Date: Monday, January 29, 2024
Time: 10:30-10:35 A.M.
1. Minister’s Schedule
On January 29, from 10 A.M., Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho is
delivering a special lecture at the National Institute for Unification Education.
At 3 P.M., Minister Kim will hold a meeting with civic groups to
gather their opinions on the designation of a commemorative day for
North Korean defectors.
On January 31, at 3 P.M., Minister Kim will attend a film screening
event for “Beyond Utopia” and participate in a question and answer
session with Pastor Kim Sung-eun who appears in the film.
On February 2, at 7:30 A.M., Minister Kim will make a guest
appearance on SBS FM’s live radio program.
On February 3, at 2 P.M., Minister Kim will visit On Hospital in
Busan to attend a work agreement event for the improvement of North
Korean defectors’ mental health, as well as a talk concert.
2. Vice Minister’s Schedule
On February 3, at 6 P.M., Vice Minister Moon Seoung-hyun will attend
a Seoul Fashion Week runway show displaying pieces symbolizing
abductees, detainees, and prisoners of war.
3. Q&A
Q) A video clip obtained by the South and North Development research
institute reportedly presented a scene implying that a middle school
teacher in North Korea was caught creating a political party pursuing
freedom and democracy. There have also been reports of riots by North
Korean overseas workers due to overdue wages. As such, there seems to
be growing resistance against the North Korean regime, and I would
like to know if such internal development is a recent trend or if it
is just being noticed. Is the Unification Ministry aware of any
related events? And could this be related to the North’s recent provocations?
A) There is nothing the Unification Ministry can confirm regarding
the video footage.
Though it is difficult to pinpoint specific cases of internal
discontent, it can be assumed that the regime is feeling a need to
strongly control the relaxed atmosphere within its society. The North
has recently enforced control over its people through the Reactionary
Ideology and Culture Rejection Act and the Pyongyang Cultural Language
Protection Act, as well as stressing the role of mothers in educating
the younger generation.
Q) What is the Unification Ministry’s stance on North Korea’s
submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM)?
A) Details of yesterday’s SLCM launch by the North will be analyzed
by defense authorities.
Meanwhile, North Korea has recently emphasized the need to improve
the livelihood of its people by promoting the regional development
20x10 policy, which seeks to modernize factories in 20 counties each
year over the next decade. However, if insufficient resources are
being wasted on weapons development and provocation, the improvement
of people’s livelihoods will be nothing more than an empty promise
even after 10 years.
The ROK Government urges the North to stop pursuing the path of
provocation and isolation, and choose the right path to fundamentally
improve the North Korean people’s troubling situation.
Q) At what point will the symbolic form of forget-me-not flowers set
to be presented at Fashion Week be released?
A) Detailed plans are expected to be released before the runway
show. We will internally review the appropriate timing and release it
to the public.
