MONTHLY REPORT - SEOUL BUREAU - JANUARY 1986

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 22, 2012
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: February 4, 1986
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4
EMBASSY OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
SEOUL BUREAU
MSK-6183
4 February 1986
MEMORANDUM FORE Director, FBIS
THROUGH s Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT i Monthly Report - Seoul Bureau - January 1986
It appears that travelers to and from Seoul soon will be able to "fly
the friendly skies.' United Airlines is in the process of taking over Pan
Am's Pacific routes, which include flights to several U.S. cities through
Tokyo. United had hoped to begin its new Pacific services on 1 February,
but negotiations with Japanese and Korean authorities have not gone
smoothly. Service to Tokyo is now scheduled to begin 11 February. Final
details of the Seoul connection have not yet been resolved, and United
flights to Seoul apparently cannot begin until 4 March at the earliest.
United's vast network of flights within the United States is expected to
lead to a major improvement in possible connections for U.S.-bound fliers,
and should provide stiff competition for Northwest Orient, the only other
U.S. carrier now serving Seoul.
II. OPERATIONS
A. Monitorial/Editorial
1. After a relatively slow period in November and December,
editorial operations picked up steam early in January, and the Bureau
remained busy the entire month. Kim 11-song in his annual New Year's
address touched on several themes that quickly dominated DPRK media
attention, particularly his assertion that the U.S.-ROK "Team Spirit-96"
military exercises would pose a threat to the continuation of North-South
talks. Kim also expressed hope that "summit" talks with the South could
be held in 1986, a theme that appeared in DPRK media until the U.S.-ROK
announcement on holding 'Team Spirit." Another topic in Kim's address --
serious shortcomings in the DPRK economy, particularly in the mining and
transportation sectors -- also has been widely reflected in Pyongyang
radio reports.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4
2. On 18 January the U.S.-ROK side announced that "Team Spirit'
will be held beginning 18 February. On the 28th Pyongyang radio carried a
joint statement by heads of the DPRK delegations to the Red Cross,
economic, and parliamentary talks announcing that all talks would be
suspended until after the exercises, and when a "favorable atmosphere" for
dialogue had been created. On the 23d a mass rally opposing "Team Spirit"
was held in Pyongyang, during which Politburo member Kim Hwan denounced
the maneuvers. In the following week similar rallies were held in the
various provinces. There was significant Embassy, UNCMAC and military
interest in how the DPRK unfolded its campaign against the exercise this
year, compared with 1985. Some of the differences apparently were
occasioned by the 19-23 February visit by Soviet Foreign Minister
Shevardnadze.
3. The Shevardnadze visit, the first to Pyongyang by a Soviet
/foreign minister, also attracted considerable local interest. An AG
Trends piece on the visit was widely read by key Embassy officers, and
Ambassador Walker called specific attention to it during the weekly
Country Team meeting on the 31st.
4. In South Korean affairs, the main event of the month was a
Cabinet reshuffle on the 7th that involved all high-level economic
officials and the defense minister. Although the reshuffle had been
expected for some time, there was high Embassy interest in the
announcement, which the Bureau processed from Seoul radio, and in whether
other officials including the foreign minister had been replaced. Another
important development in the volatile world of ROK domestic politics was
the defection of 12 members of the opposition NKDP and their creation of a
"new conservative club." The new group seems to hope that it can gather
enough momentum to become a full-fledged political party and present a
slate of viable candidates in the national elections scheduled for 1988.
5. Reconfiguration of the editorial room is now nearly
complete. The Bureau received a "lazy susan' revolving tray arrangement
from Okinawa Bureau during the month, which provides improved access to
editorial files and reference materials for editors and monitors. A
second Extol printer has also been installed, enabling editors to print
KCNA and YONHAP simultaneously in the editorial room. Previously, one
cast was printed in Main Radio, leading to inevitable delays before
editors saw the copy.
B. Communications
The Bureau's primary communications circuit has suffered a
lengthy series of night-time outages for the past several weeks. 7 STAT
satellite antenna doesn't track the antenna properly. It must be reset
frequently, so the communications circuit often goes out after________ STAT
operators have gone home for the night. Technicians are now in Seoul, but
so far have not been able to identify the source of the problem.
