Unification chief makes first trip to North Korea

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul answers questions from reporters at the customs, immigration and quarantine office in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday, after ending his half-day visit to the inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong. This is the first time he has visited North Korean territory since taking office last month. Yonhap

'NK remains committed to fulfilling inter-Korean agreements'

By Lee Min-hyung, Joint Press Corps

PAJU, SEOUL ― Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul crossed the western border of the two Koreas Wednesday for a half-day trip to the inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong.

He crossed the military demarcation line at about 8:30 a.m. via a land route before returning to the South around1 p.m. through the customs, immigration and quarantine office in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Two South Korean officials, including Kim's secretary, accompanied him.

This was his first visit to North Korea since taking office last month.

North Korean officials welcomed Kim at the inter-Korean communication channel where both sides briefly exchanged views on relations between the two countries.

After ending his trip to the North, Kim told reporters North Korea remains committed to fulfilling recent inter-Korean agreements and normalizing the operation of the office.

“The North expressed its firm willingness to realize the inter-Korean joint agreements,” Kim said. In a meeting with North Korean officials there, the unification chief said he offered to normalize the function of the office as soon as possible and the North accepted the proposal.

Leaders from the Koreas held three summits last year and reached agreements outlining peace and military tension-easing near the border area.

Kim said he spoke with the North's temporary chief of the office, but no ranking North Korean officials, such as his counterpart Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the North's Committee for Peaceful Reunification, greeted the South Korean minister.

“I asked North Korean officials to send my regards to Ri and they said they would do so,” Kim said.

The unification ministry said Kim's trip to the North was aimed at encouraging South Korean officials residing there. For this reason, Kim did not engage in any in-depth negotiations on current inter-Korean affairs with North Korean officials.

“Above all, I received briefings about the ongoing activities at the office and took a look at a variety of facilities used by the South Korean officials,” Kim said. “The facilities include their accommodation and a restaurant. I was very proud of them for performing their work with a sense of duty, even if the working conditions were inadequate.”

Kim did not inspect other inter-Korean facilities, such as the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, during his trip.

Operation of the inter-Korean industrial park is suspended despite calls for normalizing operations, in line with last year's peace momentum between Seoul and Pyongyang.

Kim's North Korea visit came amid a murky outlook for inter-Korean relations. After the Hanoi summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended in failure in February, the North has indicated a return to its past bellicose nature.

Following the North's test-firing of several projectiles in the East Sea last week, skeptical voices have surfaced over whether the North is still willing to realize complete denuclearization.

Despite the apparent show of force, the U.S. and the South have not reacted fiercely. The allies have instead reiterated their willingness to bring the North back to the dialogue table in the hope of achieving lasting peace on the peninsula.