Regular Briefing by Spokesperson Lee Sang Min
Date: Monday,
October 28, 2019
Time: 10:30-10:55 A.M.
1. Minister's Schedules
Minister Kim Yeon Chul is attending the National Assembly’s
negotiation body to listen to the representative speech of the ruling
Democratic Party from 10 A.M. Minister Kim will then attend the
plenary session of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget
& Accounts.
On Tuesday(10.29), Minister Kim will attend the cabinet meeting at
8:30 A.M., as well as the National Assembly’s negotiation body
representative speech of the Liberty Korea Party at 10 A.M. followed
by the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget & Accounts.
On Wednesday(10.30), Minister Kim will attend the National
Assembly’s negotiation body to listen to the representative speech of
the Bareunmirae Party at 10 A.M., followed by the plenary session of
the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs & Unification Committee at
2 P.M.
On Thursday(10.31), Minister Kim will deliver words of greeting at a
special exhibition of goods produced by North Korean defectors held at
the National Assembly at 10 A.M.
2. Vice Minister's Schedules
Vice Minister Suh Ho will attend the plenary session of the National
Assembly's Foreign Affairs & Unification Committee on
Wednesday(10.30) at 2 P.M.
On Thursday(10.31), Vice Minister Suh will deliver words of
encouragement at the Pan-Yellow Sea Forum opening ceremony at 9:30 A.M.
3. Regarding ROK Government’s proposal to hold working-level talks
regarding Mount Geumgang tour issues
It is the ROK Government’s consistent position that all inter-Korean
issues should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation.
Issues regarding Mt. Geumgang tours, such as the North’s unilateral
measures on the South Korean company’s property rights goes against
our national sentiment and can possibly harm inter-Korean relations.
Therefore this needs to be solved rationally through thorough
negotiation between the South and the North.
Under such stance, the ROKG and Hyundai Asan delivered a document to
the North’s ‘Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee’ and ‘Kumgangsan
International Tourist Bureau’ respectively today(10.28) morning
through the South-North Joint Liaison Office in Gaeseong.
The ROKG proposed to hold working-level talks to discuss Mt.
Geumgang tourism issues including problems raised by the North, and
informed that tour operators will be included in the delegation.
Hyundai Asan requested to discuss a new development direction of the
Mt. Geumgang tourism zone along with the problems raised by the North,
together with the government delegation.
4. Q&A (Partial)
Q. Can you tell us when and where you proposed for the talks to be held?
A. We did not set a specific date or location in the document. We
will update you on any additional developments regarding the time and
place of the working-level talks once it is confirmed.
* In a separate notice after the briefing, the Ministry told
reporters that the ROKG suggested holding working-level talks at Mt.
Geumgang at a convenient time.
Q. Are you saying that you proposed to simply hold talks without
specifying the place or time?
A. I have not been able to see the actual document, but the proposal
to hold working-level talks was the main point.
Q. What is the Government or Hyundai Asan’s position regarding the
North’s request to remove facilities at the Mt. Geumgang tourism zone,
and what ideas may the new development direction of the tour zone be
composed of?
A. The Government proposed to hold working-level talks to discuss
issues regarding the Mt. Geumgang tours including those raised by the
North. As the North mentioned that it will remove the South’s
facilities “with an agreement with the relevant unit of the South
side,” we believe that it is a matter to be discussed between the two sides.
The above mentioned “new development direction” is Hyundai Asan’s
wording of their position.
Last Friday we mentioned that the ROKG will come up with a creative
solution, and the key points of this was that the Government will
review a variety of methods while considering international and
inter-Korean circumstances, inter-Korean consultations, and national consensus.
The Mt. Geumgang area can be seen as holding three main functions –
as a tourism zone, meeting place for separated families, and a space
for social and cultural exchange between the two Koreas. The
Government believes that creative solutions for the Mt. Geumgang
tourism issue can be sought by comprehensively taking these three
functions into consideration, and has thus started reviewing creative
solutions based on this.
Q. You mentioned that the Government delivered a document noting
that the North should not violate property rights of our nationals,
but is this line specifically stated in the document?
A. Details of the document are part of consultations between the
South and the North. We therefore cannot confirm or deny these
details. The ROKG has delivered its position and proposals to the
North through the document.
Q. If the North does not respond to the working-level talk proposal
or states that it would rather negotiate in the form of document
exchange, how will the Government respond? Do you have a Plan B prepared?
A. The proposal has been delivered, and we will have to wait and see
on the North’s response.
