US "working group" to restrain ROK inter-Korean policy.

( Source Channel A News Top Ten 10.31 ) Title of Story US direct contact with South Korean firms that visited North Korea is not Korea passing. US Embassy to South Korea warns 4 South Korean enterprises do not violate sanctions. Will US now begin investigating South Korean companies for violations?


US embassy warning to four major South Korean firms, "no further direct contact with North Korea, you'd better not disobey sanctions." This is really poor timing coming as it does from the US embassy after the South Korean court issues a judgement against a Japanese company regarding wartime reparations for private plaintiffs related to Japanese Imperial slavery practices. The four Korean corporations sent their executives, commonly known as chaebol, to visit Pyongyang along with the diplomatic delegation from South Korea in September. The US embassy contacted these companies directly, without going through the South Korean government. The South Korean companies are Samsung, Hyundai, LG and SK.

( Source Channel A News Top Ten 10.31 ) ROK-US denuclearization, North Korea sanctions and North South economic cooperation discussion working group will launch mid-November

Beigun appears to be special representative to South Korea rather than North Korea. Instead of meeting with the National Security Adviser for South Korea, he insists on meeting Moon's Executive Secretary, Im Jong Seok first, to determine what Moon's motivations are in getting "ahead" of the US negotiating position. Afterward, the Blue House Secretary, makes some rote statement about "no daylight" between the positions of the US and South Korea, which is clearly not so. Allegedly Im Jong Seok the chief executive aide to Moon Jae In, is a "friend" of Beigun's, but it appears the real purpose of the new US-ROK working group is to control South Korean policy with respect to North Korea. They want the South Korean government to speak with the US in one consistent voice.

( Source Channel A News Top Ten 10.31 ) Beigun leaves having established Korean American working group. The group will be set up in mid November. Discussions between South Korea and US on denuclearization, sanctions against North Korea, and South Korea- North Korea cooperation. The groups purpose is the systematize and formalize the US South negotiating system.


One has to wonder what the problem is with the normal diplomatic processes between South Korea and the US, if they don't know the history of Korean relations with Japan. If they do, they have to wonder what the point was of putting a clearly pro-Japanese ( 친일 chin il ) Admiral Harris in as US Ambassador, a major blunder to put it mildly. Now it leads to this extraordinary "working group." The Blue House has to go as far as denying that the working group is interfering in South Korean inter Korean policies and is not imposed as a check on the South Korean administration.

( Source Channel A News Top Ten 10.31 ) US-ROK working group in place, "common idea, different dream?" Beigun- (ROK) Speed of economic cooperation is too fast, restraining arrangement. Blue House press spokesman- mechanism to serve close discussions. US ROK differences in perspective certain.

Rather than Stephen Beigun being the lead US representative for negotiations with North Korea, as touted in numerous headlines August 23, it looks as if he has devolved into the South Korea control officer.