South Korean Ambassador Han Duk-soo talks with the Las Vegas Sun editorial board Monday in Henderson. Han said North Koreans have little chance of expressing themselves, but he believes the international community will prevent North Korea from becoming a nuclear power.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 | 2 a.m.
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As North Korea moves closer to becoming a legitimate nuclear threat, its citizens aren’t likely to rise in protest against their rulers as Iranians have against theirs, the South Korean ambassador to the United States said Monday.
Han Duk-soo, who was recently appointed to the diplomatic post, said the iron fist of the Kim Jong-Il regime makes it virtually impossible for people to communicate with one another, much less organize any meaningful opposition to North Korea’s worrisome nuclear program.
Han, who traveled to Las Vegas to recognize the service of Southern Nevada’s Korean War veterans, discussed the escalating threat of North Korea and his country’s support of expanded economic relations with the United States in a meeting with the Las Vegas Sun editorial board.
“The availability of information (in North Korea) is very different from the situation in Iran,” Han said. “First of all, no Internet is allowed except for the very select few at the top echelon of power. Maybe Kim Jong-Il uses the Internet, but most (people) are cut off from those kinds of tools. Even radio and television are not allowed for the people. They allow one channel, the state channel.”
Han said there may be a small number of North Koreans using mobile telephones illegally near the Chinese border and some have tried to communicate by sending messages attached to balloons.
“The Iranian government has been somewhat cautious in putting too many restrictions on the Internet because it would lead to a larger number of people taking to the street because they have no other means of expressing their opinions,” Han said. “In North Korea they have been repressed for so long that there would be very little chance of them expressing themselves.”
Han said he has confidence that growing sentiment from the international community against North Korea’s nuclear proliferation will prevail. He said in addition to considering South Korea’s relationship with the United States and its military, North Korea would be confronted by China and other Asian nations concerned about its nuclear escalation.
Han said in addition to economic sanctions against North Korea, he thinks North Korean ships could be boarded and searched to prevent nuclear proliferation.
On the economic front, Han said a visa waiver program that took effect last year and new trade treaties between South Korea and the United States could pay dividends to Nevada.
Han, who earned a doctorate in economics from Harvard and espouses deregulation and open markets, said it’s difficult to gauge the success of the visa waiver program because it took effect in November, after the recession had taken hold. The program enables citizens of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without securing a visa. South Korea was the fourth Asian country to be approved.
The United States enjoys most of the benefits of expanded economic relations, Han said, with far more Koreans interested in visiting the United States than Americans going to Korea. He said South Korea has done little to market the nation to Americans.
Las Vegas is a direct beneficiary in tourism with Korean Airlines offering three nonstop round trips a week between Seoul and McCarran International Airport — the only nonstop service between Las Vegas and Asia.
The Nevada Commission on Economic Development said South Korea is Nevada’s 18th largest international trading partner out of 141 markets. Nevada businesses exported $59.4 million in goods there in 2008.
Al Di Stefano, director of global trade and investment for the Nevada Commission on Economic Development, said Nevada is a key exporter of minerals, manufactured goods including electronics, clothing and prepared food.
Nevada was one of three U.S. states with an increase in exports in the first quarter of 2009, much of it attributable to metals, stone and cement products. Though Northern Nevada manufacturers and suppliers exported most goods, some Southern Nevada businesses have benefited, including the World Market Center.
Di Stefano said furniture and related exports were up 28 percent in the first quarter over the same quarter a year earlier.
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