I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Pastor visits N. Korea without permission
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff reporter
A progressive South Korean pastor entered North Korean territory Saturday without prior approval from the South Korean government after his previous efforts to gain legal permission to visit the North went in vain.
The Ministry of Unification confirmed that it hadn't issue a visa for Pastor Han Sang-ryul, adding if it is confirmed that he visited the North, he will be brought to justice on charges of violating the inter-Korean cooperation law once he returns to Seoul.
Han's illegal visit to the communist country came while tension on the Korean Peninsula is escalating.
The ministry has not allowed South Koreans to cross the border since May 24 when it unveiled a set of sanctions and punitive measures on the North, including a trade ban and halting inter-Korean cooperation programs.
These measures came after a multinational investigation team pointed its finger at the North as the mastermind behind the sinking of the warship Cheonan.
Last week, the Ministry of National Defense went ahead with the installment of 11 loudspeakers near the border to resume propaganda operations against the North.
In response to the measure, the North Korean military threatened to blow up the speakers, saying it regards the installment of loudspeakers by the South as a declaration of war.
The state-run North Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday that Han, a pastor of a church located in Jeoju, North Jeolla Province, arrived at the airport in Pyongyang and received a warm welcome from several North Korean officials.
Earlier, Han requested the Unification Ministry to allow him to visit the North for an event to mark the 10th anniversary of the June 15 Declaration that came after the first South-North Korea summit in 2000.
But the ministry turned down the request.
After arriving in Pyongyang, Han was quoted as saying that he had risked his life in order to pave the way for reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula to achieve peace and thereby unification.
"South and North Korea's adoption of the June 15 Declaration had signaled that the era of confrontation between South and North Korea was over and that a new era of peace is coming," he said.
Asked about Han's motives for visiting the North, a close friend of Han's said in an interview that the pastor, who is a board member of The Korea Alliance of Progressive Movements, had a hard time due to the mounting animosity between the two Koreas.
Under the current law, those planning to visit the North must get legal permission prior to departure.