Regular Briefing by Spokesperson Koo Byoungsam
Date: Monday,
July 3, 2023
Time: 10:30-10:35 A.M.
1. Minister’s Schedule
On July 5, Unification Minister Kwon Youngse will attend and deliver
welcome remarks at a forum at 9:30 A.M., organized by the Unification
Ministry, the Export-Import Bank of Korea, and the Institute for Peace
and Unification Studies.
On the same day at 1:30 P.M., Minister Kwon will visit flood
prevention facilities near the Imjin River including the Pilseung
Bridge and the Gunnam Dam and provide words of encouragement to those
who work in flood control during the rainy season.
Considering that inter-Korean communication channels have been shut
down, the Ministry urged North Korea through media last Friday to
notify the South in advance before discharging water in order to
prevent flood damage near the Imjin River.
2. Vice Minister’s Schedule
Newly appointed Vice Minister Moon Seoung-hyun will attend the
inauguration ceremony at 3 P.M. today.
3. Q&A
Q) Yesterday, President Yoon mentioned that the Unification Ministry
had focused too much on providing aid for North Korea in the past and
needed to change. What do you think of the role of the Ministry in the future?
A) As the President emphasized, we will continue to pursue
unification policies based on the Constitution and the basic free and
democratic order, while making further efforts to promote North
Korea’s denuclearization in accordance with the Audacious Initiatives
and North Korean human rights.
Q) Has the Ministry made specific plans in terms of what
President Yoon asked for?
A) I understand that the President meant that we should more
faithfully establish and promote unification policies in accordance
with the Constitution and the basic free and democratic order. The
Ministry will continue to review specific implementation measures.
Q) As Professor Kim Yung-ho, who serves as the Chairman of the
Unification Future Planning Committee, has been appointed as the
Minister of Unification, does the Ministry have any plans for further
personnel changes?
A) The Ministry is currently reviewing related matters internally,
and will let you know when confirmed.
Q) There was a report today that North Korea and Japan recently
made two contacts for talks in China and Singapore. What is the
Ministry’s take on this?
In addition, in response to a report that Hyundai Group submitted an
application to contact North Korean personnels, the North released a
statement rejecting any South Korean personage’s willingness for
visit. How are you going to handle the current request of Hyundai Group?
A) We have seen the reports of contact between North Korea and
Japan, but at this point, we do not have any information to confirm.
However, South Korea, the United States, and Japan have all
consistently stated that we are open to dialogue with North Korea.
As Hyundai Asan indicated that it will withdraw the application, the
Government will accept it during today.
Q) Regarding North Korea's announcement of its negative stance
through its Foreign Ministry instead of an inter-Korean agency, there
are some assessments that North Korea may have set inter-Korean
relations as nation-to-nation relations. How does the Ministry
perceive North Korea’s intentions?
A) It is quite unusual for North Korea to announce its stance on a
South Korean company’s application to visit the North under the name
of the Foreign Ministry. We will closely monitor relevant trends and
examine North Korea’s intentions.
