Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006 Message Text SECRET PAGE 01 SEOUL 09928 261125Z 15 ACTION SS-25 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 SSO-00 NSCE-00 026 W --------------------- 036039 O P 260933Z DEC 75 FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4680 INFO AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY USMISSION IAEA VIENNA PRIORITY S E C R E T SEOUL 9928 EXDIS EO 11652 XGDS-1 TAGS MNUC PARM KS FR SUBJECT ROK NUCLEAR REPROCESSING REF A STATE 302043 B STATE 299089 C STATE 226011 SUMMARY ROKG HAS MADE COUNTER PROPOSAL ON NUCLEAR REPROCESSING ROKG IS PREPARED TO RECONSIDER REPROCESSING ASPECT OF FRENCH CONTRACT TO WITHHOLD ANY FUTURE ACTION ON FRENCH CONTRACT FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS DURING WHICH DETAILED DISCUSSIONS WOULD BE HELD ON SCOPE OF BROADER US-KOREAN NUCLEAR COOPERATION IN NON-SENSITIVE AREAS AND TO CANCEL FRENCH CONTRACT IF MUTUALLY SATISFACTORY AGREEMENT REACHED ROKG CONFIDENT SUCH AGREEMENT CAN BE REACHED ROKG HAS TAKEN THIS ACTION IN VIEW BROADER CONSIDERATION OF US-ROKG RELATIONS AND SERIOUSNESS OF US APPROACH ON NUCLEAR REPROCESSING FULL DETAILS AND COMMENTS WILL BE SENT SEPTEL END SUMMARY 1 AT PRESIDENT PARK'S SPECIFIC REQUEST I MET TODAY DEC 26 WITH HIS PRINCIPAL AIDE PRESIDENTIAL SECRETARY KIM CHONG-YOM AND CHIEF PROTOCOL SECRETARY CHOI KWANG-SOO WHO ACTED AS INTERPRETER I HAD REQUESTED APPOINTMENT WITH PRESIDENT ON RECEIPT REF A REACHING KIM CHONG-YOM SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 SEOUL 09928 261125Z ONLY LATE IN DAY DUE TO OTHER PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTMENTS 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 AFTER CONSULTING WITH PRESIDENT KIM ON BEHALF OF PRESIDENT ASKED ME TO MEET WITH HIM FIRST SINCE PRESIDENT OCCUPIED WITH YEAR END MEETINGS AND CEREMONIES AND NOT FULLY FAMILIAR WITH ALL TECHNICAL DETAILS PRESIDENTIAL MEETING PROMISED BY KIM IF WE COULD NOT REACH SATISFACTORY AGREEMENT KIM ALSO SAID THAT PRESIDENT PARK FULLY AWARE OF SENSITIVE POLITICAL AND SECURITY INTERESTS INVOLVED WHICH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER NAM EARLIER TODAY VERIFIED FROM A PREVIOUS CONVERSATION WITH PARK BUT NEVERTHELESS WISHED ME DISCUSS PROBLEM WITH KIM INITIALLY UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES I AGREED 2 AT OUTSET OF LENGTHY SESSION I WENT OVER CAREFULLY WITH KIM FULL US POSITION DRAWING FROM REFTELS EMPHASIS PLACED ON OVERRIDING POLITICAL AND SECURITY CONCERNS AND ON POSITIVE ASPECTS OF US NUCLEAR COOPERATION WITH ROKG IN NON-SENSITIVE AREAS I SPECIFICALLY STATED DETAILED DISCUSSION OF SUCH COOPERATION WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW ROKG DECISION TO CANCEL FRENCH REPROCESSING CONTRACT I ALSO GAVE KIM COPIES OF AIDE MEMOIRE AND ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL PAPER SENT TO FORMER PRIME MINISTER KIM CHONG P'IL TO ASSURE BLUE HOUSE RECORD ABSOLUTELY CORRECT 3 KIM WAS FULLY PREPARED FOR MY APPROACH AND SPOKE WITH AUTHORIZATION AND APPROVAL OF PRESIDENT PARK HE READ FROM PREPARED NOTES HE REVIEWED IN FAMILIAR TERMS BASIS FOR ROKG DECISION TO ACQUIRE FRENCH REPROCESSING RESEARCH FACILITY AND INDICATED THAT HE HAD BEEN COMPLETELY BRIEFED ON MY PREVIOUS APPROACHES HE STATED AND SUBSEQUENTLY REITERATED AT SEVERAL POINTS ROKG OBJECTIVE WAS LIMITED TO DEVELOPMENT OF PEACEFUL USE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY AND IT HAD NO REPEAT NO INTENTION TO DEVELOP IMPORT OR POSSESS