South Korea earmarks $11.6 mil. for inter-Korean cooperation projects

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks during a meeting of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Committee at the ministry building, Thursday. Yonhap

The South Korean government said Thursday it has approved 17.1 billion won ($11.6 million) in funding for projects promoting inter-Korean exchanges in cultural, humanitarian and economic cooperation.

Experts on North Korea said the move is significant, signaling that the Ministry of Unification has reasserted its leading role in overseeing such initiatives.

The decision came at a meeting of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Committee, chaired by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young. It was the committee’s first in-person meeting in four years.

At the meeting, the committee approved funding for seven inter-Korean projects. Among them was 2.6 billion won for the inter-Korean compilation of the "Gyeoremal Dictionary," a joint project to document the Korean language as used in both Koreas.

Another 845 million won was allocated for projects related to the joint excavation of the Manwoldae Palace site in the North Korean city of Gaesong, as the government seeks to revive the long-stalled cultural heritage initiative that has been suspended since 2018 amid heightened inter-Korean tensions.

The committee also approved funding for a DNA testing program for families separated by the Korean War, citing the rapid aging of surviving family members. Under the plan, 612 million won will be allocated to carry out genetic testing to verify family ties among separated families.

During the meeting, officials also reviewed a proposal to simplify import procedures for processed food products from North Korea, but did not approve the measure. The government said further consultations would be held with relevant ministries, including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The unification ministry said the resumption of in-person meetings of the council underscored the government's commitment to pursuing peace with North Korea through engagement and exchange.

The committee did not meet in person at all during the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration, when inter-Korean relations sharply deteriorated.

Asked whether meetings would continue to be convened in person, a ministry official said the government was "planning to move in that direction," adding that sessions would be held flexibly rather than on a fixed schedule.

Gaepung County, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, is seen from an observatory in Incheon, Jan. 11. Yonhap

Despite the ministry's renewed push for small-scale exchange and cooperation projects, skepticism lingers over whether these engagement efforts will yield results. Pyongyang has remained unresponsive to Seoul's repeated overtures toward rapprochement under the Lee Jae Myung government, which took office in June last year.

"It is meaningful that the meeting was held in person, as it signals the normalization of the ministry's operations on inter-Korean exchange," said Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies. "But Pyongyang is unlikely to respond in the near future. Some internal change within the North Korean regime would be necessary before any response can be expected."

Speaking at the meeting, the unification minister said, "the most certain and necessary path to peace is exchange between the two Koreas."

Chung also said the government would pursue what he described as "mutually beneficial" cooperation ideas, including a proposed high-speed rail link connecting Seoul and Beijing and a peace tourism project in North Korea's Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone.

The committee is a public-private consultative body composed of 25 members, including senior officials from relevant ministries such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, as well as civilian experts.