South Korea offers
to assist North
with Y2K glitches

Although North Korea doesn't
rely heavily on computers, a bug
could accidentally set off a missile,
a Seoul official worries

By Susan Kreifels
Star-Bulletin

While North Korea may not have many computers, the thought of a "millennium bug" accidentally setting off a missile in the rogue country is chilling enough to worry officials in the south.

"It could potentially cause big trouble," said Lee Hong-koo, South Korea's ambassador to the United States.

North Korea startled the world last August when it test-fired an advanced three-stage Taepo Dong 1 missile. The country is believed to be at work on a successor missile with a 3,600-mile reach.

Lee said his country, despite its economic trouble of the past year, is spending a "great deal of money" to prevent computer problems when the year 2000 arrives.

While North Koreans "don't have that many computers . . . if they need assistance, we can offer it free of charge.

"We don't want war," Lee said, stressing that the two Koreas have to seek areas of cooperation and accommodation. "It's not an alternative."

Richard Baker, an international relations expert at the East-West Center, said he had "no dire feelings" about computer glitches causing problems in North Korea. He speculated that the North Korean military was not as dependent on computerized systems.

"I suspect there's a lot more manual stuff involved," Baker said. "It's relatively less likely anything will go off."

As Y2K worries build, the U.S. military said last week that it would be ready for the year 2000. The Pentagon said 1,673 out of the military's 2,300 "mission-critical" systems had been fixed and all would be ready by midnight Dec. 31.

But officials are concerned that Russia is not as aggressive in tackling the Y2K problem, especially for early warning systems. A Pentagon team was headed there last week to seek a plan for nuclear weapons officers from both countries to spend New Year's Eve together. The military wants to make sure no Y2K glitches are accidentally misinterpreted as acts of war.

Lee said North Korea must realize that all countries must prepare for Y2K. "North Koreans value (saving) face. It's very important to tell them rather discreetly that if they need help, we could be of help without much fanfare." That includes help from the United States and Japan, Lee said.

A board of inspectors in South Korea pointed out inadequate preparations for Y2K and the government started focusing on it this month. But Lee said he believed South Korea would be more prepared than other developed nations because of its heavy reliance on computers and its large number of trained people.

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Hawaii may play
key role in South
Korea’s disaster
management program

The isles have more resources
to aid in disaster management
than other states, experts say

By Susan Kreifels
Star-Bulletin

Lee Hong-koo, South Korean ambassador to the United States, said Hawaii businesses and government agencies may have an edge in their bid to help his country develop a disaster-management program.

"But to be fair, we will be under an open system," Lee said in a weekend interview on economic reforms in his country. "There may be lots of competition coming in."

Lee said developing a disaster-management program is "very, very important" and the South Korean government has earmarked $100 million over the next five years for the task. "After all, the purpose of having economic development is to enhance the people's welfare."

A delegation has already visited Hawaii, home to more resources that can help the South Koreans than anywhere else in the United States, according to experts in the field. The United States leads the world in disaster-management expertise.

At the same time, the country is undergoing a "wholesale restructuring of the Korean economy and society" to turn around the economy after it shattered in the Asian crisis last year.

"We want to operate as part of an open, global economy," Lee said.

That means changing the banking systems and making government and business more transparent to cut corruption and inefficiency.

Lee is optimistic about his country's recovery. "Next year we'll be back on track," he said.

After seeing the country's economy shrink 5 percent to 6 percent in 1998, Lee expects it to grow this year by 1 percent to 2 percent. South Korea's foreign reserves jumped from $5 billion at the end of 1997 to $46 billion, and the trade surplus has reached about $30 billion.

Part of the fix has been shrinking government. While the South Korean consulate will remain open in Hawaii, consulate offices in Guam and Anchorage, Alaska, will close.

The world's 11th largest economy before the crisis, Lee said South Korea's success helped bring it down. "Everybody wanted to lend us money," Lee said, adding that his country lacked the expertise to deal with an economy more reliant on capital markets than manufacturing.