Fortunately the Bureau's backup Mods V circuit is reliable, and
communicators can switch from one circuit to the other without delays.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4
Korean ?onitorl returned from extended sick leave on
13 January. He suffers from a thyroid condition that required
hospitalization. It appears that his condition has been properly
diagnosed, and can be controlled by medication and diet.
Korean monitor was in New York on private travel from
12-18 February to attend the PEN (poets, essayists and novelists)
International Congress. The Congress, which drew participants from around
the world was hosted by Norman Mailer, chairman of the PEN American
Center. who writes poetry, attended as a member of the Korean
PEN Center delegation.
Chief, Seoul Bureau
Attachment
Monthly Production Report
cc, Chief, Okinawa Bureau
Chief, Hong Kong Bureau
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4
St:caul Bureau Production Re:rpc:,r L for January 1986
101 AL. PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE : F) L...I. i:) D4JF I NC:i MONTH: 627170
TOTAL NON-PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MUNTH: 16516(.)
TCJ"I'AL., NIJlii EER (::iF" PUBLISHABLE I'I I:':)'i 3 I:: I: L..E1> J`)l 1i I I .l(:; MONTH: 127E1
BROAD- PRESS F= UICIl- I --
C A2ri1' S AGENCIES CATIONS
II. INPUT OF REGULAR COc1ERAt"iE2 13685.00 5510.00 104.46
(minutes or issues per week) min. min. issum-i
111. -OUTPUT FROM ALL SOURCES-,
(publishable words per i, l c::, r l 'L I) )
CHINA
Beijing InternaLiunal service in
I*.CJr'ertii to k:.ore.. 3200
Beijing City Sur vie::[::' ill
Mandarin 290(::)
Changchun Jilin Provincial Service in
Mandarin 12720
Harbin Heilungjia"q Provincial
Service in
Mandan- i ri
15570
Hohhcat Nei llorryyui Regional Service
Mandarin
Jinan Shandong Provincial Service in
+~39j 0c_)
~-
Mandarin
1 58 0
Shenyang Liaoning Provincial Service in
Mandarin
12350
Shi jiazhuang
Mandarin
Hebei Provincial Service in
8100
Tianjin City Service in
Mandarin
7150
Beijing BEIJING RIEiAO in
Chi nese 1950
Changchun) JILIN RIBAO in
Chinese 6420
.Harbin FIE I l_ONGJ I ANG R I BAO in
Chinese 11480
Hol rhot: NEI MENOI3IJ RI BAO in
Chinese 3650
Jinan DAZHON1" RII3AO in
Chinese 3800
Shenyang LIAONING RIBAO in
Chinese ' 7850
Sh i j i az huang HEBE I RI I;AO in
Chinese 2732o
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22: CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4
BROAD- FRESH F? l..l!? L ): -
Lt hTS AGENCIES , Gtal I:caW-;
Tianjin TIANJIN RIF:)AO in
Chinese
CLANDESTINE -
(Clandestine) Voice of National Salvation in
Korea" to South Korea
.
KOREA (NORTH)
Pyongyang Domestic Service i n
Korean
Pyongyang Domestic Tel evi si on Service in
. Korean
Pyongyang t?::CNA in
Er)gl i sh
Pyongyang KULLOJA in
l orearc
KOREA (SOUTH)
Seoul Domestic Service in
t:::oreari
Seoul YONHAP in
Eng 1 i sh
Seoul CHOSON ILDO in
Korean
Seoul CHUANGANG I LBO in
Korean
Seoul HANGUK I LSO in
Korean
Seoul KYONGHYANG S I NMUN in
Korean
Seoul SEOUL SINMUN in
Korean
Seoul S I NTONG-A in
Korean
Seoul THE KOREA HERALD in
English
Seoul THE KOREA TIMES in
En g 1 i sh
Seoul TONG--A I LBO in
Korean
UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
Moscow International Service in
Korean
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/22 : CIA-RDP87-01104R000100140012-4