Regular Briefing by Spokesperson Koo Byoungsam
Date: Monday,
March 27, 2023
Time: 10:30-10:35 A.M.
1. Minister’s Schedule
On March 28, Unification Minister Kwon Youngse will attend the
cabinet meeting.
On March 29, Minister Kwon will attend a monthly meeting of the EU
member-state ambassadors to Korea to introduce the Government’s
unification and North Korea policy and ask for cooperation and support.
2. Vice Minister’s Schedule
On March 29, Vice Minister Kim Ki Woong will attend the
vice-minister’s conference.
3. Q&A
Q) The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea fired two
short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea this morning. What is
the Ministry’s position regarding the North’s continuous missile provocations?
A) We are aware that the military authorities have already taken a
position on that. The situation is closely shared among relevant
agencies, which is in line with the Ministry’s stance.
Q) While Minister Kwon was visiting Japan, there was a report
that a regular communication channel with the Ministry’s Humanitarian
Cooperation Bureau will be established regarding the Japanese
abductees issue, which will operate during the first half of the year.
The issue of Japanese abductees to North Korea has long been
regarded a complicated subject. Concerning that the Unification
Ministry has not been in charge of the Japanese abductees, this could
lead to a strong backlash from North Korea, which may put burden on
the Ministry’s works including the issue of separated families or
Korean abductees. How does the Ministry view these concerns?
A) First of all, the issues of Japanese abductees and Korean
abductees to North Korea and separated families are urgent matters
that need to be addressed from a humanitarian perspective, in which
both South Korea and Japan share a common interest. Therefore, the
cooperation between Korea and Japan that we proposed was to share
mutual interest, thereby creating an atmosphere for addressing these
issues together.
Q) Regarding the Ministry’s reorganization plan announced last week,
there are some concerns that the direction in which the organization
related to inter-Korean exchange and cooperation being slightly
downsized could give a negative signal to inter-Korean relations. What
is the Ministry’s take on this?
A) It is desirable for the organization to be able to flexibly
respond to changes in circumstances surrounding inter-Korean relations
or unification policy. Please understand that the Ministry’s
reorganization is reflecting the current situation. If there is an
opportunity for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation to be
revitalized, it can be flexibly adjusted accordingly in the future.
Q) A North Korea’s propaganda outlet recently criticized the
Minister’s visit to Japan. What is the Ministry’s take on such publication?
A) Since the Ministry has consistently maintained a stance that it
does not comment on the North’s propaganda outlet, we do not offer
direct comments.