Press Release
“Tangible Changes, Republic of Korea 2020”
Ministry of Unification will advance
peace and prosperity
on the Korean Peninsula
-2020 Ministry of Unification Work Plan –
March 3, 2020
□ The Ministry of Unification reported,
in writing, its 2020 Work Plan to the Presidential Office (Cheong Wa
Dae) and the Office for Government Policy Coordination.
□ The Ministry of Unification’s 2020
Work Plan is as follows.
- Find a new driver for inter-Korean
relations, including healthcare and border cooperation, and individual
tourism to North Korea
- Lay the foundation for realization of
peace economy pursuing exchange and cooperation on a wider range of
matters
- Resolve humanitarian issues between the two Koreas
fundamentally and comprehensively
- Establish a domestic and
international cooperative system for policy on unification and North
Korea in order to achieve sustainable development of inter-Korean relations
[The Ministry will lead the efforts to
achieve denuclearization and establish a peace regime on the Korean
Peninsula by expanding room for inter-Korean relations through a new
way of thinking.]
① Ministry will exert efforts to
transform the DMZ into an international peace zone.
ㅇ It will solidly prepare for peaceful
use of the DMZ through historical, cultural, environmental, and
ecological studies, basic researches, and pilot projects.
- It will promote such projects in
earnest through consultations with North Korea, considering the state
of inter-Korean relations.
ㅇ It will reopen the DMZ Peace Trail
and resume a tour to Panmunjeom, thereby making it easier and more
convenient for people to access and enjoy the DMZ.
ㅇ It will ensure the participation of
international organizations while remaining in close cooperation with
the central and local governments and non-government agencies.
② The Ministry will promote individual
tourism to North Korea.
ㅇ It will increase person-to-person
exchange and cooperation through individual tourism to the North by
separated family members and domestic tourists, and it will explore
ways to facilitate the tourism industry with border areas.
ㅇ It will, through consultation with
the North, ensure that separated family members can visit Mount
Geumgang or Gaeseong and that South Korean nationals can visit tourist
destinations in North Korea via a travel agency of a third country.
ㅇ It will ensure smooth progress in
tourism by conducting necessary consultations with the North, and
managing the overall situation through support for private
organizations’ contact with the North, approval of visits to the
North, support for cross-border passage, and render civil service
through a support center for visits to North Korea.
- It will ease concerns about the
safety of tourists or any possibility of sanctions violations on North
Korea through discussions with the North and by setting forth guidelines.
③ The Ministry will pursue exchange and
cooperation on a wider range of matters.
ㅇ It will first connect the severed
section in the South, and then resume discussions with the North on
connecting the section in the North. Together with the Organization
for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD) it will explore ways to connect
South-North railway with the continental railway system.
ㅇ It will strengthen trilateral
cooperation with neighboring countries including cooperation between
the two Koreas and China and cooperation between the two Koreas and
Russia, and it will support knowledge-sharing projects by the private sector.
ㅇ It will resume inter-Korean
cooperation in social and cultural areas while pushing ahead with a
joint event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the June 15 Joint
Declaration, joint participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and
co-hosting of the 2032 Summer Olympic Games.
ㅇ It will actively identify
opportunities for development and cooperation between the two Koreas,
including healthcare, disaster prevention and management, forestry,
and the environment.
ㅇ It will actively render support for
local governments and private organizations that engage in cooperation
with North Korea.
- Considering the demand of the North,
it will provide supports for projects to be carried out in accordance
with regional demand and characteristics. The general counseling
center for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation will be reinforced to
provide one-stop service addressing civilians’ needs.
④ The Ministry will substantially
address humanitarian issues.
ㅇ It will expand exchanges including
visits to hometowns at the civilian level while continuing to work for
face-to-face and video reunions of separated family members through
consultations with North Korea.
ㅇ It will continue to provide
humanitarian assistance for the vulnerable groups in North Korea
through international organizations including WFP, UNICEF, and WHO,
and it will grant local governments and private organizations more
responsibilities and assistance.
ㅇ It will explore ways to substantially
improve the protection of human rights in North Korea while working
together with the international community and the private sector.
ㅇ It will assist North Korean defectors
in handling their everyday needs through community-based settlement
support, and it will run the Inter-Korean Integration Culture Center
slated to open in the first half of the year as a venue for
communication and building solidarity between North Korean defectors
and local residents.
⑤ The Ministry will lay the foundation
for implementing unification and North Korea policies.
o It will establish a foundation for
peace and unification in each region and carry out exchange and
cooperation programs, unification education, cultural events, and
experience programs designed specifically for each region along with citizens.
- It will faithfully implement these
programs at the Incheon Unification Plus(+) Center this year and
expand them in phases to Gyeongsang and Jeolla Provinces next year.
o It will host various public diplomacy
programs including international forums, track 1.5 strategic
dialogues, and increase the international community’s understanding of
peace on the Korean Peninsula and development in inter-Korean
relations by supporting researchers from overseas in their study on
the Korean Peninsula.
o It will enhance the reliability and
transparency of unification policy by amending the Inter-Korean
Exchange and Cooperation Act and enacting the Act on Special Economic
Zones for Unification.
□ Based on these plans, the Ministry
will duly take into consideration the Coronavirus -19 situation and
the state of US-DPRK and inter-Korean relations as it carries out its duties.
ㅇ By doing so, it will do its best to
find a new growth engine for inter-Korean relations and lay the
foundation for permanent peace and common prosperity on the Korean
Peninsula. // The End //
* Unofficial translation
