Regular Briefing by Spokesperson Koo Byoungsam
Date: Monday,
October 23, 2023
Time: 10:30-10:35 A.M.
1. Minister’s Schedule
Today at 2 P.M., Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho will meet with
representatives of the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) at the Government
Complex building.
On October 24, at 10 A.M., Minister Kim will attend the cabinet meeting.
On October 25, at 10 A.M., Minister Kim will meet with British
Ambassador Colin Crooks, and at 2 P.M., he will make a courtesy visit
to President Na Sang-ho of the Won-Buddhism.
On October 27, at 10 A.M., this year’s inspection of state
administration for the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee will
be held at the National Assembly.
2. Vice Minister’s Schedule
On October 24, at 3 P.M., Vice Minister Moon Seoung-hyun will attend
the vice-minister’s conference.
On October 25, Vice Minister Moon will attend the Central Safety
Management Committee chaired by the Prime Minister at the Government
Complex building.
3. Q&A
Q) There were several reports on North Korea’s weapons being used in
the war between Israel and Hamas. In the meantime, the KCNA released a
commentary today following its report on October 13, criticizing and
blaming the United States for causing the war. What is the
Government's assessment on North Korea's intentions?
A) There is no specific information we can verify at this point
related to North Korea' suspected arms support to Hamas. No country or
organization should attempt to trade arms with North Korea, as it is a
violation of UN Security Council resolutions to export or provide arms
to North Korea.
I will not individually comment on the nature of the Israel-Hamas
war as it is widely known, however, it is deeply disappointing that
North Korea is obsessed with anti-American incitement while ignoring
the direct factors that ignite to the current armed conflict between
Israel and Hamas.
Q) As far as I know, the meeting between Minister Kim and the Human
Rights Foundation was not made public until today. Could you give us
more details on the meeting regarding the agenda, or whether it’d be
the Minister who requested the meeting in the first place?
A)
With respect to HRF’s visit, I do not think it really matters who
proposed the meeting first. We were in discussions with the HRF about
when to disclose the meeting.
The HRF is a private organization
based in New York that has been particularly paying attention to
improving North Korean human rights since its establishment. We will
exchange views with HRF on a number of issues that have been raised
regarding human rights in North Korea, and relevant cooperative
measures can also be discussed during the meeting.
Q) There were reports today on the possibility of additional
repatriation of North Korean defectors in China, mainly from North
Korean human rights organizations. Last time the Ministry mentioned
that it was working with the relevant ministries, but has not
confirmed any specifics yet. Does it mean that the relevant ministries
are also taking an interest and responding to the possibility of
additional repatriation?
A) Let me say that we are looking into relevant situations and
making various efforts to prevent repatriation of North Korean
defectors from recurring through diplomatic channels. However, please
understand it is difficult to confirm specific details.
Q) Is it okay to understand that the Unification Ministry and the
relevant ministries are closely monitoring the possibility of
additional repatriation of North Korean defectors?
A) Yes, we are paying close attention to it and making various
efforts to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Q) There are reports that North Korea's military satellite
launch, which was expected to be in October, may be delayed. What is
the Government’s take on the North’s launch to take place?
A) North Korea announced its satellite launch for October, however,
there is no particular development that I can confirm at this time. I
don’t think it is appropriate to make a prediction about when North
Korea will resume launching satellites. In any case, the Government is
keeping a close watch and preparing for all possibilities.
