2022 Government Work Plan
“People-driven Change, Responsible Government”
The Government will establish and
maintain peace,
through an uninterrupted peace process on the
Korean Peninsula
◈ Pursue consistent policy on unification and North Korean
issues and establish the foundation for sustainable peace and
unification with the objective of restoring inter-Korean
relations
◈ Restart the peace process and continue diplomatic
efforts for substantial progress
◈ Establish an all-encompassing
defense posture and guarantee the establishment of peace on the Korean
Peninsula by implementing the September 19 Military Agreement
<Key achievements over the past four
and a half years and plans for 2022>
Three rounds of inter-Korean summits, two rounds of summits between
the leaders of North Korea and the United States, and a summit meeting
between the leaders of the two Koreas and the U.S. at Panmunjeom led
to a virtuous cycle for inter-Korean relations and North Korea-U.S.
relations, thereby laying the foundation for the denuclearization and
the establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The Government will prepare to resume inter-Korean dialogue and
cooperation at an early date by creating momentum for talks and
pursuing the end-of-war declaration. It will also make efforts to
restart the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.
The South and the North have done much to ease military tensions by
faithfully implementing the Agreement on the Implementation of the
Historic Panmunjeom Declaration in the Military Domain (September 19
Military Agreement). Building on this, the Government made efforts to
build consensus on peace and unification among the public by providing
hands-on opportunities through DMZ Peace Trails, the ‘DMZ Peace Trail
Walking for Unification’ program, and expanded Panmunjeom tours.
It will carry out the September 19 Military Agreement while stably
managing the situation on the Korean Peninsula under firm military
readiness posture, and lay the foundation for sustainable policy on
North Korea by increasing public participation in and access to
matters involving North Korea and unification through the
establishment of Unification Plus (+) Centers in a wide range of regions.
□ On December 20, the Government reported its 2022 Work Plan to the
President. The report was made in writing on the theme of “Peace on
the Korean Peninsula,” one of five main tasks the Government needs to
work on until the end under the slogan, “Change brought together with
the people, a Government fulfilling its responsibilities.”
□ The Ministry of Unification reported that it will focus on
realizing an early restoration of inter-Korean dialogue and restarting
the peace process on the Korean Peninsula by carrying out a consistent
North Korea and unification policy.
○ It will concentrate its efforts on resuming inter-Korean dialogue
at an early date through stable operation of communications lines
including those through the South-North Joint Liaison Office. Under
such grounds, the Ministry will strive to establish a video conference
system between the two Koreas and prepare key agenda for the
implementation of agreements made between the leaders of South and
North Korea.
- It will facilitate negotiations on denuclearization through
inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation, and create an unwavering
driving force for peace on the Korean Peninsula by comprehensively
pushing forward with progress in inter-Korean relations,
denuclearization and a peace regime.
□ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that it will restart the
peace process and continue diplomatic efforts to make substantial
progress in realizing peace on the Korean Peninsula.
○ It will stably manage the situation on the Korean Peninsula
through cooperation with major countries including China, Japan and
Russia and the international community, as well as close coordination
with the United States.
- It will focus on efforts to resume dialogue with North Korea
through creative and diverse engagement initiatives, thereby paving
the way for the commencement of a sustainable denuclearization process.
□ The Ministry of National Defense reported that it will continue
military support for achieving complete denuclearization and
establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula by faithfully
implementing the September 19 Military Agreement.
○ While maintaining a firm military readiness posture, it will
ensure military stability by ceasing hostile acts in border areas on
land, at sea and in space.
- It will continue efforts to carry out specific measures of the
agreement including the excavation of the remains of soldiers killed
in action during the Korean War in the DMZ, demilitarization of the
Joint Security Area in Panmunjeom, and trial navigation of the Han
River estuary.
□ In addition, each Ministry reported on its plans regarding key
tasks it will pursue to carry on the achievements of the last four and
a half years.
