Important Events from 2009 to Present< South-North Relations< 통일부

2016-04

writer: 장수민

created: 2020-06-16

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Major events in Inter-Korean Relations

Date	Events
April 1	The ROK government defines the North’s GPS signal disruptions as a blatant provocation and issues a stern warning that North Korea should stop its provocative acts immediately (in a warning statement against North Korea by the Ministry of National Defense).
April 1	North Korea fires three short-range land-to-air missiles from Seondeok, South Hamgyong Province, into the East Sea.
April 1	North Korea criticizes the South Korean government’s mention of the separated family issue as “justifying its anti-DPRK confrontation policy,” declaring that there will be no humanitarian exchanges such as the reunion of separated families during the presidency of Park Geun-hye (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Central Committee of the DPRK Red Cross Society).
April 1	The ROK government strongly condemns the North’s unilateral declaration of the “suspension of humanitarian exchanges” (April 1) (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification). South Korea stresses that the separated family issue is the most urgent and pressing humanitarian issue and an issue of compassion, expressing great regret that the North uses the issue as an excuse for political confrontation, distorts and disparages the ROK government’s efforts, and slanders the ROK President.
April 1	The United States assesses North Korea as the most immediate set of concerns for the international community (in a press conference by President Obama at the closing ceremony of the Nuclear Security Summit 2016).
April 1	North Korea denounces the ROK-U.S. joint military exercises, arguing that the North has to enhance its deterrence in the form of nuclear deterrence. Asked about prospects for resuming the stalled Six-Party Talks, the North replies that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is no longer on the table (in an interview with Reuters by So Se-pyong, North Korea's Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva).
April 2	The U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues visits South Korea and discusses how to coordinate the efforts of Seoul and Washington to improve the North Korean human rights situation with South Korean government officials (April 2-6).
April 2	North Korean leader Kim Jong-un provides field guidance on the test-firing of a new-type of anti-air guided rocket and visits the Tonghungsan Machine Plant under the Ryongsong Machine Complex.
April 2	North Korea criticizes the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) for disregarding its request to hold an emergency meeting on the ROK-U.S. joint military drill, arguing that it will continue to exercise its legitimate right to self defense (in a Q&A session with KCNA reporters by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
April 4	North Korea maintains that tough sanctions on Pyongyang by the U.S. and the U.N. have only made the North a greater, stronger country, threatening to mete out stern punishment if the U.S. infringes upon the North’s sovereignty (in a statement by a spokesperson for the National Defense Commission).
April 4	Regarding the 4th Nuclear Security Summit, North Korea condemns the U.S. for creating an environment to put pressure on the North by inviting South Korea and Japan, arguing for an ultra-hardline response by strengthening its nuclear deterrence (in a Q&A session with KCNA reporters by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
April 4	In response to the National Defense Commission’s argument (“The fundamental solution is to begin negotiations”), the U.S. stresses that Washington is open to dialogue but the responsibility for taking meaningful action toward denuclearization falls on North Korea (in a commentary by a spokesperson for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs).
April 4	The U.S. states that the Six-Party Talks can be resumed if North Korea freezes all of its nuclear activity, declares its past nuclear activities, and allows inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (in a debate organized by the Institute for Corean-American Studies (ICAS) by Daniel Russell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs).
April 5	The Chinese Commerce Department announces a list of restrictions on mineral trade with North Korea.
April 5	North Korea releases a video threatening artillery strikes against key South Korean government facilities including Cheongwadae (DPRK Today).
April 5	Regarding the video released by North Korea on April 5, South Korea issues a stern warning and urges the North to use restraint (the Ministry of National Defense’s Position on the North’s Terror Threat against Cheongwadae and South Korean government offices).
April 6	North Korea insists that “The DPRK will further develop its nuclear deterrence in both quantity and quality in response to the grave situation” (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Disarmament and Peace Institute of North Korea's Foreign Ministry).
April 7	A group of 13 overseas North Korean restaurant workers escapes from their workplace and arrives in South Korea (in a briefing by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification on April 8).
