SEGRE r THE WHITE HOUSE SEGOOq 8480 WASHINGTON MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION SUBJECT Meeting with President Roh Tae Woo of the Republic of Korea U PARTICIPANTS The President James A Baker Secretary of State Nicholas F Brady Secretary of the Treasury Richard Cheney Secretary of Defense Robert Mosbacher Secretary of Commerce Carla Hills U S Trade Representative John H Sununu Chief of Staff Brent Scowcroft Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Robert M Gates Assistant to the President and Deputy for National Security Affairs Richard Solomon Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Af rs Donald P Gregg U S Ambassador to Korea Douglas H Paal Director of Asian Affairs NSC Staff Notetaker Chang-ho Interpreter Roh Tae Woo President Choi Ho Joong Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Sang Hoon Minister of De Han Seung Joo Minister of Trade and Industry Park Tong Jin Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Hong Sung Chul Secretary General to the President Lee Hyun Woo Director General Presidential Security Service Kim Chong Whi Presidential Adviser for National Security and Foreign Affairs Roe Chang Hee Senior Protocol Secretary to the President Interpreter DATE TI ME AND PLACE Declassify on October 17 1989 11 00 a m - 1 13 p m EDT Oval O Cabinet Room Old Family Dining Room OADR SE6REi DECLASSIFIED PER E O 1_2958 AS AMENDED CALI Bl2 t1'J DClli SE6RE1 £6C R E 2 The President and President Roh met for forty minutes in the Oval Office accompanied by their national security advisers and interpreters Ul Welcome to the White House U I appreciate your invitation I know how busy you are I would like to raise several issues You have mentioned a new breeze of peace in your inaugural address This change in the eastern world comes from our pressure forcing them to change not from their own willingness Your leadership and that of President Reagan has made this happen With U S support Korea has developed economically and socially We are proud of our progress in democratization On the security relationship rst we are reassured by your firm commitment to the defense of Korea Polls show that 95 percent of the Korean people wish continued presence of U S forces in Korea I think the American people support it as well ' Yes that commitment is strongly supported 7 President Roh U S forces play a critical role They are a deterrent to North Korea and a major element in the overall balance of power Asia If the Asian-Pacific countries are growing rapidly -- and they are as a result of U S help -- they will be able to pay a little of this debt to the U S We have these security discussions We will endeavor in them to increase our share of the de burden We are concerned with the presence of U S soldiers in the center of Seoul We are discussing all relevant issues in a cooperative way to move them to the south J The President I hope our people are being cooperative and that the talks are moving forward l'l President Roh As a small example the golf course is right in the city center We have started a new course outside Seoul It will be ready in about one year One other thing our concern about North Korean nuclear activity -- I hope North Korea will soon agree to safeguards and the U S will press to have North Korea open to inspections The President We have little influence with North Korea but if there is something we can do we are ready We are suspicious of that facility and certainly are ready to help in any way on President Roh May I turn to the Korean domestic situation I apologize for the trashing of the Ambassador's house in Seoul $ SEGREl SEGRE 3 The President We understand You cannot control every crazy bastard and neither can we Put it out of your mind We appreciate your thoughts but do not worry 1 Thank you very much As you know on June 29 1987 I promised to pursue the course of democracy We have now exterminated the last traces of authori anism I have found that democratization is easier said than done All the pent-up demands are bursting out which makes difficult to concentrate on all the big issues But I am determined to continue The biggest current problem is radical le ist groups which are prepared to use violence Some are influenced by North Korea They endanger law and order throwing molotov cocktails etc We have joined with the opposition for new regulations on the possession of firearms etc $ There is a lot of support in the U S for you in the troubles you are having We see the provocative behavior of the radicals and public opinion is supportive of what you are trying to do $ Thank you for your understanding I was called the water president -- the water against president Can I say more $ The President We should go next door but there is still time And then we go over to lunch U President Roh I would like to refer to trade issues until we join the others I would like to discuss our ' - - ' i c - ' Our policy fo owing the Olympics has been successful Our object is to cultivate relations with the socialist bloc to blunt any activit by North Korea We have established relations with Hungary and hope to do so with Poland and Yugoslavia We are having contacts with the Soviets But much Soviet talk has not been accompanied by action They have taken away old weapons but replaced them witrr new and are providing support for North Korea In China the opening to the outside world has been set back Even in Japan the weakening of the LDP Liberal Democratic Party is of concern So the role of the U S in Korean security is of the utmost importance to us 7 The President I agree with your assessment We are trying to maneuver to get Chinese relations back on track We watch your relations with North Korea with favor and support We have no objections to improving your relations with the socialist bloc I assure you we will never surprise you with North Korea $ SE8M S P9ET SE6REi SECRiJT 4 President Roh I served for a long time as president of the Olympic Coordinating Committee and in that capacity I traveled around the world We have relations with Iran which might be helpful We want to help in any way we can The President Thank you Our relations with Iran are moving only slowly The hostages are very important to us We concern ourselves about every single life but we are not discouraged about making some headway with Iran Now we better join the others before we both get fired 7 The two presidents then joined the rest of the party in the Cabinet Room 11 40 a m - 12 20 p m EDT U The President Welcome