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| Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung makes an announcement on North Korea's decision to pull its staff from the inter-Korean liaison office, Friday. / Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
The foreign and unification ministries are under criticism for failing to take initiatives on North Korea policy in line with President Moon Jae-in's vision as "mediator" between the United States and the North.
Critics say the two ministries remain low key and their roles are limited to merely assisting Cheong Wa Dae, which they claim to be controlling many tasks originally belonging to relevant ministries.
They also say the situation is getting worse with Moon's credibility as the U.S.-North Korean intermediary on the line, following the summit collapse between President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong-un in late February and the North's withdrawal of its staff from the inter-Korean liaison office, last week.
The two Koreas opened a joint liaison office in Gaeseong, North Korea in September 2018 as part of reconciliatory efforts. The North pulled its officials in what was seen as a protest against the summit breakdown in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Cheong Wa Dae abruptly convened an emergency meeting of its National Security Council. However, the presidential office has not announced how it will cope with the crisis.
"Under this administration, there are so many cases in which the work of Cheong Wa Dae and those of ministries overlap. And this of course includes foreign and unification ministries," said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University. "Such circumstance is hampering the two ministries from taking initiatives in North Korea policy."
Not surprisingly, the Ministry of Unification, which made the announcement over the North's withdrawal, said it finds Pyongyang's measure "regretful." Also, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not announced its responding measures.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's leadership was questioned repeatedly, after Cheong Wa Dae mainly dealt with major foreign affairs and security issues, including Moon's summits with Kim. President Moon tapped Kim Yeon-chul (an outspoken scholar on North Korea) in replacement of Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a professor at Korea National Diplomatic Academy echoed a similar view.
"It was President Moon who announced his vision as an intermediary in the Washington-Pyongang dialogue. But it should be the foreign unification ministries, not Cheong Wa Dae, that should be having a roadmap and laying out the groundwork for Moon's vision," he said. "And it's apparently not working well."
"It is questionable," the professor added, whether the U.S. and North Korea are recognizing the South as the "mediator."
He argued whether the two countries will view the South as the "facilitator", the term recently used by the Moon administration, is also questionable.
The North Korean media outlets have slammed the South in the wake of the Hanoi breakdown, claiming Seoul's pursuance of inter-Korean cooperation projects in coordination with the U.S. will not work.
On Sunday, North Korean propaganda website Uriminzokkiri criticized Seoul for trying to pursue inter-Korean cooperation projects in coordination with the U.S.
"What is lamentable is the attitude of the South Korean government, which dreams of establishing a peace regime and achieving North-South cooperation in coordination with the U.S.," it said. "The South can gain nothing from cooperation with the U.S."
Tongil Sinbo, Pyongyang's external propaganda weekly, warned Seoul's plan to push for inter-Korean cooperation projects within the framework of international sanctions would only trigger "unnecessary interference from outside forces."
Last week, the Meari _ widely seen as Pyongyang's outer-track media and not for domestic consumption _ condemned the Ministry of Unification's 2019 plan to mediate the U.S.-North Korea denuclearization dialogue.
Outlined in the ministry's annual proposal, the plan seeks to facilitate the dialogue through stepping up inter-Korean talks.