April 7	Regarding the ROK President’s participation in the Nuclear Security Summit, North Korea criticizes her remarks on the North Korean nuclear issue, threatening to carry out provocations against the South (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF)).
April 8	Regarding the statement by a spokesperson for the CPRF (April 7), the ROK government issues a strong warning against the North’s declaration of continued development of its nuclear and missile program and its military threats, urging North Korea to move in the right direction for change (in a commentary by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification).
April 8	North Korea denounces the ROK President’s diplomacy on the North Korean nuclear issue at the Nuclear Security Summit by name while issuing a threat (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation).
April 8	Regarding the April 13 general elections, North Korea condemns the ROK President and the ruling Saenuri Party for berating the opposition parties as pro-North Korean forces and focusing on an anti-DPRK confrontation plan, citing North Korean threats of provocation (in information bulletin No. 1103 by the Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland).
April 8	North Korean leader Kim Jong-un provides field guidance on the ground test of a new engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
April 12	Regarding the U.S.’s remarks on the Six-Party Talks, North Korea states that it does not oppose the dialogue itself but completely rejects an unequal dialogue, arguing that dialogue and sanctions cannot co-exist (in a Q&A session with KCNA reporters by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
April 12	North Korea blasts the group defection of overseas North Korean restaurant workers as a “group abduction” by the South Korean government, threatening that “If the South does not repatriate the defectors immediately, it will pay a high price for the consequences” (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Central Committee of the DPRK Red Cross Society).
April 12	The ROK government issues a strong warning against the North’s farfetched claim (regarding the group defection of overseas North Korean restaurant workers) and its provocation threat, calling on the North to give up its nuclear and missile program and improve the livelihood of its people (in a commentary by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification).
April 12	The ROK government, in a letter to the UNSC, criticizes North Korea, pointing out that the GPS jamming by North Korea is an act of provocation (from the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in New York to the President of the U.N. Security Council).
April 13	The ROK Prime Minister emphasizes that the security crisis caused by a series of North Korean provocations will serve as a turning point to make the Republic of Korea a stronger country and usher in a new era of peaceful unification (in his commemorative speech to mark the 97th anniversary of the establishment of the Provisional Government of the ROK).
April 13	Regarding the North Korean human rights situation, the U.S. asserts that “The dictatorship continues political oppression and bans or restricts political opposition” (in the 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released by the U.S. Department of State).
April 14	Regarding the potential for additional sanctions against the North’s nuclear and missile threats hinted at by the U.S. Secretary of State, North Korea criticizes the U.S. and threatens to advance its nuclear capability (in a Q&A session with KCNA reporters by a spokesperson for the Disarmament and Peace Institute of North Korea's Foreign Ministry).
April 14	The U.N. Security Council reveals a list of items to be banned from entry into North Korea, which was additionally designated in line with UNSC Resolution 2270 in early April (the DPRK Sanctions Committee under the U.N. Security Council). The UNSC officially announces a list of new items (12 nuclear- and missile-usable items and 14 chemicals) that can be used in Pyongyang's programs to develop nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and that will be banned from entering the North.
April 14	Russia urges North Korea to restrain from irresponsible provocative acts such as nuclear and missile tests (in a lecture by the Russian Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia).
April 14	The Sri Lankan government confiscates about USD 168,000 from two North Koreans who tried to route the money through Sri Lanka.
April 15	North Korea fires one missile into the East Sea, presumed to have been a failed missile launch.
April 15	The UNSC announces that North Korea’s ballistic missile launch is tantamount to a violation of UNSC resolutions and warns that if the North carries out additional provocations, the UNSC will take significant measures (in a press release by the UNSC).
April 15	Regarding the North’s test launch of Musudan, an intermediate-range ballistic missile, the U.S. issues a strong condemnation, stating that the test launch violates UNSC resolutions on North Korea (in a regular briefing by a spokesperson for the White House and a commentary by a spokesperson for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs).