everyone President Roh and I covered about every subject in our meeting except the commercial aspects At the outset I want to say welcome We have looked forward to this visit It is an opportunity to make clear on this side of the table how this relationship is and it is in very good shape I told the President that we view the security aspect as very important The U S is never going to surprise your country We have not changed our view on the threat to your country Time is short The floor is yours and we can continue at lunch 7 President Roh In order to save time I would like to repeat what the President said and I would like to double it As the President mentioned we had occasion to discuss the very important security relationship between our two countries I would like to raise something about trade First I would like to express satisfaction that we have resolved some issues between us I express appreciation for Secretary Mosbacher and Ambassador Hills who visited us recently I am particularly satisfied with our results precluding Super 301 sanctions and our recent conclusion of talks on dri fishing We will of course continue to liberalize and open our markets more widely in the future so that by the middle of the next decade we will reach the level in market opening of the OECD countries Those who have visited Korea recently will fully understand We are fully engaged in adjusting the economic structure In a short span of time we have made some efforts which Japan took the past three decades to accomplish On the average the other industrial sectors are going on smoothly and acceptably with the exception of agriculture Twenty percent of our peop are engaged in agriculture We have been engaged in industry in our country for not very long Before departing Seoul I was briefed by the Minister of Industry and Trade and I was happy to hear from him As of the end of August this year the trade deficit with the U S diminished by 33 percent since the same time last year I mention this·not to be complacent We will continue on SECRE'r SEGRE1 SE6RET 5 this road If there are any questions on this issue the Cabinet members to speak $ I will ask The President You have been most hospitable to Secretary Mosbacher Ambassador Hills and Vice President Quayle Their talks gave me great encouragement Agriculture is difficult for you but please understand it is difficult for us I mean we have got to press on this worldwide That telecommunications intellectual property rights -- you might think that these items would be of less importance to us but they tie into our overall relationship They are in the trade area but spill over into the security area given the mood in our Congress Inasmuch as the President offered graciously to respond to questions has anyone got any questions 1 Secretary Mosbacher The President and his ministers were most kind and gracious to me and I thank you I appreciate the progress you have made to date Aside from the intellectual property rights area when we -- Minister Han and I -- have talked about continuing progress we have been very hopeful We will see some movement in telecommunications where to date we have not seen opportunities for our companies that we believe we should have seen by now Whether fiber optics etc -- depending on prices -- we hope our companies will have opportunities t Minister Han I think we have been rather successful to solve problems through mutual dialogue and consultations The Super 301 settlement set a very good precedent not just for us but for other countries as well In view of the market opening in Korea I hope the U S will view Korea in the longer term and broader perspective Korea has done more than other countries at a similar stage of development In viewing the trade problems of specific countries we have to look at the general trend We are working for free trade even though problems come up from time to time Some of the specific areas mentioned by Secretary Mosbacher -- IPR telecommunications and agriculture -- can be solved satisfactorily based on mutual confidenc and taking due considerations of the ·specific difficulties in each country The President Mr President shall we walk to lunch in the White House U President Roh Yes Mr President we can go to lunch Before we do just one word I told the same story to Ambassador Hills when she visited Everything has its own time If an apple is not ripe enough it will not taste sweet We want to enjoy it when it is ripe U SECRET SEGRE SEGRE1 SEGRE 6 The President We don't want to be so old that we won't be able to taste it laughter In private the President said he was concerned about the attack on Ambassador Gregg's residence Not to worry Don Gregg is expendable laughter On the North Korean nuclear program we see eye-to-eye As for the Koreans' interest in the communist countries we certainly understand that We are keeping our eyes open on changes in the Soviet Union But we are being realistic and we will watch for changes that may affect your area One last point particularly for the benefit of our guests from Korea the President expressed his commitment to democracy There is concern for demonstrators I see that these demonstrators do not generate sympathy in this country Those pictures do not undermine our relations in my view tl The party then proceeded to lunch 12 20 p m - 1 13 p m EDT U The President Have you had any recent contacts with China feelings about what is happening in China 7 Any President Roh You know better than I We have limited contacts with China In the Chinese cultural tradition abrupt change will not be welcomed by the Chinese people I see no basic change Of course the ruling circles have difficulty ruling the country with tight control Our businessmen visit China We held an ethnic Korean sports festival Chinese Koreans who came shared the same feelings that it is a temporary setback My personal advice is for the U S to have some tolerance Treat them in a generous manner Give them some time Let them learn from their mistakes $ The President We are trying to preserve overall relations -not set them back any further I tried not to take steps that would hurt the Chinese people such as economic measures We stayed away from that The right time is important in getting back on track The human rights violations were so pronounced and visible that I could not act as if everything was okay $ President Roh Yes you are very much right We have to tackle this patiently You know the Chinese people well you were there so you deal with patience $ Secretary