Viewing cable 09SEOUL1400, INTER-KOREAN RED CROSS TALKS ON FAMILY
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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
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09SEOUL1400 | 2009-09-01 09:09 | 2010-11-29 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Seoul |
Appears in these articles: http://www.spiegel.de/ |
VZCZCXYZ0000 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHUL #1400/01 2440933 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 010933Z SEP 09 FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5533 INFO RUCNKOR/KOREA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUACAAA/COMUSKOREA INTEL SEOUL KOR PRIORITY RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J5 SEOUL KOR PRIORITY RHMFISS/COMUSFK SEOUL KOR PRIORITY RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 001400 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SOCI ECON KN KS SUBJECT: INTER-KOREAN RED CROSS TALKS ON FAMILY REUNIFICATION Classified By: POL M/C James L. Wayman. Reasons 1.4(b/d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The North Korean delegation to the August 26-28 inter-Korean Red Cross talks showed up armed with instructions from Kim Jong-il (KJI) to agree immediately to family reunions by Chusok (Korean Thanksgiving, October 2-3), but was not prepared to negotiate additional reunions. Ministry of Unification (MOU) xxxxx that, angling for food assistance, the DPRK delegation asked whether the ROKG brought a "gift," the ROKG responded that such aid would be premature. In a separate meeting, an MOU official described the mechanics of the family reunion process, noting that the DPRK gathered its participants in Pyongyang for a month of fattening up and indoctrination prior to the family reunification. END SUMMARY. --------------------------------------------- ------------ KJI: Green Light for Chusok Deadline, but Nothing Beyond --------------------------------------------- ------------ ¶2. (C) xxxxx, who recently returned xxxxx xxxxx at Mount Kumgang. xxxxx, a seasoned MOU officer who participated in previous negotiations with the DPRK, said he was surprised that DPRK head delegate Choi Sung-ik was unusually cooperative during this round of talks. Choi, infamous throughout the ROKG for his gruff demeanor and tough tactics, came to the table emphasizing he was authorized by Kim Jong-il (KJI) to "meet the Chusok deadline." The North Korean delegation, however, was not authorized by KJI to discuss anything beyond October. --------------------------- DPRK Asks About Food "Gift" --------------------------- ¶3. (C) According xxxxx, the DPRK delegation inquired whether the South Korean delegation had brought a "gift," hinting that they were expecting food aid. The ROK delegation responded that it was "premature" for such an arrangement. xxxxx noted that this was a big change, pointing out that during the past 16 rounds of Red Cross negotiations, the ROKG always asked for the family reunions and rewarded the DPRK with rice and fertilizer aid. This time, however, the reunion suggestion came from the DPRK and the ROKG did not, and has no plans to, offer food aid. --------------------------------------------- Atmospherics: Food Shipped in from Pyongyang --------------------------------------------- ¶4. (C) Addressing atmospherics during the talks, xxxxx said the two sides came to an impasse when the DPRK delegation pushed hard for the resumption of Mount Kumgang tours. They argued that KJI had given his oral guarantee that ROK citizens would be safe and "nothing could be more secure" than KJI's word. The ROK delegation pushed back, asking for a written guarantee. The impasse was broken when the ROK side inquired whether the resumption of Kumgang tours was a prerequisite for the Chusok family reunions; the DPRK delegation said no. (xxxxx added that he suspects some kind of amendment to the 2004 security agreement for Mt. Kumkang tours will be reached in the near future as a compromise. End note.) ¶5. (C) xxxxx, both delegations took turns hosting dinner for the two nights they spent at Mount Kumgang. He said the hotel and kitchen personnel were hired "in a hurry" from nearby villages and food was shipped in from Pyongyang. xxxxx noted that the ROK delegation was charged USD 50 per person for hosting its 70-person banquet, a price that in fact covered the tab for the banquet hosted by the DPRK delegation the previous evening. ------------ Carrot Time? ------------ ¶6. (C) xxxxx related that following the Red Cross talks, the ROKG has been reviewing what, if any, "carrots" should be offered to the DPRK for its string of conciliatory gestures. According xxxxx, senior MOU officials recognize that North Korea's goodwill is cyclical, but also want to acknowledge that DPRK has done "all that it could do, except for denuclearization," during the past few weeks. xxxxx said that the ROKG was carefully observing developments in U.S.-DPRK relations and emphasized that Seoul would come up with a position "not too far" from Washington's position. --------------------------------------------- - Potemkin: Fattening Up the Reliable Relatives --------------------------------------------- - ¶7. (C) xxxxx walked us through the mechanics of what comes next in the family reunion process. xxxxx explained that the two Koreas exchanged a list of 200 names each on September 1; the ROKG picked its families by lottery, the DPRK by political reliability. xxxxx explained that each government would then search for relatives of those on the lists. In the past, he said, about half of the participating ROK families received confirmation from the DPRK that their relatives were alive and were then able to hold unifications. The rest of the ROK families received death confirmations or the ambiguous word "unconfirmed." ¶8. (C) xxxxx asserted that once the DPRK identifies politically reliable family members to participate in the upcoming reunions, they will be transported to Pyongyang and then "fattened up" with regular meals and vitamins to mask the extent of food shortages and chronic malnutrition in the north. The "lucky" DPRK reunion participants will also be provided with new clothing -- suits for men and traditional Korean "hanbok" for women -- for the televised event. In our earlier meeting, xxxxx had commented that MOU gives "pocket and travel money" to ROK participants which they then pass on to their North Korean relatives. xxxxx sighed that the majority of the MOU cash is usually pocketed by North Korean officials, who also force the North Korean participants to return their new clothes. Tokola
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