April 15	Regarding the North’s missile launch, China expresses its hope for all countries to strictly observe UNSC resolutions (in a regular briefing by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
April 15	The U.N. expresses concerns over North Korea’s missile launch, calling on the North to use restraint again (in a commentary by a spokesperson for the U.N.).
April 15	The Mexican Public Prosecutors’ Office orders the forfeiture of the blacklisted North Korean vessel Mu Du Bong (published in an official gazette).
April 15	North Korea denounces the South Korean Ministry of Education’s decision to discharge officials at the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union (KTU) as “political retaliation and anti-democracy oppression,” criticizing the ROK President by name in reference to the April 13 general elections (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Korean Educational and Cultural Workers’ Union).
April 16	The DPRK Institute for Research into National Reunification releases a white paper accusing the ROK government of failed economic policies, unemployment, and a series of incidents over the past three years.
April 16	North Korea argues that the Saenuri Party’s defeat in the general elections is the result of stern judgement by the South Korean people and all that remains to be seen is its final destruction (in information bulletin No. 1104 by the Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland).
April 17	North Korea declares its position on the group defection of overseas North Korean restaurant workers, threatening the ROK President by name and stating that the South will pay for a high price if it refuses to repatriate them (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland). 1) Apologize for the abduction of North Korean workers and send them back to the North immediately, 2) Punish those involved in the kidnapping and those behind the scenes strongly or hand them over to the North’s law enforcement agencies, and issue a promise both to North Korea and the international community stating that it will not abduct North Koreans again, and 3) Observe the wishes of 10 million outraged North Koreans and refrain from rash actions in the future.
April 18	In response to signs that North Korea is preparing for its 5th nuclear test, the U.S. calls on the North to stop acts that destabilize the situation and show its intent to return to the Six-Party Talks (in a regular briefing by a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State).
April 19	Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo issue a strong warning message against the North’s additional provocations, reaffirming three-party coordination (in the 3rd consultative meeting between the Foreign Vice-Ministers of the ROK, the U.S. and Japan).
April 20	Seoul and Washington cooperate on maintaining and strengthening sanctions and placing additional pressures on Pyongyang, completely different from previous measures, in order to change the North’s strategic decision on the nuclear issue (the 2nd high-level strategic meeting between South Korea and the U.S.).
April 20	Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo discuss how to respond to the North Korean nuclear issue and the potential for additional provocations from the North (in a breakfast meeting between chief delegates to the Six-Party Talks from South Korea, the U.S., and Japan in Seoul).
April 21	Washington and Beijing are united in their strong opposition to the North’s 5th nuclear test and discuss cooperation plans to deter North Korean provocations (in a meeting between chief delegates to the Six-Party Talks from the U.S. and China in Beijing).
April 21	North Korea strongly protests against U.N. sanctions on the North and justifies its nuclear test, arguing that it has no choice but to develop nuclear weapons in a situation where the U.S. and South Korea conduct nuclear war drills on the Korean Peninsula (in a keynote speech by the North Korean Foreign Minister at a high-level meeting of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals at U.N. headquarters).
April 21	Regarding the group defection of overseas North Korean restaurant workers, North Korea requests a face-to-face meeting with their family members, threatening that “Unless the South repatriates them, the North will launch a strong retaliatory action against the group of traitors including those in Cheongwadae” (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Central Committee of the DPRK Red Cross Society).
April 21	Regarding the statement by a spokesperson for the DPRK Red Cross Society (April 21), the ROK government states that it cannot accept the North’s demands after consideration of the defectors’ hopes and free will as well as international practices on humanitarian issues (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification).
April 21	North Korea blasts the ROK President’s remarks following the 20th general elections, arguing that “The group of traitors who defy public sentiment should be buried” (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland).
April 21	North Korea maintains that South Korea sent balloons to cause fires, adding that the balloons found in the forests of North Korea were fitted with flammable materials and explosive devices while threatening a stern response (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection).
