Margaret P Grafeld Declassi ed Released US Department of State E0 Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Message Text SECRET PAGE 0 SEOUL 07642 0 OF 02 l0 ACTION SS-ZS INFO OCT ISO-00 NSC E-OO 026 0438 5 3005482 SEP 75 FM AMEMEASSY SEOUL TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3086 INFO AMEMBASSY PARIS AMEMBASSY TOKYO AM EM BASSY OTTAWA USMISSION IAEA VIENNA SECTION I OF 2 SEOUL 7642 EXDIS E O TAGS MNUC KS SUBJECT ROK NUCLEAR FUEL REPROCESSING PLANT REF STATE 2260 I BEGIN SUMMARY I HAVE NOW COMPLETED SECOND ROUND OF APPROACHES TO ROKG ON FRENCH NUCLEAR FUEL REPROCESSING LABORATORY OVER PAST FEW DAYS I HAVE PRESENTED NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE ASPECTS OF US POSITION TO DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER I ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER AND MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MOST INITIAL RESPONSES WERE UNEQUIVOCALLY NEGATIVE INDICATING UNIFORM AND FIRM DETERMINATION TO GO AHEAD WITH PURCHASE OF FRENCH REPROCESSING PLANT AND DISAPPOINTMENT AT UNWILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT PREVIOUSLY OFFERED RATIONALE FOR ROK POSITION WE ARE NOW AWAITING CONSIDERED RESPONSE TO OUR APPROACH END SUMMARY I ON SEPT 25 I MET WITH ACTING FONMIN LHO SHIN YONG WHO ACCOMPANIED BY DR YOON YUNG KU PRESIDENT KAERI AND FOLLOWED- UP WITH PRIVATE MEETING SEPT 26 WITH DEPPRIMIN NAM DUCK WOO AND SEPT 29 WITH OR CHOE HYONG SOP MOST 2 I BASED PRESENTATION AT ALL THREE MEETINGS CLOSELY ON REFTEL GUIDANCE I EMPHASIZED FOLLOWING POINTS GEARED TO ANTICI- SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 SEOUL 07642 0 OF 02 3UIOISZ PATED ROK SENSITIVITIES BUT COVERED ALL POINTS IN REFTEL Margaret P Grafeld Declassi eleeleased US Department of State E0 Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Margaret P Grafeld Declassi eleeleased US Department of State E0 Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 A ROKG EXPLANATION OF REPROCESSING FACILITY APPRECIATED AND CAREFULLY EXAMINED BUT USG REMAINS DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF PURCHASING FRENCH FACILITY AND URGES ROK TO CANCEL PURCHASE B US OPPOSITION TO NATIONAL APPROACH ON NUCLEAR REPROCESSING IS CONSISTENT POLICY AND NON-DISCRIMINATORY AGAINST US STRONG LY SUPPORTS ALTERNATIVE OF MULTINATIONAL REPROCESSING I PLACED PARTICULAR STRESS ON SEC RET SEPT 22 UNGA STATE- MENT TO DEMONSTRATE WE WERE NOT SINGLING OUT ROK C DESTABILIZING INFLUENCE 0N SECURITY SITUATION OF KOREA WAS SET FORTH I POINTED OUT THAT IRRESPECTIVE OF ROK INTENTIONS PERCEPTION IN REGION OF ROK CAPABILITY TO SEPARATE PLUTONIUM COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT POLITICAL AND SECURITY RELATIONSHIPS INCLUDING OUR OWN D QUESTIONABLE ABILITY TO OBTAIN CONGRESSIONAL AGREEMENT TO LOANS FOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS WAS POINTED UP AS PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION E MAJOR EMPHASIS PLACED UPON CONSTRUCTIVE CARROTS IN PACKAGE PARTICULARLY SUPPORT FOR FUEL FABRICATION FORTII IN REFTEL AND I URGED ROKG TO BALANCE THESE PROSPECTIVE ADVANTAGES TO ITS NUCLEAR ENERGY PROGRAM AGAINST LOSS OF ONLY REPROCESSING ELEMENT IN FRENCH CONTRACT 2 FINALLY IN PRIVATE CONVERSATION WITH BOTH LHO AND NAM I EMPHASIZED POTENTIAL NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF KOREAN NATIONAL RE- PROCESSING ON BROADER US-KOREAN MUTUAL INTERSTS I TOUCHED ONLY ON RELATIVE SENSITIVITY OF KOREAN AND JAPANESE PROGRAMS GIVEN FACT THAT KOREANS AWARE OF MUCH LARGER REPROCESSING PLANT PURCHASED BY JAPAN ALSO FROM FRANCE GENERAL SENSITIVITY IN REGION TO POSSIBLE JAPANESE NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM AND JAPAN- ESE FAILURE SO FAR TO RATIFY NPT ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL PROB- LEMS WERE REITERATED AGAIN 3 REACTION OF ROKG SENIOR OFFICIALS WAS UNIFORMLY NEGATIVE HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIVIDUAL CONVERSATIONS SET FORTH BELOW BUT SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 SEOUL 07642 0 OF 02 3OIOISZ KEY POINTS ARE SUMMARIZED ALONG FOLLOWING LINES A ROKG HAD ANTICIPATED US WOULD AGREE TO PURCHASE OF FRENCH REPROCESSING FACILITY ONCE FULL EXPLANATION PROVIDED B ROKG UNABLE UNDERSTAND US OBJECTIONS SINCE FACILITY ONLY FOR TRAINING FULL SAFEGUARDS PROVIDED UNDER IAEA AND ADDITIONALLY COMPLETE US INSPECTION OFFERED AS LHO PUT IT ROKG INVITED Margaret P Graield Declassi eleeleased US Department of State E0 Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu