Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Message Text SECRET PAGE 01 SEOUL 08278 240504Z 21 ACTION SS-25 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 SSO-00 NSCE-00 026 W --------------------- 115548 O R 240436Z OCT 75 FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3526 INFO AMEMBASSY TOKYO AMEMBASSY PARIS AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IAEA VIENNA 108 S E C R E T SEOUL 8278 EXDIS EO 11652 GDS TAGS MNUC KS SUBJECT ROKG REJECTS OUR REPRESENTATIONS ON NUCLEAR REPROCESSING 1 ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER LHO SHIN YOUNG CALLED IN AMBASSADOR EVENING OCTOBER 23 TO INFORM HIM THAT AFTER CAREFUL RECONSIDERATION OF DEPUTY SECRETARY'S AND AMBASSADOR'S VARIOUS REPRESENTATIONS ON PURCHASE FRENCH NUCLEAR REPROCESSING PLANT ROKG HAD DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO CANCEL FRENCH CONTRACT AT THIS STAGE LHO SAID HE WISHED TO MAKE CLEAR ONCE AGAIN THAT REPROCESSING PLANT WAS FOR STUDY PURPOSE ONLY AND THAT THROUGH TECHNICAL STUDY AND DEVELOPMENT REPROCESSING CAPABILITY ROKG EXPECTED TO REDUCE ANTICIPATED MAJOR FOREIGN EXCHANGE OUTLAYS FOR NUCLEAR POWER DEVELOPMENT HE AGAIN WELCOMED THOROUGH U S INSPECTION IN COURSE CONVERSATION HE POINTEDLY ASKED WHY WE HAD NOT RESISTED DEVELOPMENT JAPANESE REPROCESSING CAPABILITY HE ALSO REPEATEDLY PRESSED AMBASSADOR ON QUESTION WHY U S SO SUSPICIOUS OF ROKG INTENT SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 SEOUL 08278 240504Z 2 IN HIS RESPONSE AND IN COURSE SUBSEQUENT Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 EXCHANGES AMBASSADOR BORE IN HARD ON ROKG POSITION HE SAID HE WE DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED BY ROKG REPLY THAT AS WE HAD REPEATEDLY EXPLAINED SUM TOTAL U S VAST EXPERIENCE ARGUED AGAINST ROK DECISION IN ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL SENSE THAT HIGHLY DOUBTFUL POSSIBLE GAINS ROKG SOUGHT WERE FAR OUTWEIGHED BY RISKS TO FUTURE US ROK COOPERATION NOT ONLY IN NUCLEAR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT BUT QUITE POSSIBLY IN MANY OTHER AREAS HE POINTED OUT THAT ADVERSE U S CONGRESSIONAL REACTION MAY VERY WELL NOT BE LIMITED TO REJECTION KORI II LOAN AND SUPPLY OF FUEL ELEMENTS BUT COULD APPLY IN MANY AREAS ROKS NEED U S SUPPORT 3 RESPONDING TO LHO'S JAPANESE COMPARISON AMBASSADOR SAID THERE WERE REAL DIFFERENCES JAPAN WAS NOT ON DMZ KOREA IS CRITICAL AREA WHERE NK AND SINO SOVIET REACTION NEEDED TO BE CONSIDERED WE KNOW HOW STRONGLY ADVERSE JAPANESE PEOPLE ARE TO NUCLEAR WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT JAPAN'S REQUIREMENT AT TIME IT INITIATED REPROCESSING DEVELOPMENT LOOKED FAR MORE REAL AND PRACTICABLE THAN KOREA'S AMBASSADOR PUT ASIDE QUESTION OF U S MISTRUST OF ROK ASSURANCES BUT POINTED OUT OBVIOUS PROBLEM OF PERCEPTIONS THAT THIS WAS WORLDWIDE U S POLICY AND THAT WE HAD OFFERED TO SUPPORT VIABLE ALTERNATIVE MULTINATIONAL APPROACH 4 SUMMING UP AMBASSADOR SAID THAT WE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND ROK LOGIC AND THAT ROKG ADOPTING VERY HIGH RISK POLICY AMBASSADOR URGED AT END AND SEVERAL TIMES DURING CONVERSATION RECONSIDERATION OF ROKG POLICY LHO STEADFASTLY REJECTED THESE REQUESTS VOICING CONFIDENCE USG COULD FIND WAY TO COOPERATE WITH ROKG IN NUCLEAR ENERGY MATTERS IF IT HAD WILL AMBASSADOR CONCLUDED THAT HE HAD SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT PRACTICABILITY OF POTENTIAL COOPERATION IN THIS AREA 5 EMBASSY COMMENTS FOLLOW SNEIDER SECRET NNN Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Message Attributes Automatic Decaptioning Z Capture Date 01 JAN 1994 Channel Indicators n a Current Classification UNCLASSIFIED Concepts NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS FISSIONABLE MATERIALS Control Number n a Copy SINGLE Draft Date 24 OCT 1975 Decaption Date 28 MAY 2004 Decaption Note 25 YEAR REVIEW Disposition Action RELEASED Disposition Approved on Date Disposition Authority SmithRJ Disposition Case Number n a Disposition Comment 25 YEAR REVIEW Disposition Date 28 MAY 2004 Disposition Event Disposition History n a Disposition Reason Disposition Remarks Document Number 1975SEOUL08278 Document Source CORE Document Unique ID 00 Drafter n a Enclosure n a Executive Order GS Errors N A Film Number D750369-0951 From SEOUL Handling Restrictions n a Image Path ISecure 1 Legacy Key link1975 newtext t19751019 aaaaaqvi tel Line Count 98 Locator TEXT ON-LINE ON MICROFILM Office ACTION SS Original Classification SECRET Original Handling Restrictions EXDIS Original Previous Classification n a Original Previous Handling Restrictions n a Page Count 2 Previous Channel Indicators n a Previous Classification SECRET Previous Handling Restrictions EXDIS Reference n a Review Action RELEASED APPROVED Review Authority SmithRJ Review Comment n a Review Content Flags Review Date 16 APR 2003 Review Event Review Exemptions n a Review History RELEASED 16 APR 2003 by BoyleJA APPROVED 02 OCT 2003 by SmithRJ Review Markings Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Review Media Identifier Review Referrals n a Review Release Date n a Review Release Event n a Review Transfer Date Review Withdrawn Fields n a Secure OPEN Status NATIVE Subject ROKG REJECTS OUR REPRESENTATIONS ON NUCLEAR REPROCESSING TAGS MNUC KS LHO SHIN YOUNG To STATE Type TE Markings Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO 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