Date: Monday, September 14, 2020
Time: 10:30-10:38 A.M.
1. Minister's Schedule
Minister Lee In-young will attend the National Assembly’s
interpellation session for the political sector today at 2 P.M.
On September 15, Minister Lee will attend the cabinet meeting at 10
A.M., followed by the National Assembly’s interpellation session on
foreign affairs, unification, and security sectors at 2 P.M.
On September 17, Minister Lee will pay a courtesy visit to the
supreme leader of Chondogyo at 10:30 A.M., followed by an opening
ceremony for a youth organization composed of Ministry employees at
4:30 P.M. Minister Lee will also attend an invitational meeting with
former unification ministers at 6 P.M.
On September 18, Minister Lee will pay a courtesy visit to the head
of Sung Kyun Kwan at 10:30 A.M., and deliver congratulatory remarks
at a forum held by the Korean Council for Reconciliation and
Cooperation at 2 P.M. Minister Lee will also attend an awards ceremony
for meritorious individuals at 3 P.M.
2. Vice Minister’s Schedule
Vice Minister Suh Ho will attend the vice-ministers’ conference on
September 17 at 10:30 A.M.
On September 18, Vice Minister Suh will deliver congratulatory
remarks at the 2020 DMZ Forum on Peace Economy at 1:30 P.M.
3. Q&A (Extract)
Q. Today marks the second anniversary of the opening of the
South-North Joint Liaison Office in Gaeseong. Could you provide us
with a comment on this?
A. The Joint Liaison Office was established two years ago today. It
is deeply regrettable that the office is unable to serve its purpose,
leaving the two Koreas without a basic communication system.
The government hopes to promptly resume operations at the Joint
Liaison Office and restore communication channels between South and
North Korea.
Q. Bob Woodward’s new book “Rage” is being widely discussed,
especially with letters between President Trump and Chairman Kim
revealed. Does the Unification Ministry have a position on this recent publication?
A. I do not think it is appropriate for our government to comment on
the contents of the works of a foreign journalist.
Q. In late August, plans by a South Korean entity to have barter
transactions with a North Korean company was put on hold. Has there
been any further requests to contact North Korean personnel with the
purpose of promoting an exchange of goods?
A. As far as I am aware of, there have been no additional requests
to contact North Korean persons, and reviews for document
supplementation are still ongoing.