Date: Monday, July 20, 2020
Time: 10:30-10:35 A.M.
1. Acting Minister's Schedule
Acting Minister Suh Ho is attending a parliamentary speech by the
ruling Democratic Party floor leader Kim Tae-nyeon from 10 A.M.
On July 21, Mr. Suh will attend the cabinet meeting at 9:10 A.M.,
and listen to a parliamentary speech by Unified Future Party floor
leader Joo Ho-young at 10 A.M.
On July 22, Mr. Suh will attend a National Assembly’s interpellation
session on foreign affairs, unification, and security sectors at 2 P.M.
On July 23, Mr. Suh will attend the vice-ministers’ conference at
10:30 A.M.
On July 24, Mr. Suh will deliver congratulatory remarks at a public
hearing held at the National Assembly for the enactment of a law in
pursuing the Special Economic Zone for Peace at 10 A.M.
2. Q&A (Extract)
Q. According to the written reply submitted to the National Assembly
(for the parliamentary confirmation hearing), minister nominee Lee
In-young expressed his plan to expand inter-Korean cooperation through
humanitarian aid projects of which the North shows interest in,
including the construction of the Pyongyang General Hospital. Is the
Ministry planning on proposing or reviewing a proposal to send
assistance to the North?
A. Comments made by the minister nominee will be explained in
further detail at the confirmation hearing scheduled for later this week.
The Ministry has looked over a number of possible approaches in
terms of studying the various options. It has not yet reached the
level of pursuing a specific plan.
Q. Some experts say that holding the North responsible for blowing
up the joint liaison office in Gaeseong is difficult or impossible. Is
the Ministry reviewing measures to demand compensation from North
Korea, or is there already a specific action plan ready?
A. Clearly, various measures should be considered to compensate for
the damages following the demolition of the liaison office, and the
government has been reviewing a variety of options.
However, due to the special nature of inter-Korean relations, there
is a limit to solving the problem in accordance with judicial
proceedings. Therefore, the government will seek a prompt resumption
of inter-Korean dialogue and continue its efforts to resolve the issue.
