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C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 001576 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2026 TAGS: PREL, PREF, PGOV, KS, KN SUBJECT: EUGENE BELL'S LINTON SHARES IDEAS ON DPRK INTERACTION Classified By: Amb. Alexander Vershbow. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). SUMMARY ------- 1. (C) In a May 22 briefing for the Ambassador, Dr. Stephen Linton, Chairman of the EugeneBell Foundation, described a recent two-week mission in the DPRK to oversee EugeneBell medical assistance programs. Linton, who has visited the DPRK regularly for nearly thirty years, reported on improved access to facilities and increased Ministry of Public Health receptivity to outside aid. However, he said that the program has gone about as far as it can go in a society that has not yet decided to allow foreigners access to society. Linton also urged USG assistance for Korean-American divided families who want to reunite with North Korean family members. As a means of gaining a channel of communication to the DPRK military, Linton also suggested a USG program to supply the DPRK military with prosthetic limbs. Arranging an Eric Clapton concert in Pyongyang could also be useful, he said, given Kim Jong-il's second son's devotion to the rock legend. END SUMMARY. CONTINUED ACCESS TO MED FACILITIES ---------------------------------- 2. (C) Linton led a four-member EugeneBell delegation to visit 17 health care facilities in South Pyongan Province and Nampo City between May 1 and 12. The purpose of the twice-yearly visit was to oversee the "Partner Package Program," which assists in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in local communities. The delegation also confirmed the delivery of materials, equipment and supplies that will form the beginning of a new maternal, infant and child-care program. Linton told the Ambassador that he was impressed by the ability of the North Koreans to conduct self-training programs and to comply with the strict record-keeping requirements of the EugeneBell Foundation. Overcoming an earlier obstacle to the program, Linton said that he has been able to obtain full access to patient records. Nevertheless, he reported that the DPRK still tightly restricted his visits, which are limited to two weeks in duration. He said that the Ministry of Public Health, which sponsors is visits, seemed to be operating at the limits of its authority. DOING BUSINESS IN THE DPRK -------------------------- 3. (C) For an outsider to get anything done in the DPRK, Linton advised, it is necessary to get the DPRK's various institutions to cooperate. Each institution seems to have veto power, but none has the power to push anything forward. As an example, Linton described his frustrations in establishing a multiple-drug-resistant TB program in North Korea. The WHO has one channel into the government, the South Koreans have another channel, and the Americans have a third. All need to work together, but the only organizations that can really deliver are the military, which does not talk to anybody, or the Red Cross. Because the Red Cross is associated with the Party, it will cut out the Ministry of Public Health and thus undermine the chances of success for any TB program. DIVIDED FAMILIES INITIATIVE --------------------------- 4. (C) Linton advocated in favor of USG involvement in facilitating the reunification of Korean-American families divided by the Korean War. Linton said that currently two groups organize these visits for Korean-Americans. The first is Compatriots United, which has arranged thousands of reunions. However, the group is controlled by the DPRK's Overseas Compatriots Committee and extorts a tremendous amount of money from desperate families to arrange the visits. Families seeking to participate must pay USD 300 to apply and submit comprehensive personal and financial information. If selected, the families are forced to pay for unwanted sightseeing excursions in North Korea. Before they are finally able to see their relatives, which is always just hours before their departing flight, they are often told that the relatives had to travel to the meeting place by taxi and owed several thousand dollars in fare. As Linton explained, these are desperate, old people who would pay anything. After the trip, the participants typically get repeated correspondence from the North Korean government asking for money to assist the family members, who are sometimes falsely alleged to be ill. 5. (C) The other group active in family reunions is Pyongtong in Los Angeles. Linton said that the group recently arranged for 15 persons to visit family members in the DPRK. However, the DPRK canceled the arrangement after the group went to the press. Pyongyang ultimately intervened and instructed the Compatriots Committee to help facilitate the visit. Thus, Pyongtong was able to arrange a visit for six people a few weeks ago. 6. (C) Linton said that North Korea would not run such an exploitative system if the United States government were involved in the process. There is a reluctance, he said, for Korean-Americans to pursue family reunions because they do not want to divulge their personal information to the DPRK and they do not want the North Koreans to milk them for money before, during and after the reunion. The USG could at least volunteer to serve as a conduit for correspondence between these families and North Korea to prevent the DPRK from learning the home addresses and bank accounts of participants. The DPRK might be willing to accept this structure because it badly wants a relationship with Washington. PROSTHETICS FOR DPRK MILITARY ----------------------------- 7. (C) Discussing the necessity of opening channels of communication directly to the North Korean military, Linton suggested the possibility of a U.S. program to supply prosthetic limbs to injured soldiers. Linton said that in the course of his visits to North Korean hospitals, he has often seen DPRK soldiers who were mutilated in construction or industrial accidents. A program specifically designed to provide artificial limbs to the military would resonate well in military circles and could provide a significant contact with this influential group at a relatively low cost. THE MIRAGE OF ENGAGEMENT ------------------------ 8. (C) Linton did not see hope for inter-Korean engagement, despite the widely acclaimed railroad test. "North Koreans have no intention of dealing with (South Koreans). The South Koreans really think they can help. They don't understand that North Korea is sealed." BOOK ERIC CLAPTON ----------------- 9. (C) Linton passed on the suggestion from his North Korean interlocutors that the USG arrange for Eric Clapton to perform a concert in Pyongyang. As Kim Jong-il's second son, Kim Jong-chol, is reported to be a great fan, the performance could be an opportunity to build good will. VERSHBOW