April 21	Seven waitresses, colleagues of the North Korean workers who defected to South Korea, claim that their manager and a South Korean businessman coordinated the group defection under the direction of government authorities in Seoul (in an interview with CNN).
April 21	Regarding the potential for resuming dialogue with North Korea, the U.S. emphasizes that it is open to a meaningful negotiation on the nuclear issue and reiterates that the September 19 Joint Statement in 2005 should be the basis for bilateral dialogue (in a presentation by Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russell at the Shorenstein Forum for Asia-Pacific Studies, Stanford University).
April 22	Seoul and Beijing confirm that they are strongly opposed to the North’s provocative acts that violate UNSC resolutions including additional nuclear tests, and agree that if the North carries out another provocation including a 5th nuclear test, it will be necessary to take additional significant measures (in a meeting between chief delegates to the Six-Party Talks from South Korea and China in Beijing).
April 22	North Korea sends a message to the president of the Korean Red Cross requesting that the families of the defected North Korean restaurant workers be sent to Seoul (in a report by KCNA).
April 22	North Korea demands the immediate repatriation of the North Korean defectors, threatening that if the South continues to detain them, it will destroy Cheongwadae (in a statement by a spokesperson for the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea).
April 23	North Korea fires a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in the East Sea and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un provides field guidance on the SLBM test launch.
April 23	North Korea announces that it is ready to stop its nuclear testing program if South Korea and the U.S. discontinue their joint military exercises (in an interview with AP by North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong).
April 23	Regarding the North’s SLBM launch, the U.S. urges North Korea to refrain from rash actions that destabilize the situation and calls on the North to focus on faithfully fulfilling its international duties and promises (in a commentary by a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State).
April 23	France points out that the North’s SLBM launch violates UNSC resolutions, calling on the international community to respond firmly in order to stop the North Korean provocations (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
April 24	Cheongwadae discusses how to respond to the North’s SLBM launch (in a meeting presided over by the chief of the National Security Office).
April 24	The ROK government strongly condemns the North’s SLBM test launch and declares that it will take necessary measures at the UNSC through close cooperation with other major countries (in a commentary by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
April 24	The ROK Unification Minister states that now is not the time to talk about inter-Korean dialogue and exit plans but the time to impose sanctions and put pressure on the North (in a press conference).
April 24	The UNSC harshly criticizes the North’s SLBM launch and stresses that North Korea violated UNSC resolutions, calling on the North to refrain from additional provocations and follow existing resolutions (in a press statement by the UNSC).
April 24	The U.S. issues a repeated warning against North Korea, stating that there will be no compromise on the nuclear issue (in a joint press conference for the U.S.-German summit meeting by President Obama).
April 26	The ROK President forecasts that the North’s 5th nuclear test is imminent; stressing that North Korea’s miscalculation will bring about its own destruction (in a meeting with Managing Editors and Directors of Newsroom Department from the press and media outlets).
April 26	The Ministry of Unification appoints 800 Unification Education Members for the 20th term of the Unification Education Committee.
April 26	The U.S. emphasizes that the U.S. Armed Forces can defeat North Korea with its military but the U.S. must consider its allies adjacent to the North including South Korea (in an interview with CBS by U.S. President Obama).
April 26	The U.S. expresses its position that it will consider “other options” if North Korea continues its nuclear and missile provocations” (in a regular briefing by a deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State).
April 26	North Korea decides to hold the 7th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) on May 6, 2016, in Pyongyang (in a written decision by the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, “On Convening the 7th Congress of the WPK”).
April 26	Regarding the UNSC’s adoption of a “press statement” on the North’s SLBM launch, North Korea warns that it will confront nuclear aggression with nuclear deterrence (in a Q&A session with KCNA reporters by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
April 27	Seoul and Beijing agree that the potential for additional nuclear and missile tests by North Korea is the most pressing and significant diplomatic issue (in a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of South Korea and China in Beijing).
