Regular Briefing by Spokesperson Koo Byoungsam
Date: Monday,
April 29, 2024
Time: 10:30-10:35 A.M.
1. Weekly Schedule
On April 29, at 3 P.M., Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho will hold
the first meeting between the Ministry of Unification and Christian
officials, scheduled to be held regularly in the future.
At 6 P.M., Minister Kim will hold the 4th Evening of Unification.
At 8 P.M., Minister Kim will make an appearance at a program
broadcasted on Korean Forces Network (KFN).
On April 30, at 10 A.M., Minister Kim will attend the cabinet meeting.
On May 1, at 7:30 A.M., Minister Kim will hold the 8th Wednesday Forum.
On May 2, at 11 A.M., Minister Kim will deliver a special lecture at
the 2024 Global Strategy Meeting of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council.
At 6 P.M., Minister Kim will hold the 5th Evening of Unification.
On May 3, at 9:30 A.M., Minister Kim will deliver congratulatory
remarks at an academic conference of the Seoul National University’s
Institute for Peace and Unification Studies.
At 10:30 A.M., Minister Kim will sit down for a meeting with
Parliamentary State Secretary for East Germany Carsten Schneider.
At 3 P.M., Minister Kim will sit down for a meeting with officials
of the Corporate Association of Gaeseong Industrial Complex.
Vice Minister Moon Seoung-hyun will attend the Korea–Germany
Unification Advisory Committee held from April 30 to May 1, and
deliver a welcoming speech on April 30 at 10 A.M..
2. Q&A
Q) It has been reported today that the North has laid land mines on
a road created near Arrowhead Hill for efforts to excavate remains of
those killed during the Korean War. What is the Government’s position
regarding this issue?
A) As a matter to be dealt by the Ministry of Defense, there is
nothing the Unification Ministry can confirm. However, the Ministry is
closely monitoring the situation while sharing necessary developments
among related agencies.
Q) But as the North was previously seen removing streetlights on
other roads as well, it is possible to interpret such move as an
extension of North Korea’s efforts to completely block all roads
between the two Koreas. What is the Unification Ministry’s take on this?
A) The North has continued to erase traces of unification and cut
off inter-Korean relations. If this development turns out to be true,
it can be seen as an extension of such recent efforts.
Q) A travel agency specializing in North Korea has been reportedly
informed that the North will no longer use the phrase “Day of the
Sun.” What would be the intention behind this?
A) There has been a sharp reduction in the use of the phrase “Day of
the Sun” since this year’s birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, which is
on April 15. Though the Ministry has nothing to confirm regarding the
report, it seems necessary to observe what the North’s intentions may be.
Q) A media company has reportedly acquired video clips implying the
spread of a surrender campaign within North Korea in 2022. Would such
trend (of voluntarily turning oneself in) still be prevalent now? To
what degree is the Unification Ministry aware of this situation?
A) Are you referring to the spread of South Korean culture in the
North? (Yes.)
The Ministry has nothing to confirm regarding the report. However,
the North’s crackdown on outside culture and punishment toward those
who access this is a serious violation of human rights. Even the UN
has called for the North to repeal or reform the Reactionary Ideology
and Culture Rejection Act through the Human Rights Council Resolution
on the situation of human rights in the North. The Ministry emphasizes
that imposing punishment, including the death penalty, for consuming
outside culture is far from the common sense of the international
community which recognizes human rights as a universal value.