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Press

Press Briefings

본문영역

Regular Briefing by Spokesperson Lee Jong Joo

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고민석
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2021-04-05
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6990

Date: Monday, April 5, 2021
Time: 10:30-10:45 A.M.

1. Ministry of Unification to conduct survey of separated families

The Ministry of Unification will conduct the 2021 survey of separated families starting April 6 and lasting until late October.

The survey on the actual condition of separated families is conducted every five years under the ‘Act on Inter-Korean Confirmation of the Life or Death of Separated Families and Promotion of Exchange.’ This year’s survey will be the third of its kind following those conducted in 2011 and 2016.

The survey targets all separated families living at home and abroad, including the 48 thousand or so families that are already registered in the Integrated Information System for Separated Families as well as those not yet registered.

The survey seeks to update the separated family register, find unregistered families and assess their needs, and hear the voices of separated families on issues including the desired method of exchange considering the prolonged Covid-19 situation and aging separated families.

The Government will take exceptional precautionary measures against Covid-19 in the survey process to ensure the safety of the elderly separated family members.

Together with the survey, the Government will devise various measures to fundamentally resolve the issue of separated families, which is an urgent humanitarian issue.

As the leaders of the two Koreas have agreed to fundamentally resolve the issue of separated families, the Government will continue efforts to implement the agreements which includes holding video reunions, exchanging video messages and  opening a permanent facility for family reunion meetings.

2. Hanawon to sign MOU with Korea Hana Foundation and Gyeonggido Job Foundation on supporting employment and start-up businesses of North Korean defectors

The Settlement Support Center for North Korean Refugees (hereinafter referred to as Hanawon) will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Hana Foundation and Gyeonggido Job Foundation to support employment and start-up businesses of North Korean defectors on April 9.

Once the MOU is signed, Hanawon will share the job training and career guidance consultation details of defectors with the two foundations, and the foundations will promote customized internship programs to provide quality employment opportunities for defectors.

The Government has made efforts to come up with necessary support measures to secure stable jobs for North Korean defectors, recognizing that doing so is essential to the settlement of defectors as members of our society.

In addition, the Government has made continuous efforts to improve the law concerning North Korean defectors, for example, by revising the ‘North Korean Refugees Protection and Settlement Support Act’ to allow the provision of administrative and financial support for North Korean defectors interested in pursuing start-ups.

The Government also runs a wide range of programs to assist defectors in finding jobs and advancing start-up businesses, including farming and vocational training.

The Government will continue to pursue such efforts, based on the understanding that resolving the separated families issue and assisting North Korean defectors settle down is important in the realization of humanitarianism and improvement of inter-Korean relations.

3. Q&A (Partial)

Q. With only one year remaining for the Moon administration, is it possible to hold a reunion of separated families before the end of the term? Also, does the Ministry have a position regarding the Foreign Affairs Minister’s recent meetings with his Russian and Chinese counterparts in which issues concerning denuclearization and the peace process of the Korean Peninsula were discussed?

A. As previously mentioned, the leaders of the two Koreas in 2018 agreed to fundamentally resolve the issue of separated families, and the Joint Declaration specifically notes that the two sides agreed to open a permanent facility for family reunion meetings and to resolve the issue of video meetings and exchange of video messages among the separated families. The Government believes that it is important for these agreements to be implemented as soon as possible, and we are devising various methods to follow through.

For example, as face-to-face reunions are difficult under current circumstances due to Covid-19, the Ministry is seeking to strengthen the infrastructure that enables alternative options such as video reunions. We have already completed such inspections and supplementations of 13 video reunions centers in 2018 and 2019. Furthermore, as most of the 13 centers are concentrated in the metropolitan area, we plan to expand the location of video reunion centers by building six to seven new centers nationwide.

With regards to your second question, I believe it is a question about the various diplomatic meetings that took place last weekend. As far as I know, relevant agencies have fully explained the results of the ROK-U.S.-Japan security advisors’ meetings and the ROK-China foreign ministers’ talks.

We have seen how the meeting between the three countries was evaluated as fully achieving strategic communications on matters of common interests, including the U.S. policy review on North Korea. There will be more opportunities for consultation and coordination between South Korea and the U.S., or between ROK-U.S.-Japan. The Ministry will continue to make efforts to advance policy goals concerning North Korea, such as achieving denuclearization and settling peace on the Korean Peninsula, as well as improving inter-Korean relations through such opportunities.

Q. My question was more about when reunions can be held. Is Covid-19 the only reason behind the delayed reunions, or are there other reasons?

A. The need to hold reunions of separated families at an early date was not only agreed to by the leaders of the two Koreas, but also mentioned in high-level talks and red-cross meetings between the South and the North. Holding inter-Korean talks is crucial in promptly resuming reunions. The Government will make efforts to create necessary conditions for such talks to move forward, while also searching for effective alternative measures mentioned earlier.

Q. North Korean state media has been reporting on the upcoming conference of secretaries of party cells. Has the Ministry observed any unusual trends related to the conference, and do you have any information on previous such meetings? Does the Ministry believe General Secretary Kim Jong Un will be attending?

A. The North had previously announced that it will be holding the 6th Conference of Cell Secretaries of the Workers’ Party in early April, and state media reported of participants arriving in Pyeongyang over the weekend and paying tribute to the mausoleum of its late leaders. Through such reports, the Government understands that the conference is imminent.

North Korea has already announced in January, upon revising its party rules at the 8th Party Congress, that it would strengthen the party’s basic organizations, and that it plans to hold the Conference of Cell Secretaries every five years.

Meanwhile, North Korea has held a number of sector-specific meetings after the 8th Party Congress, including meetings of the Supreme People’s Assembly and the Party Central Committee. The Party Cell Conference is also seen as part of a series of trends to encourage the realization of tasks raised at the Party Congress.

The previous 5th conference was held on December of 2017, and this conference marks the third of its kind.

We will closely monitor the possibility of President Kim Jong Un’s attendance, keeping in mind the fact that Chairman Kim has attended major party meetings this year.