□ The Ministry of Unification reported on its plans to promote
inter-Korean exchange and cooperation projects in each field, resolve
humanitarian issues, and establish the foundation for sustainable
peace and unification.
○ It will resume inter-Korean cooperation projects in various
fields including the economic, social, cultural and sports sectors. It
will also strengthen the foundation for stable exchange and
cooperation by supporting projects pursued at the private and local
administrative levels.
- In particular, it will actively develop projects in line with
the Covid-19 pandemic and recent environmental changes including
climate change, and explore ways to pursue common benefits for both
South and North Korea and cooperation with the international community.
○ It will continue to build a community of life and security on the
Korean Peninsula in which the people of the two Koreas can co-exist
and to strive to resolve humanitarian matters including the issues of
separated families, North Korean defectors and North Korean human rights.
○ It will establish a platform for public-private cooperation and
build another Unification Plus (+) Center in Chungcheong and Gyeonggi
provinces. It will also build the Information Center on Unification to
increase public access to unification and North Korea policy and lay
the foundation for public diplomacy on peace and unification.
□ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on its plans to
strengthen relations with four neighboring countries to realize peace
on the Korean Peninsula, to carry out advanced diplomacy to take the
lead in a post-pandemic era, to pursue “people diplomacy” to enhance
daily life, and to practice strategic diplomacy for continued economic growth.
○ It will continue to develop the ROK-US alliance into a
comprehensive alliance which does much for peace in the region and the
world as well as on the Korean Peninsula. It will also pursue a
mature, strategic cooperative partnership with China by exploring
future-oriented development.
- It will continue to strive for future-oriented development of
relations between the ROK and Japan, and strengthen the strategic
cooperative partnership between the ROK and Russia, which does much
for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Eurasia.
○ To live up to the ROK’s enhanced international status, it will
lead diverse international cooperation initiatives and strengthen
leadership as a leading country in responding to climate change. It
will also step up its efforts to diversify its diplomacy in line with
the New Southern Policy and New Northern Policy.
○ Competition in high technology areas is intensifying and new
security concerns including those regarding global supply chains are
emerging. To actively respond to such changes, it will strengthen
economic and security diplomacy, carry out science and technology
diplomacy to spur innovation in the Korean economy, and step up
diplomacy to support Korean firms as part of the nation’s economic
recovery and revitalization.
○ In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, it will continue its
efforts to protect the people by helping them resume normal daily
life. It will also increase daily convenience through digital
innovation of consular services, and actively pursue public diplomacy
by making the best use of soft assets including K-culture.
□ The Ministry of National Defense reported on its plans to
establish an all-encompassing defense posture, to guarantee the
establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula, to push ahead with the
transfer of wartime operational control based on the ROK-US alliance,
and to improve the defense environment so as to win trust from the
general public.
○ It will faithfully implement the September 19 Military Agreement
by actively carrying out the excavation of the remains at Baekmagoji
within the DMZ, one of the biggest battlegrounds of the Korean War;
tours to Panmunjeom; and visits to the DMZ Peace Trails which was made
possible through the withdrawal of guard posts.
○ While maintaining a firm ROK-US combined defense posture, it will
systematically and actively push ahead with the transfer of wartime
operational control.
○ It will improve the service conditions of military personnel, the
housing support system for career soldiers, and the military medical
system; treat military veterans and war veterans with honor; and
provide active support in the event of a national disaster, thus
living up to the people’s expectations and creating a defense
environment in which soldiers can devote themselves to service.
○ It will maintain a control and response capability against
trans-national and non-military threats such as epidemics like
Covid-19, natural disasters and terror attacks, and win the trust from
the people, thus enhancing the status of the military.
□ Based on a firm defense posture, the Government will do its utmost
until the end to build the foundation for complete denuclearization
and sustainable peace by advancing the Korean peace process. It will
also definitively implement the work plans as reported by each Ministry.
* Unofficial translation
