Cablegate: Korea Country Clearance Granted for Eap/K Sung Kim And

VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #0806 1120726
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210726Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9482
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4114
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 8678
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 4267

UNCLAS SEOUL 000806

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OTRA AMGT KNNP PREL MNUC KN CH JA
SUBJECT: KOREA COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR EAP/K SUNG KIM AND
DELEGATION

REF: SECSTATE 41405

1. (U) Embassy Seoul welcomes and grants country clearance for the
April 21 through April 25, 2008 visit of Sung Kim, Director of the
Office of Korean Affairs; Paul T. Haenle, Director of Chinese
Affairs and Six Party Talks, National Security Council; Douglas
Frank, Program Manager, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory;
Richard Klein, Senior Technical Expert, U.S. Department of Defense.
The purpose of the visit is to travel to Seoul en route to Pyongyang
for consultations related to the Six-Party Talks.

CONTACT INFORMATION
--------------------

2. (U) Control officer for the visit is Political Officer
Donny Yoo.

Office telephone: (82)(2) 397-4154
Embassy operator (82)(2) 397-4114 then press "0"
Cell phone: (82)(11) 298-4136
Fax number: (82)(2) 733-4791
Unclassified email: YooDH@state.gov

SIPDIS
Classified email: YooDH@state.sgov.gov

LODGING
-------

3. (U) Embassy has reserved four rooms at the Lotte Hotel for April
21-22, and April 24-25, 2008 at per diem rates. The reservation
confirmation number is 10110623 for all guests/for all nights.
Hotel is located at 1 Sogong-dong Jung-gu, Seoul Korea 100-070,
Seoul; hotel phone number is 82-2-771-1000; fax number:
82-2-752-3758. Cancellation policy is 24 hours prior to arrival to
avoid one-night penalty.

TRANSPORTATION
--------------

4. (U) All official travelers must possess a Korean visa to enter
the country. Travelers may contact the nearest Korean
Consulate/Embassy to obtain a visa. The Delegation will be met at
the airport by David Moyer.

THREAT ASSESSMENT
-----------------

5. (U) Americans in Seoul are subject to worldwide threat from
international terrorists, although we have no information to suggest
any specific terrorists threats directed at Americans here.
Political demonstrations occur frequently in Seoul, and are
occasionally anti-American. Americans can minimize personal risk by
staying away from demonstrations and by avoiding confrontation or
altercations with protestors. While relatively infrequent by U.S.
standards, street crime does occur. Most reported crimes involve
pick-pocketing in tourist areas and are predominantly non-violent in
nature. The security precautions a person would take in any large
city are appropriate throughout South Korea.

6. (SBU) As a matter of prudence, you must assume that all rooms,
telephones, cellular phones, and fax machines can be monitored. You
should not discuss sensitive or classified information in
uncontrolled areas. Official travelers should ensure that hard-copy
and electronic sensitive information is not left in hotel rooms.
Computers, including laptops and Personal Digital Assistants, cannot
be brought into the Embassy except with prior permission from the
RSO office.

7. (U) Police are considered capable and well trained. Seoul
metropolitan authorities staff English-speaking personnel 24 hours
daily to handle local emergencies. Telephone numbers are as
follows: 112 police emergency, 119 fire and ambulance.

STANTON

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