NUCLEAR WEAPONS APPROACH TO FRENCH WAS MADE HE EXPLAINED ONLY AFTER ROKG HAD BEEN REBUFFED BY US NOT ONLY ON REPROCESSBUT IN OTHER AREAS OF TECHNICAL COOPERATION 4 AFTER ARGUING DECISION ON FRENCH CONTRACT JUSTIFIED KIM SAID THAT AFTER FULLEST CONSIDERATION TAKING INTO ACCOUNT BROADER INTERESTS OF US-ROKG RELATIONS AND SERIOUS POSITION US HAD TAKEN ON BOTH ECONOMIC POLITICAL GROUNDS ROKG PREPARED SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 SEOUL 09928 261125Z TO RE-CONSIDER ITS POSITION ON REPROCESSING ASPECT OF FRENCH CONTRACT FURTHER ROKG WOULD BE PREPARED TO CANCEL FRENCH CONTRACT IF ITS REQUIREMENTS IN AREA OF NUCLEAR COOPERATION AS OUTLINED BY VICE MINISTER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY YI SEOUL 9662 AND SEOUL 9663 COULD BE SATISFIED KIM RECOGNIZED IT WOULD TAKE SOME TIME TO WORK OUT DETAILS OF WHAT US COULD PROVIDE IN RESPONSE TO THESE REQUESTS AND ROKG IS PREPARED TO WITHHOLD ANY FURTHER PROGRESS ON FRENCH CONTRACT 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 FOR THIS PERIOD BUT NOT REPEAT NOT INDEFINITELY 5 IN RESPONSE TO MY REQUEST FOR MORE SPECIFIC DEFINITION OF ROKG POSITION KIM SAID THAT ROKG RECOGNIZED SOME ISSUES LIKE MULTINATIONAL REGIONAL REPROCESSING WOULD TAKE TWO TO THREE YEARS BUT OTHER QUESTIONS RAISED BY YI SUCH AS COOPERATION ON TRANSFER OF NON-SENSITIVE NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY SHOULD NOT TAKE MORE THAN SIX MONTHS AGREEMENT COULD NOT BE EXPECTED EVEN IN LATTER AREAS ON SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS TO ASSIST IMPORT OF ENRICHMENT FACILITIES AND REACTORS BUT KIM ENVISAGED AGREEMENT ON SCOPE OF COOPERATION SUCH AGREEMENT HE CONSIDERED FEASIBLE AFTER EXPERT DISCUSSIONS IN MORE DETAIL OVER PERIOD OF ABOUT SIX MONTHS 6 I POINTED OUT TO KIM THAT MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US WAS US REQUEST TO CANCEL CONTRACT BEFORE ENTERING DETAILED DISCUSSIONS WHILE ROKG PROPOSED DISCUSSIONS BEFORE CANCELLATION KIM RESPONDED THAT ROKG DUE UNIQUE AND SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH US IS CONFIDENT WE CAN REACH MUTUALLY SATISFACTORY AGREEMENT ON BASIS MUTUAL TRUST HOWEVER CANCELLATION IN ADVANCE WOULD SERIOUSLY EMBARRASS RELATIONS WITH FRENCH AND AS SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENT ROKG WISHES TO HAVE BASIS FOR CANCELLATION BEFORE GOING TO FRENCH HE FURTHER STATED THAT ROKG IS AWARE OF OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH FRENCH BUT FRENCH HAVE GIVEN NO REPEAT NO INDICATION OF THEIR RECEPTIVITY TO CANCELLATION ROKG WOULD NOT INTEND TO FORMALLY NOTIFY FRENCH OF WITHHOLDING ACTION FOR UP TO SIX MONTHS BUT IS CONFIDENT FRENCH WOULD REALIZE DE FACTO ROKG ACTIONS THEREIN AT CONCLUSION I TOLD KIM THAT I WOULD REPORT ROKG PROPOSAL NOTING DIFFERENCES IN POSITION HE SAID THAT HE WOULD PREPARE FULL MINUTE TO PRESENT TO PRESIDENT PARK 7 FULLER REPORT AND COMMENTS WILL FOLLOW SEPTEL SECRET SECRET PAGE 04 SEOUL 09928 261125Z 8 LATE DEVELOPMENT ABOUT ONE HOUR AND HALF AFTER COMPLETION OUR CONVERSATION KIM CALLED ME HE SAID THAT HE HAD REPORTED OUR CONVERSATION PARTICULARLY POINTS I HAD MADE IN FULL DETAIL TO PRESIDENT PARK PRESIDENT WAS MUCH IMPRESSED HE INSTRUCTED THAT ROKG INFORM FRENCH EMBASSY THAT KOREA WOULD HOLD UP REPROCESSING PROJECT UNTIL US AND KOREAN GOVERNMENTS REACH SATISFACTORY AGREEMENT SNEIDER SECRET Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 06 JUL 2006                     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