Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Unification minister urges NK to respond to proposal of forming inter-Korean working group
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks during a press conference with foreign correspondents at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Kim Yung-ho hopes next US administration will remain steadfast in objective of NK's denuclearization
On Thursday, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho urged North Korea once again to respond to South Korea’s request for working-level consultations to initiate dialogue between the two Koreas.
Kim stressed that the formation of the inter-Korean working group is the most important action plan addressed in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s 8.15 Unification Doctrine.
“President Yoon made the suggestion to North Korea to engage in working-level consultations without limiting the agenda. We’ve seen a history where the working-level consultations eventually led to higher-level consultations and an agreement between the two Koreas. So I’d like to ask the North to carefully consider our proposal and return to the path of dialogue,” Kim said during a press conference with foreign correspondents in Seoul, Thursday.
The minister said South Korea will utilize the advancement of technologies to spread outside information and culture to North Korea, taking the example of how the introduction of satellites brought about change in the USSR during the Cold War.
According to Kim, about 80 percent of the 6,351 North Korean defectors who settled in South Korea between 2013 and 2022 said they had access to foreign media content including South Korean dramas and movies.
“North Koreans have a high level of desire and demand for information from the outside world,” Kim said. “If you look back in history, there were cases where the authorities tried to use force and oppression against people to prevent the spread of specific culture and information. However, history has proven that all of these efforts failed. We will try our best to make sure that North Koreans’ access to outside information is protected.”
A North Korean flag flutters at the propaganda village of Kijong-dong in North Korea, in this picture taken in the South near the truce village of Panmunjeom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) which separates the two Koreas, July 19, 2022. Reuters-Yonhap
Kim expressed hope that the next U.S. administration, whether led by Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump, will implement a policy that calls for the denuclearization of North Korea.
“Both the Democrats and the Republicans have not mentioned the denuclearization of North Korea. Whichever party comes in next, there will be a policy review in the beginning. During this process, we sincerely hope there is a mention of the complete denuclearization of North Korea as one of the priorities and goals for U.S. diplomacy,” he said. “The South Korean government will also work closely to make sure this idea is implemented in the U.S.”
As part of the Yoon administration’s efforts to gain international support for unification, the government said it would survey 10 different countries this year to find out how people in other countries think about the concept of Korean unification.
“We will use this data as a reference for our unification diplomacy and our cooperation with the international community,” Kim said.
He also reaffirmed adherence to the Camp David agreement, saying that the U.S. and Japan expressed a commitment to ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and support South Korea’s "audacious initiative."
South Korea will on Sept. 3 launch the 2024 Global Korea Forum, an extension of the annual Global Korea Forum hosted by the Ministry of Unification since 2010.
“We hope the Global Korea Forum offers a comprehensive review of all issues related to North Korea where we can talk about various topics like human rights, climate change and space technology,” Kim said.