TNAG-2927-FCO40-4202-Visits-by-Douglas-Hurd--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-C-1993 — Page 61

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.

1

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL