leak this information to the media, due
to changes in the situation. ...

"Judging from this perspective, Roh is also double-dealing towards
Pyongyang. He has been trying his best to show his goodwill to
Pyongyang on the one hand, while in the meantime, he has been
holding a stick behind his back, because there will be no real peace
without real strength to support it."

YOUNG

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