Lee Min-hyung joined The Korea Times in 2014 and has worked as a journalist mainly in Korea’s finance, tech and automotive industry. He specializes in content creation, breaking news and in-depth analysis currently on transportation and mobility. You can reach him via mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr.
Unification chief to visit North Korea
By Lee Min-hyung
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Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul
By Lee Min-hyung
Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul will visit the North Korean border city of Gaeseong on Wednesday to meet South Korean officials working in the inter-Korean liaison office there.
“Kim plans to arrive at the office around 9 a.m. and will check on how inter-Korean operations are going,” a ministry official told reporters Tuesday.
It would be Kim's first visit to North Korea since taking office last month.
No meetings have been arranged between Kim and any North Korean officials, according to the ministry.
“His visit to the office is primarily aimed at encouraging South Korean officials there,” the official said.
Four officials, including the minister and his secretary, will visit the North Korean city. They will return home in the afternoon.
The two Koreas opened the joint communication channel last September amid hopes that the office can serve as a facilitator to enhance inter-Korean relations.
The rare reconciliatory mood between Seoul and Pyongyang lasted for about a year until the breakdown of the Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in February.
The summit failure has since cast negative effects on inter-Korean momentum for peace.
In recent months, the North has ramped up criticism of the South for what it says is “siding with the U.S.” in handling the ongoing nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
In March, the North briefly withdrew its staff from the office without any prior notice to the South, in an apparent show of discontent over the latter's attitude. The North took issue with such affairs as the Washington-Pyongyang relationship.
The unification authority also said the minister would only visit the office and the staff lodging facility there without visiting such places as the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.
The operation of the complex has been suspended since February 2016 amid weakening inter-Korean ties. But calls have risen for the need to reopen the industrial park amid the recently warming inter-Korean relations.
“The government is aware of the need for South Korean businessmen (who invested in the complex) to visit the now-closed factory park, as they need to inspect their equipment and assets there,” the ministry spokesman said, adding that the government would continue to seek ways to realize the plan.