South Korea proposes talks with North Korea about setting up video conferencing system: minister
Unification Minister Lee In-young / Yonhap
South Korea has conveyed a proposal to North Korea, through a recently restored liaison hotline, to discuss ways to set up a virtual conference system for inter-Korean talks, Unification Minister Lee In-young said Friday.
The proposal was made Thursday via the hotline restored Tuesday after nearly 14 months of suspension, and the North received a document containing the South's offer, he said.
"Yesterday, we proposed discussing the issue of setting up the system for virtual talks through our liaison office and the North has received a document of our proposal," Lee told reporters during a press conference in Seoul.
"We hope North Korea will respond positively to our proposal so that we can set up a virtual conference system at an early date," he said.
Lee said the government will try to complete setting up the system for virtual talks or "safe in-person talks" as soon as possible to move the stalled talks forward amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
"Now that the communication channels have been restored between the two Koreas, we will now discuss our ideas on establishing communication channels with the North and keep preparing so that dialogue can take place at any time," he added.
Lee stressed that the ministry has already prepared antivirus measures to ensure that the two Koreas hold cross-border talks free from coronavirus concerns.
He also said the ministry will resume approving requests from civilian organizations to provide assistance to Pyongyang, starting with two in the afternoon, after a 10-month hiatus since the North's killing of a South Korean fisheries official near the inter-Korean sea border in September last year.
"The decision was made considering the consistent requests from civilian organizations for humanitarian assistance and the North's situation, especially on the urgency of assistance related to public health and nutrition," Lee said.
On Tuesday, four hotlines were restored nearly 14 months after the North cut them off in June last year in protest of anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets coming in from the South. (Yonhap)