US embassy cable - 01HANOI2114

C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 002114 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/11 
TAGS: PREL, ETRD, KS, VM, ASEAN 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM PRESIDENT'S VISIT TO KOREA 
 
REF:  A.  SEOUL 4639   B.  HANOI 481 
 
1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY:  CHARGE D'AFFAIRES DENNIS 
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HARTER,  REASON: 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
2. (C) PRESIDENT TRAN DUC LUONG'S VISIT TO THE 
REPUBLIC OF KOREA RECEIVED EXTENSIVE AND USUALLY FRONT 
PAGE COVERAGE IN THE VIETNAM PRESS, ADDING TO THE 
GENERALLY FEEL-GOOD EMPHASIS IN BILATERAL RELATIONS 
THAT HAS BEEN INCREASINGLY EVIDENT OVER THE PAST HALF- 
DECADE.  REF A PROVIDED AN EXCELLENT ACCOUNT OF HIS 
MAJOR ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS THE TEXT OF THE JOINT 
STATEMENT. 
 
3.  (C ) ROK EMBASSY POLITICAL COUNSELOR LEE YONG JOON 
PROVIDED POL/C WITH SOME ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS INTO THE 
PLANNING AND OBJECTIVES OF THE VISIT ON AUGUST 24.  HE 
CONFIRMED THAT THE VISIT WAS MORE AIMED AT PROTOCOL 
THAN SUBSTANCE.  PERHAPS THE TRICKIEST PART OF THE 
PLANNING, HE SAID, WAS THE REFERENCE TO A 
"COMPREHENSIVE PARTNERSHIP."  VIETNAMESE OFFICIALS 
INITIALLY WERE NERVOUS THAT THIS TERM WOULD ALIENATE 
THE NORTH KOREANS AND COMPLICATE RELATIONS WITH 
PYONGYANG, BUT EVENTUALLY CONCLUDED IT WAS WORTH THE 
RISK.  LEE CLAIMED THAT KIM DAE JUNG'S EXPRESSION OF 
"CONDOLENCES" FOR LOSS OF LIFE DURING THE WAR WAS 
KIM'S OWN INITIATIVE, OUT OF A MISREADING THAT THE 
VIETNAMESE SOUGHT SUCH AN EXPRESSION OF REMORSE. 
(COMMENT: THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE KOREANS HAVE 
MADE A "SPONTANEOUS" AND "UNILATERAL" STATEMENT 
REGARDING THE WAR.  END COMMENT) HIS OWN 
INTERPRETATION FROM HIS PLANNING DISCUSSIONS HERE IS 
THAT THE VIETNAMESE SIDE TRULY WISHED TO SIDESTEP THE 
HISTORICAL ISSUE ENTIRELY, PROBABLY OUT OF CONCERN 
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THAT ITS OWN TREATMENT OF PRISONERS-OF-WAR COULD BE 
USED AGAINST IT.  HE NOTED THAT PRESIDENT LUONG HAD 
NOT EVEN RESPONDED TO KIM'S STATEMENT. 
 
4.  ( C )  LUONG'S DELEGATION WAS SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL 
GIVEN ITS INCLUSION OF A LARGE NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE 
BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVES;  THEIR PARTICIPATION ONLY 
CAME UP SOMEWHAT LATE IN THE PREPARATORY PROCESS, LEE 
SAID.  THEIR PRESENCE AND THE NUMBER OF BUSINESS- 
RELATED EVENTS ON HIS SCHEDULE WERE A CLEAR INDICATION 
OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COMMERCIAL ASPECTS OF THE 
RELATIONSHIP.  LEE NOTED THAT KOREAN COMPANIES 
INCREASINGLY VIEWED VIETNAM AS THE MOST IMPORTANT 
ASIAN SITE FOR OFFSHORE INVESTMENT FOR KOREA'S 
ECONOMIC FUTURE, IN PARTICULAR TO COMPETE OVER THE 
NEXT FIFTY YEARS WITH CHINA.  HE CLAIMED THAT KOREAN 
FIRMS REALIZE THAT SHORT-TERM PROFITS MAY BE NON- 
EXISTENT OR FEW BUT HAD DECIDED THAT IT WAS ESSENTIAL 
FOR KOREAN BUSINESSES TO GET IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR. 
 
HARTER 
 
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