April 27	Seoul and Berlin confirm the will of both countries to put pressure on the North in response to its nuclear and missile provocations and to cooperate on issues relating to unification on the Korean Peninsula (in a high-level policy council between South Korea and Germany in Berlin).
April 27	U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon points out the need to attempt to engage in dialogue with North Korea amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula due to the North’s development of nuclear weapons (in a debate on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty).
April 28	North Korea fires a missile from Wonsan in the morning and again in the afternoon, respectively, which are both presumed to have failed.
April 28	The ROK President emphasizes that North Korea will have no future if the Kim Jong-un regime conducts an additional nuclear test in defiance of a warning from the international community (in a NSC meeting presided over by the President).
April 28	The ROK government and the ruling party discuss how to respond to a series of North Korean provocations (in an emergency security meeting).
April 28	The Foreign Ministers of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), in its fifth meeting, adopt a declaration denouncing North Korea’s nuclear test and long-range missile launch and call on the North to give up its nuclear program (Declaration of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of CICA). Chinese President Xi Jinping stresses that China, as a neighboring country, will not tolerate war or confusion on the Korean Peninsula (in his congratulatory speech at the 5th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of CICA).
April 28	Seoul and Moscow discuss how to respond to the North Korean nuclear and provocation issues and how to develop bilateral relations (in a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of South Korea and Russia).
April 28	North Korea threatens that if the South ignores the North’s demand for the immediate repatriation of the North Korean restaurant workers who defected, the North will initiate a merciless, thousand-fold response against Cheongwadae (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland).
April 28	North Korea sends a message from the chairman of the DPRK Red Cross Society to the president of the Korean Red Cross, demanding the repatriation of the North Korean restaurant workers who defected.
April 29	The ROK government issues a prior announcement of legislation for the Bill on the Enforcement Ordinance of the North Korean Human Rights Act, which focuses on the establishment of a Center for Investigation & Documentation on Human Rights in North Korea under the Ministry of Justice in order to document and manage cases of human rights violations in North Korea (the Ministry of Unification).
April 29	Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida states that Japan will not tolerate North Korea’s successive missile launches (Kyodo News)
April 29	Beijing and Moscow warn that North Korea should refrain from irresponsible, additional provocations (in a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of China and Russia in Beijing).
April 29	North Korea calls on the U.S. Armed Forces to stop provocative acts at the truce village of Panmunjeom, adding that provocations have increased recently (in a statement by a spokesman for the Panmunjeom mission of the Korean People's Army (KPA)).
April 30	Beijing and Tokyo express grave concern over North Korean provocations and agree to cooperate closely with each other in taking measures to deter the North’s nuclear ambitions (in a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of China and Japan in Beijing).
April 30	Regarding the end of the ROK-U.S. joint military drill, North Korea argues that 1) No one should assume an ulterior motive related to the nuclear weapons of the DPRK, 2) The U.S. and the puppet group should not dream of the so-called effect of sanctions and a blockade against the DPRK, and 3) The U.S. and its followers should clearly understand that the longer they pursue confrontation with the DPRK, the bitterer the disgrace and shame they will suffer as the loser (in a joint statement by the DPRK government, political parties, and organizations).
April 30	Regarding the ROK-U.S. joint military exercises, North Korea maintains that it is the legitimate right of a sovereign state to react to the enemy's declaration of war and threats with its own steps for self-defense, arguing that “The September 19 Joint Statement is finally scrapped” (in a statement by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
April 30	Regarding the remarks made at the South’s National Security Council (North Korea’s 5th nuclear test is imminent. The North will have no future if it conducts an additional nuclear test.), North Korea warns that this rhetoric is tantamount to “dishonoring the dignity, system, and people of the DPRK, and a political provocation” (in a special warning by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF)).
April 30	Regarding the special warning by the CPRF (April 30), the ROK government expresses strong regret over the denunciation of and threat to the head of state, warning that the North should stop these behaviors immediately (the ROK Government’s Position Concerning the Special Warning by the CPRF).

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통일부

South-North Relations

Important Events from 2009 to Present

본문영역

2016-04