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Local gov'ts to boost exchanges with N.Korea
By Jun Ji-hye
The government will allow local governments to conduct cultural exchanges with, and provide humanitarian aid to, North Korea as part of efforts toward unification.
The Ministry of Unification said Friday it will also provide more funds to promote nongovernmental inter-Korean exchanges.
“This year is very meaningful as it marks the 70th anniversary of the nation’s liberation from Japan’s colonial rule,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The government will strive toward recovering the homogeneity of the South and North and normalizing inter-Korean relations to prepare for unification of the Korean Peninsula.”
The measures include the two sides making efforts to host various events related to culture, history and sports to celebrate the anniversary at the government level.
Civic groups will be encouraged to participate in exchange programs more actively. The government will also take steps to ensure the transparency of the projects.
The ministry added it will allow journalists to cover events where South Korean organizations provide humanitarian assistance to the repressive state.
A ministry official explained that the government has so far restricted local governments from carrying out South-North exchange projects, as they involve taxpayers’ money.
“From now on, the ministry will allow social and cultural exchanges,” he said.
All the measures are designed to enhance substantial cooperation with the isolationist state, the ministry added.
South-North exchanges have been restricted in the wake of the so-called May 24 sanctions. Introduced in 2010, the punitive steps banned all trading and commercial activities between the two countries except at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, in response to Pyongyang’s sinking of the South Korean frigate Cheonan in March of that year.
The latest measures announced by the ministry are expected to diversify local governments’ exchange projects.
“We hope inter-Korean ties will be developed through exchanges in many fields,” the ministry said.
The ministry noted that it spent about 3 billion won ($2.8 million) of its South-North cooperation fund last year, adding that the money allocated this year will increase.
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