The director-general of the Department for Foreign Economic Relations advises against the establishment of a North Korean trade mission in the Netherlands: while the volume of trade with the two Koreas is roughly equal, such a mission would do great harm to commercial interests in South Korea, particularly VMF and Shell.

Recalls a conversation with Heldring of the Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion, during which Heldring said he had received word from the North Koreans that they were willing to sign the proposed agreement even though they kept urging the establishment of a permanent trade mission. Heldring pointed out such a mission had recently been established in Switzerland and similar contacts were ongoing in the Scandinavian countries. The Dutch company VMF had, however, by now changed to a much more cautious position because of its South Korean interests. Heldring was putting of a reciprocal visit to North Korea until he knew the Ministry's position.

Memorizes a visit by the South Korean representative in The Hague to urge the Dutch to deny a North Korean request for visa for journalists.

The Ministry's Secretary-General reports a conversation with the South Korean Ambassador in which the latter invited the Minister to visit South Korea, inquired if the Dutch would like to open an Embassy in Seoul, and expressed intent to expand ties, to all of which the Secretary-General gave a noncommittal reply.

The East Asia Department replies to the previous memorandum stating the request should be refused because: (i) presently there are no official relations; (ii) the coming U.N. debate makes this extra sensitive for South Korea; (iii) Australia, fellow UNCURK member and closest to the Netherlands politically, recently refused a similar request; (iv) little new is to be expected from having a meeting; (v) it would be good to keep the initiative in establishing contacts with the North Koreans.

Representatives from the companies CKH, VMF and Grenko visited the Ministry to plead for the establishment of a North Korean trade office. The Ministry remained of the opinion, also informed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, that economic and political relations with South Korea would be unacceptably damaged by such rapprochement with North Korea.

Verkade reports that the South Korean deputy vice-minister of foreign affairs Whang summoned him to inform him that the three recent North Korean visitors to the Netherlands had supplied false information on their visa papers yet were admitted. Whang expressed his concern, given their apparent intent to establish official contact with the Netherlands; Verkade reassured him there was no change in Dutch policy.