Telegram to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from the Ambassador in Malaysia

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Receiving Telegram

Category :                                                 

File No.  : MAW - 0224      Date :  091600                 

To       :  Minister of Foreign Affairs    CC (copy) :          

From    :  Ambassador to Malaysia                           

Dae: AM - 0115, 0106

1. On February 8, 1977, I visited Zakaria, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs with Counselor Park Young-Woo, and had a talk with him for an hour and half, focusing on the President’s New Year press conference held on January 12, 1977.

a. First, I explained the proposal suggested by President Park Chung Hee that Korea would not oppose the U.S. troop withdrawal on the condition that a South-North non-aggression pact be concluded, and emphasized that the North Korean puppets should resume inter-Korean dialogue at an early date for the peaceful resolution of the Korean question. I also pointed out that despite our peaceful and sincere proposal, North Korea continues to respond in the same unrealistic and hypocritical manner as it had in the past. In response, Vice-Minister Zakaria expressed his understanding of our position. He felt that the proposal represented a forward step in comparison to previous ones because it suggested a practical alternative to the U.S. troop withdrawal even though many alternatives had been frequently offered so far regarding the dissolution of the United Nations Command as well as armistice agreement.

b. Also, Vice-Minister Zakaria commented on the political situation in Asia and the Pacific region and added that he welcomed the overall trend towards reducing American military intervention in the region, but implied his opposition to drastic changes. Regarding the removal of U.S. forces from Korea, he added that as long as the United States has profound interests in Korea, it would not make any drastic changes.

c. He stated that the Malaysian government has not decided if she will participate in the Foreign Minister Conference of the Joint Coordinating Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement which will be held in New Delhi coming April. He added if Malaysia would decide on the participation as an observer, the Malaysian High Commissioner to India would be assigned, and that Malaysia would mainly focus on issues related to the primary products and the economic developments in this conference.

d. He stated that North Korea would not be able to make a bid for the 1978 Foreign Minister general conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, considering North Korea's status in the Movement and her deficient experiences, and that Yugoslavia would be the most likely venue for the conference at this moment.

2. The Vice-Minister is going to accompany Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein's official visit to Turkey on Feb. 11 - Feb. 14 and Iraq on Feb. 14 - Feb. 18 next week. I reminded him that some Korean construction companies had already worked in Iraq, and requested that the Vice-Minister persuade the Iraqi authorities into understanding and supporting Korea's basic stand, if possible, during his visit to Iraq. Vice-Minister Zakaria showed a positive response.  

3. In addition, I asked if the North Korean diplomatic mission would visit Malaysia regarding North Korea's appointment of the high-level envoy to Africa and the Middle East. The Vice-Minister answered that North Korea had not offered any visit yet. The Korean Embassy is going to keep an eye on it and report any movement.

(United Nations, East Asia, and Middle East Divisions)