Baker The Foreign Minister and I remarked that we have met·four times in eight months We have covered in some detail most of the issues between us I must mention that we will continue to make clear our commitment to the security of Korea At the same time we are facing budget pressures which the Secretary of Defense is subjected to We need to spend some SEGRE SEGREl SE6REi 8BCR£ 7 time strategizing how to maintain the strength of the relationship I should also say that in meetings with the Soviet Foreign Minister in Wyoming I specifically raised the issue of North Korean nuclear proliferation I told him how negatively we would react what the problem is in our eyes and the problem for South Korea They profess to be equally concerned and said they would raise it with North Korea as they had before I have no reason to doubt that they will raise it nor to believe that it will stop North Korea The Soviets of course answered with questions about nuclear weapons in South Korea I said this issue was entirely different It has to do with deterrence against the substantial imbalance that exists $' President Roh Yes that is a completely different matter We have neither confirmed nor denied the existence of nuclear weapons $ Secretary Baker I did not confirm that either 1 President Roh I am happy you had successful meetings with the Foreign Minister I hope you will have some influence on North Korea although I am doubtful During the Olympics we asked you to help with North Korea There was not much effect by this I mean the terrorists' destruction of KAL 858 t The President Are any leaders in North Korea reasonable President Roh There may be some but in practical terms it is almost impossible Kil Il-sung enjoys god-like status similar to Mao Zedong After him there is some chance for a more reasonable leader We have some people for instance former Deputy Commander-in-Chief of DPRK forces in the Korean War and former Ambassador to Moscow who was a political exile in Moscow for a long time who have come to Seoul and told insider stories Overall we cannot be optimistic But there is some possibility after Kim $ The President Is K m Chung-il's succession guaranteed President Roh For practical purposes the son is the number 2 for substantive affairs Ninety percent of the power over domestic affairs is in his hands He will succeed but it is a question of how long he will survive There are about 300 000 exiled Koreans in the Soviet Union who can be counted as against him For China there are two million of whom 85 percent side with the South against the North Ambassador Gregg Arbatov's man who was visiting Seoul called and visited me He had seen Pyongyang's Youth Festival on SE6REl SEGREi ECRE' ' 8 television It reminded the Soviets of life under Stalin He said that his hope is that as U S -USSR relations improve they will provide a role model for North-South relations Ul The President The President and I while in the Oval Office discussed military relations Perhaps Secretary Cheney would like to say something Secretary Cheney Mr President one of the items I will discuss today with Minister Lee is the Korean Fighter Program Secretary Mosbacher raised this during his visit to Korea This is an important program in the security interest of the U S and Korea I might mention we were successful this year in defeating Congressional proposals requiring reductions in Korea I am fairly confident t at the final legislation will require me at least to study this issue There is no intention to weaken our commitment by anyone in the U S but there will be continued debate over how we position our forces and what levels are involved $ President Roh Yes Mr Secretary I hope you have a good conversation with Minister Lee I would stress one point -- our very unique situation You liberated us saved us from destruction supported us all this time As a boy in a student's uniform I joined the army when my country was invaded and I served in Vietnam We have shared ideals including liberty I am willing to continue in that spirit with the U S We miss the Vice President here today but when he was in South Korea he reaffirmed your government's firm commitment to our defense We had very good discussions I want to talk about his experience in going to the front lines He insisted on going to the dangerous spots against the advice of his staff Ambassador Gregg was with him He had his way and visited your forces on the very front line The soldiers were encouraged he set a very good example Ambassador Gregg It was a very good experience It got my tenure as Ambassador ·jump-started We went to the National Assembly as I did in 1982 with you The four party leaders all said the same things about democracy and security President Roh Democratization is very praiseworthy politicians get out of touch sometimes i Some Ambassador Hills I am struck at how defense relations are interrelated with success in economic and trade talks As I mentioned when I was there Korea built a tremendous wave of appreciation for the way it handled Super 301 I hope what was gained in May will not be lost in the autumn I hope for SEGRE'f SEGREi SEGRE f ECRE'f 9 progress on intellectual property rights telecommunications and agriculture as a symbol of goodwill and cooperation We need to maintain that spirit to accomplish all that we accomplish together U President Roh Mrs Hills thank you I would like to turn to Pacific Basin cooperation I hope the Foreign Ministers will discuss this As you know the Asian-Pacific region is more and more important Twenty percent of the world's GNP is in the region forty percent of world trade is Pacific trade There will be more in the coming decade During Australian Prime Minister Hawke's visit to Seoul we discussed this and I said we have to include Canada and the U S Now in November there will be a ministerial meeting in Australia I hope the U S will continue to lead the way in Pacific Cooperation $ The President We will lead More and more Americans recognize that the Pacific rim is important in its economic and political relationships We are willing to go the extra mile President Roh Especially during the Seoui Olympics that vitality was shown That vitality is now dampened by some domestic problems The people of the Asian-Pacific region showed vibrancy This strengthened my impression of the prospects of the Asian-Paci fie region f The meeting ended with a brief exchange between the Presidents on the Olympic Games and on Korea's pleasure at having Ambassador Gregg serve there ¢ SEGRE'f SEGREi