Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 2006 Message Text SECRET PAGEOI SEOUL00516 221115Z 12 ACTION SS-25 INFO OCT-OI ISO-OO SSO-OO NSCE-OO 026 W 095912 o 221015ZJAN 76 FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5 110 INFO AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IMMEDIATE AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY USMISSION IAEA VIENNA PRIORITY S ECR ETSEOUL0516 EXDIS DEPT PLS PASS CINCPAC FOR POLAD PLS PASS AMBASSADOR SNEIDER AND ASSISTANT SECRETARY HABIB E O 11652 GDS TAGS' MNUC PARM KS FR SUBJECT ROK NUCLEAR REPROCESSING SUMMARY IN OPENING MEETING ON NUCLEAR REPROCESSING JANUARY 22 BETWEEN US TEAM LED BY ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRATZER AND ROK GROUP COMPRISED OF MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CHOE HYONG-SOP AND KAERI AND MOFA OFFICIALS MINISTER CHOE PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDING ROKIUS ATOMIC ENERGY COMMITTEE SISTER RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NUCLEAR RESEARCH INSTITUTES AND OVERALL SCIENCE AGREEMENT STRESSING THAT U S COMMITMENTS ON COOPERATION WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW ROK DECISION TO CANCEL FRENCH REPROCESSING CONTRACT ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OUTLINED POSSIBLE AREAS OF U S COOPERATION IN NUCLEAR ENERGY FIELD CANADIAN AMBASSADOR TOLD CHARGE LATE JANUARY 21 THAT HE INFORMED BY MOF A THAT ROKG EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE CANADIAN FINAL ANSWER ON FRENCH REPROCESSING FACILITY CONTRACT AFTERNOON JANUARY 23 END SUMMARY ' I IN RESPONSE MINISTER CHOE'S WELCOMING REMARKS AND OPENING COMMENT THAT MEETINGS SHOULD PROVIDE GOOD OPPORTUNITY DISSOLVE SECRET SECRET PAGE02 SEOUL 00516 221115Z ANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS REGARDING NUCLEAR REPROCESSING ISSUE Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 2006 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 2006 ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY KRATZER REVIEWED PAST ROKIUS COOPERATION IN NUCLEAR AREA AND RECENT NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENTS IN THE US THEN OUTLINED AREAS WHERE US AND ROK MIGHT COOPERATE EFFECTIVELY IN FUTURE PROVIDED ROK DEfINITELY CANCELS RE PROCESSING PLANS IN THIS CONTEXT THE US WELCOMED CURRENT DIRECTION Of ROK THINKING ON PURCHASE fRENCH REPROCESSING PLANT AND HOPED THAT fINAL DECISION TO CANCEL WOULD BE MADE PROMPTLY SO THAT WAY WOULD BE OPEN TO ENLARGED ROKIUS NUCLEAR ENERGY COOPERATION IN FUTURE 2 RESPONDING SCIENCE MINISTER CHOE REVIEWED BACKGROUND AND REASONING BEHIND fRENCH REPROCESSING fACILITY CONTRACT COMING DOWN WITH SOME HEATON POINT THAT ROKlfRENCH NEGOTIATIONS HAD BEEN GOING ON fOR LONG PERIOD Of TIME PRIOR TO US RAISING ITS OBJECTIONS CHOE AffiRMED THAT ROKG HAD NO INTENTION WHATSO EVER DEVELOP NUCLEAR WEAPONS SINCE IT COULD NOT AffORD SUCH DEVELOPMENT AND IT RELIED COMPLETELY ON US NUCLEAR UMBRELLA 3 CHOE MADE THREE PROPOSALS fOR A STANDING COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT B ASISTER RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ROK AND US RESEARCH INSTITUTES AND C OVERALL SCIENCE AGREEMENT BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES NOTING THAT USIROK STANDING COMMITTEE ON GENERAL SCIENTifiC AGREEMENT HAD BEEN MOST HELp fUL CHOE SAID SIMILAR COMMmEE IN NUCLEAR AREA COULD HELP AVOID SUCH PROBLEMS AND MISUNDERSTANDING WHICH HAD ARISEN OVER REPROCESSING ISSUE ROKG ALSO NEEDED WINDOW HE SAID TO OBTAIN ADVICE TRAINING AND MATERIAL fROM US NUCLEAR RESEARCH INSTI TUES RESEARCH INSTITUTE SISTER RELATIONSHIPS SHOULD BE RE ESTABLISHED WHICH WOULD NOT ENTAIL A GREAT DEAL Of OBLIGATION IN THE fiRST INSTANCE BUT COULD BE MOST USEfUL AS CHANNEL Of COMMUNICATION SCIENCE AGREEMENT CHOE CONCEIVED Of AS KIND Of fORMALITY BUT ONE THAT WOULD ALSO BE MOST USEfUL 4 IN RESPONSE ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARYOKRATZER INDICATED THAT WHILE WE COULD NOT MAKE SPECifiC COMMITMENTS THESE WERE KIND Of SUGGESTIONS WE LOOKING fOR AGAIN STRESSING POINT THAT COMMITMENT TO SUCH ENDEAVORS WOULD HAVE TO fOLLOW RATHER THAN PRECEDE DECISION ON NUCLEAR REPROCESSING 5 CHOE'S APPROACH WAS CONCILIATORY AND MODERATE BUT HE AVOIDED SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 SEOUL 00516 2211 15Z DIRECT LINK BETWEEN OUTCOME Of TALKS AND REPROCESSING DECISION HE DID REfER IN CLOSING REMARKS TO ROK DESIRE TO LOOK fOR ALTERNATlVES WHICH MIGHT BE EXPLORED DURING SECOND MEETING SCHEDULED MORNING fRIDAY JANUARY 23 6 CANADIAN AMBASSADOR TOLD CHARGE LATE JANUARY 21 THAT HE INfORMED MOfA THAT ROKG EXPECTED TO BE ABLE PROVIDE CANADIANS fINAL ANSWER REGARDING fRENCH REPROCESSING fACILITY CONTRACT Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic ReView 04 MAY 2006 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 2006 AFTERNOON JANUARY 23 ERICSON NOTE BY ocrr NOT PASSED SECRET NNN Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 04 MAY 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