TNAG-2910-FCO40-4185-International-support-from-Asia-regarding-the-future-of-Hong-1993 — Page 50

ZCZC

HPTYAN 7309 SJHPAN 1643

RESTRICTED

TA TOKYO

FM SEOUL TO TOKYO

020752Z FEB

GRS 1504

RESTRICTED

FM SEOUL

TO TELELETTER TOKYO

TELELETTER NFR

OF 020752Z FEBRUARY 93

AND TO TELELETTER FCO

FROM HM AMBASSADOR

ITING

FOR CO HUM, AUSS (VISITING)

CC H L L DAVIES, HEAD OF FED

VISIT TO KOREA, 28 JANUARY 1 FEBRUARY

1. I UNDERTOOK TO SEND YOU BY TELELETTER (COPIED ONLY TO THE HEAD. OF FED) SOME REFLECTIONS ON YOUR RECENT VISIT TO KOREA. WHAT FOLLOWS IS NOT ENTIRELY COMPREHENSIVE BUT REFLECTS NOTES I TOOK DURING YOUR CALLS. IT IS FOR YOU TO DRAW ON IN ANY MINUTE WHICH YOU MIGHT CIRCULATE ON YOUR RETURN.

PROGRAMME

2.

WE TRIED TO GIVE YOU A BROAD PICTURE OF KOREA. YOU SAW AND MET ASSISTANT MINISTERS AND DIRECTORS GENERAL IN THE MFA AND THE NATIONAL UNIFICATION BOARD, AS WELL AS AMBASSADOR GONG AT THE INSTITUTE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND NATIONAL SECURITY. YOU MET BRITISH BUSINESSMEN OVER DINNER AND AT A SECOND DINNER MET A FURTHER COLLECTION OF KOREAN AND OTHER FOREIGNERS ACTIVE IN THE COUNTRY. YOU SAW THE TAEJON EXPO SITE AND, THANKS TO THE VISIT OF THE PRIME MINISTER TO TAEJON THAT DAY, MET THE LEADERS OF THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE FROM CHAIRMAN OH DOWNWARDS. YOU SAW SOME OF THE COUNTRYSIDE AND CULTURE AT CHIKJISA AND KYONGJU. ON YOUR FIRST AFTERNOON, YOU MET ALL EMBASSY SECTION HEADS. THE ONE THING WE DID NOT HAVE TIME FOR WAS A VISIT TO AN INDUSTRIAL PLANT. BUT AT LEAST YOUR DRIVE PAST POSCO'S HUGE PLANT AT POHANG GAVE YOU A SENse of THE SCALE OF KOREAN INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY.

NORTH/SOUTH RELATIONS

3. THESE TOOK UP A GOOD DEAL OF YOUR DISCUSSIONS. THE PICTURE PAINTED BY AMBASSADOR GONG, DON GREGG THE US AMBASSADOR AND OTHERS WAS OF TOTAL BLOCKAGE.` LACK OF PROGRESS OVER NUCLEAR INSPECTIONS HAD COMBINED WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF TEAM SPIRIT AND THE TRANSITION TO THE NEW PRESIDENCY.

THERE COULD BE NO EXPECTATION OF ANY MOVEMENT BEFORE THE MIDDLE OF APRIL - EARLY MAY. BY THEN THE US TROOPS DEPLOYED FOR TEAM SPIRIT WOULD HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY, THE 15 APRIL PYONGYANG CELEBRATIONS WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE AND THE NEW ADMINISTRATION WOULD BE FULLY IN CHARGE HERE IN SEOUL.

4. ALL TO WHOM YOU SPOKE ANTICIPATED THAT ROK POLICY TOWARDS NORTH KOREA WOULD REMAIN UNCHANGED UNDER THE NEW KYS ADMINISTRATION. AMBASSADOR GONG WAS QUITE CLEAR THAT THE ROK AUTHORITIES WERE NOT HANDICAPPED IN THEIR APPROACH EITHER BY CHAEBOL PRESSURE FOR EARLY PROGRESS IN ORDER TO FREE UP ECONOMIC LINKS OR BY THE ATTITUDES OF ROK CONSERVATIVES WHO MIGHT ARGUE THAT PROGRESS WITH THE NORTH WAS TOO QUICK. IF NUCLEAR INSPECTIONS REMAINED BLOCKED, KYS WOULD NOT STAND IN THE WAY OF AN EARLY RESORT TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL. HE MIGHT ALSO BE PREPARED TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE QUESTION OF HUMAN

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