Cablegate: Seoul - Media Reaction

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UNCLAS SEOUL 001293

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ECON KPAO KMDR KS US
SUBJECT: SEOUL - MEDIA REACTION

East Asia and Pacific: DPRK
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"MODERATING PRESSURE ON N. KOREA IS THE KEY"

Senior Journalist Kim Young-hie opined in right-of-center JoongAng
Ilbo (08/14): "(Current) International sanctions against North Korea
are much more powerful and effective than any other sanctions in the
past. ... North Korea's invitations of former President Clinton and
Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun are related to this grave
situation. ... What matters is moderating the intensity of
sanctions. It is time to calculate accurately to what extent we
should put pressure on North Korea in order to maximize the effects
of sanctions and to bring the North back to the Six-Party Talks,
while making the country deliver on its agreements. Otherwise,
North Korea will become desperate - like a mouse chased by a cat -
and resort to self-destructive acts, including nuclear and missile
tests. Now that U.S. -North Korea relations have entered a new
phase, the release of the Hyundai Asan employee may serve as a
significant breakthrough in inter-Korean relations."

STEPHENS

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