Cablegate: Seoul - Media Reaction

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UNCLAS SEOUL 000004

SIPDIS

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

Subject: Media Reaction; Seoul

"S. KOREA'S RESPONSE TO NORTH KOREA'S TRANSITION AND IMPROVEMENTS IN
INTER-KOREAN RELATIONS"

Left-leaning Hankyoreh Shinmun editorialized (01/04): "North Korea's
(New Year's message) hints at two things: the North Korean economy
is in difficulty; and for the North, stability inside and outside
the country is very important now. ... The Six-Party nations should
make good use of this situation to activate discussions about
denuclearization. ... We should also positively consider
negotiations about a peace regime (on the Korean Peninsula), which
the North emphasizes. Since North Korea's nuclear dismantlement is
directly linked with its security guarantee, denuclearization
efforts and the establishment of a peace regime should go hand in
hand. For the U.S., which must keep in mind domestic public
opinion, the establishment of a peace regime may be less burdensome
than a complete normalization of relations with the North."

STEPHENS

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