Date: Monday, February 10, 2019
Time: 10:30-10:40 A.M.
1. Minister's Schedule
Minister Kim Yeon Chul will attend the cabinet meeting tomorrow(Feb.
11) at 9 A.M.
2. Vice Minister's Schedules
Vice Minister Suh Ho will deliver words of encouragement at an event
held by the Gaeseong Industrial District Foundation tomorrow(Feb. 11)
at 9:40 A.M.
On Thursday(Feb. 13), Mr. Suh will attend the vice-ministers’
conference at 10:30 A.M.
3. Q&A (Partial)
Q. It has been four years since the complete shutdown of the
Gaeseong Industrial Complex, and a press conference calling to reopen
the complex is scheduled to be held today. What is the Unification
Ministry’s stance regarding this issue?
A. Normalizing the Gaeseong Industrial Complex is necessary as it is
an important means of improving inter-Korean relations and settling
peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Government, along with the
international community, will continue to make efforts to set
environments for the reopening of the complex.
Q. What is the Unification Ministry’s position on the ROK-US Working
Group meeting, and is private tourism of ROK citizens to North Korea a
subject of the meeting?
A. On the occasion of Deputy Special Representative for North Korea
Alex Wong’s visit to Seoul, South Korea and the U.S. are holding
Director-General level talks. At this meeting, the two sides are to
discuss the North’s nuclear issue as well as inter-Korean relations.
As consistently noted, individual tours of ROK citizens to the North
is a matter that does not call for an agreement from the U.S. However,
the ROKG may offer explanations on cooperation terms.
Q. With almost a year having passed since the North Korea-U.S. Hanoi
Summit, how does the ROK Government evaluate current and future
DPRK-U.S. relations? Also, what efforts are being made by the South
Korean Government to improve relations between Pyeongyang and Washington?
A. The ROKG looks forward to progress in U.S.-North Korea relations,
and expects that improvements can help resolve current issues on the
Korean Peninsula. In this regard, we are seeking an active role.
Q. Will Seoul explain its position regarding the connection of
railroads and roads to the U.S. at the working group talks?
A. It is our understanding that President Moon Jae-in’s initiative
to pursue inter-Korean cooperation, mentioned in the New Year’s
address, will be discussed. This will likely include connecting
South-North railroads and roads, as well as border area cooperation.
