C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 001385 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2019 
TAGS: OREP [U.S. Congressional Travel], PREL [External Political Relations],
PGOV [Internal Governmental Affairs], KS [Korea (South)] 
SUBJECT: CODEL BERMAN'S AUGUST 18 MEETING WITH ROK 
PRESIDENT LEE MYUNG-BAK 
 
¶1.  (U)  Summary:  During an August 18 meeting, ROK 
President Lee Myung-bak stressed his satisfaction with the 
close cooperation between Washington and Seoul on the DPRK 
nuclear issue and speculated that the leadership succession 
in North Korea was unlikely to be smooth.  The U.S. 
delegation emphasized the importance of the nuclear issue 
and expressed support for increased trade with the ROK. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U)  Representative Howard Berman (D-CA), Chairman of 
the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and his delegation met 
with ROK President Lee Myung-bak for approximately 45 
minutes on August 18.  In addition to Rep. Berman, the 
delegation included Rep. Eni Faleomavaega (D-AS), Rep, 
Diane Watson (D-CA), Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), and 
Representative Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX). 
 
¶3.  (U)  At the opening of the meeting, Rep. Berman 
expressed condolences on the passing of former ROK 
President Kim Dae-jung, who had died about an hour 
earlier.  President Lee replied that Kim Dae-jung's death 
had deprived Korea of a towering figure of its modern 
history.  Noting that next year would be the 60th 
anniversary of the Korean War, Lee expressed appreciation 
for passage of the Korean War Veterans Recognition Act, 
noting that the gesture of flying the American flag at 
half-staff on that day had been well received in South 
Korea. 
 
North Korea 
----------- 
 
¶4.  (U)  The U.S.-ROK relationship was much deeper than it 
had been in the past, Berman observed, adding that 
denuclearization was at the top of our agenda.  President 
Lee emphasized that cooperation on the nuclear issue 
between the United States and the ROK could not be any 
closer.  As recently as a couple months ago, Lee said, 
China had been unenthusiastic about applying pressure to 
the DPRK, but in recent weeks Beijing had become more 
proactive and cooperative.  As for Pyongyang, it was 
unclear if its recent actions in releasing the American 
journalists and the Korean citizen were indications that it 
was again ready for talks or whether it was just trying to 
buy time. 
 
¶5.  (U)  Representative Faleomavaega endorsed President 
Lee's call for consistency, comprehensiveness and 
flexibility in dealings with North Korea.  Such statements 
would help Kim Jong-il realize that he could no longer 
"play yo-yo" with the international community. 
 
Trade 
----- 
 
¶6.  (U)  Representative Kingston noted that he was excited 
about the opportunities the Korea-United States FTA (KORUS) 
would provide.  He asked for President Lee's opinion on the 
possible leadership transition in North Korea.  Lee replied 
that because heir-apparent Kim Jong-eun was so young, he 
lacked a record of accomplishments, and the transition was 
therefore unlikely to be smooth. 
 
¶7.  (U)  Noting that the United States had lost millions of 
jobs during the current recession, Representative Watson 
assured Lee that President Obama nonetheless was determined 
to move forward with the KORUS FTA.  She added that she 
remained committed to holding the next session of the 
U.S.-ROK parliamentary exchange, although it would probably 
be 2010 before it could be scheduled. Lee expressed his 
understanding that President Obama was preoccupied with 
domestic issues at the moment, and that he was confident 
the United States would turn to the KORUS FTA at an 
appropriate time.  The United States was the ROK's 
fourth-largest trading partner and the ROK was the U.S.'s 
seventh largest, but the FTA was much more than just an 
economic agreement, and needed to be seen in a wider, 
strategic sense. 
 
¶8.  (U)  Representative Hinojosa emphasized his 
appreciation for trade with Korea, which had benefited his 
district in Texas.  Noting that his older brother had 
served as a paratrooper during the Korean War, Hinojosa 
expressed his own desire to attend next year's observance 
of the 60th anniversary of the war. 
 
¶9.  (U)  This cable has been cleared by Chairman Berman. 
TOKOLA