Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 30 JUN 2005 Message Text CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 SEOUL 04957 300902Z 21 ACTION IO-14 INFO OCT-01 AF-10 ARA-16 EA-11 EUR-25 NEA-14 RSC-01 ISO-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 PM-07 H-03 INR-11 L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-07 PA-04 PRS-01 SP-03 SS-20 USIA-15 ACDA-19 SCI-06 FEA-02 DRC-01 ISO W --------------------- 036543 R 300751Z JUL 74 FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5134 INFO AEC GERMANTOWN USMISSION GENEVA USMISSION USUN NEW YORK AMEMBASSY MOSCOW USMISSION IAEA VIENNA C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 4957 E O 11652 GDS TAGS PARM TECH KS IAEA SUBJECT KOREAN ACCESSION TO NPT REF A IAEA VIENNA 5288 B SEOUL 637 NOTAL 1 EMBOFF JULY 22 MENTIONED POSSIBILITY OF NORTH KOREAN ACCESSION TO NPT REF A TO ACTING TREATIES DIVISION CHIEF CHANG WHO TOOK NOTE OF INFORMATION 2 EMBOFF TOOK OCCASION TO INQUIRE ABOUT ROK PLANS FOR RATIFICATION OF NPT CHANG INFORMED EMBOFF THAT TREATIES DIVISION IS IN PROCESS OF POLLING THREE ROKG AGENCIES PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENTS MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE MND ROK CIA AND MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY THIS SUPPOSEDLY BEING DONE IN PREPARATION FOR NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SESSION IN AUGUST ALTHOUGH CHANG PERSONALLY SKEPTICAL THAT NPT WOULD BE SUBMITTED FOR RATIFICATION IN THIS CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 SEOUL 04957 300902Z SESSION Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 30 JUN 2005 Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 30 JUN 2005 3 REF B REPORTED THAT AS OF SIX MONTHS AGO MND AND ROK CIA DID NOT FAVOR RATIFICATION AND CHANG INDICATED IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THEIR VIEWS HAVE CHANGED CIAINFLUENCED KYUNGHYANG SHINMUN JULY 12 CARRIED EDITORIAL COMMENTING ON NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE RECOGNIZING ROK'S NUCLEAR ARMS DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITY EDITORIAL ASKED WHETHER ROK'S PRESENT NON-NUCLEAR POLICY REPRESENTED TRUE INTEREST OF NATION AND QUESTIONED WHETHER IT GOOD FOR ROK TO REST UNDER PROTECTION OF U S UMBRELLA EDITORIAL CONCLUDED THAT ROK CAN NO LONGER TAKE A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE ON THE SPREAD OF NUCLEAR CAPABILITY OUT OF HUMANITARIAN AND SENTIMENTAL CONCERNS 4 MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY HAS TOLD AMBASSADOR THAT ROKG STILL INTENDS TO RATIFY NPT BUT THAT THIS IS UP TO NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MINISTER ALSO SAID ROK HAS NO INTENTION TO PRODUCE PLUTONIUM OF SUFFICIENT QUALITY FOR DEVELOPMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS 5 COMMENT AT THIS STAGE WE HAVE NO HARD INFORMATION THAT AT LEVELS AT WHICH DECISION MIGHT BE MADE ROKG INTENDS DO ANYTHING MORE THAN KEEP ITS OPTIONS OPEN WHILE MOFA SEEMS TO FAVOR ACCESSION TO NPT AND CAN APPRECIATE SHORT-TERM INCENTIVE TO RATIFY REPRESENTED BY POSSIBILITY OF NORTH KOREAN PARTICIPATION IN NPT REVIEW CONFERENCE WE HAVE VISCERAL FEELING BASED ONLY ON GROWING INDEPENDENCE OF ROK ATTITUDES TOWARD DEFENSE MATTERS AND INCREASING DOUBTS ABOUT DURABILITY OF U S COMMITMENTS THAT MOST SENIOR ROK DEFENSE PLANNERS DESIRE TO OBTAIN CAPABILITY EVENTUALLY TO PRODUCE NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN MEANTIME IT PROBABLY THAT ROKG WILL CONTINUE TO JUSTIFY FAILURTFTEWSATIFY ON GROUNDS IT CONTRARY TO ROK NATIONAL INTEREST TO DO SO UNTIL JAPAN AND OTHER NEIGHBORING NORTHEAST ASIAN STATES HAVE RATIFIED HABIB CONFIDENTIAL NNN Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 30 JUN 2005 This document is from the holdings of The 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