CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
FM SEOUL
TO DESKBY 2908OOZ FCO
TELNO 43
OF 290527Z JANUARY 93
INFO IMMEDIATE TOKYO, MOSCOW, JAKARTA, PEKING
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG (FOR PS/GOVERNOR)
116644
MDHIAN 7546
WM
YOUR TELNO 38: POSSIBLE VISIT TO SEOUL BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND MRS HURD
IT COULD HELP TO 1. THE PROPOSED VISIT WOULD BE MOST WELCOME. PLUG US IN AT THE TOP LEVEL WITH THE NEW ADMINISTRATION SHORTLY AFTER IT TAKES OFFICE AND TO FEED IN A NUMBER OF MESSAGES, BOTH POLITICAL AND TRADE-ACCESS RELATED AT THE ONLY LEVEL WHICH WILL
OUR EC COUNT AT THIS EARLY STAGE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S LIFE. COMPETITORS ARE PAYING A GOOD DEAL OF HIGH LEVEL ATTENTION TO KOREA IN BOTH POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL TERMS. THE FIRST MAJOR VISIT OF THE NEW ADMINISTRATION IS TO BE BY CHANCELLOR KOHL AT THE BEGINNING OF MARCH AND PRESIDENT MITTERAND WILL BE HERE LATER IN THE YEAR. GETTING THE SECRETARY OF STATE HERE WOULD BE A CLEAR DEMONSTRATION OF OUR INTEREST IN KOREA TOO: OF ALL EUROPEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS, IS THE ONE WHO GETS MOST EXPOSURE IN THE KOREAN MEDIA.
HE
2. THE PLANNED MORNING IN SEOUL ON THURSDAY 8 APRIL SHOULD PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CALLS ON THE FOREIGN MINISTER, THE PRIME
WE WOULD ALSO BE PUT MINISTER AND SOME NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FIGURES.
CALLS ON MINISTERS ON THE IN A BID FOR A CALL ON THE PRESIDENT. ECONOMIC SIDE WOULD BE MORE DIFFICULT SINCE THEIR OFFICES ARE ALL 45 MINUTES OUT OF SEOUL. BUT THERE ARE OTHER ORGANISATIONS IN THE
AND IT MIGHT BE CENTRE OF SEOUL WHICH WOULD BE SUITABLE FOR CALLS. POSSIBLE ALSO TO PERSUADE THE MAIN ECONOMIC ORGANISATIONS TO OFFER A LUNCH AT WHICH THE SECRETARY OF STATE COULD SPEAK.
3.
THERE WOULD CERTAINLY BE NO PROBLEM ABOUT MY ORGANISING A
BUT WORKING DINNER IN SEOUL ON THE EVENING OF WEDNESDAY 7 APRIL. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE FOREIGN MINISTER HIMSELF WOULD WANT TO GIVE A DINNER FOR MR HURD THAT EVENING (SINCE THE 8 APRIL EVENING WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE) AND THAT WOULD INEVITABLY BE A MORE FORMAL EVENT AT WHICH IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE TO DO MUCH WORK.
IF THESE SUGGESTIONS ARE ACCEPTABLE, I HOPE WE CAN GO TO THE MFA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IT MAY NOT BE UNTIL THE NEW PRESIDENT'S
4.
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