Date: Monday, June 28, 2021
Time: 10:30-10:38 A.M.
1. On developing a foundation for the promotion of inter-Korean
humanitarian cooperation
The ROK Government, while acknowledging local administrative bodies
and civilian groups as principal agents in carrying out humanitarian
cooperation with the North, has made improvements to systematically
support the activities and capabilities of these groups by
communicating with them frequently.
As part of such efforts, the Unification Vice Minister Choi Young
Joon and head of Korea NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea
(KNCCK) Lee Ki-bum will hold the first public-private inter-Korean
humanitarian cooperation policy council of 2021 on June 30 at 2 P.M.
The meeting will see the private sector present opinions on priorities
and directions for humanitarian cooperation in the second half of
2021, and will discuss cooperation methods between the government and
civilian groups.
The public-private inter-Korean humanitarian cooperation policy
council is a biannual meeting held by the KNCCK and attended by
government agencies including the Ministry of Unification, the
Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Affairs, as well as 55 civic organizations. This meeting serves
as a channel to collect policy suggestions from private groups and
subsequently derive policy development and system improvement ideas.
Furthermore, the Ministry is strengthening the foundation for
cooperation not only with civilian organizations but also with 243
local governments. In 2019, related regulations were revised to allow
local administrative bodies to directly pursue humanitarian
cooperation with the North. This year, additional efforts are being
made to once again revise the regulations to give local governments
legal qualification for humanitarian cooperation with North Korea
without having to go through a separate round of registration process.
Following the amendment to the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation
Act this year, communication and consultation with local governments
have been systemized. The inter-Korean exchange and cooperation policy
council of local governments has been promoted to a statutory body,
and a working-level consultative council has formed. In this regard,
the first working-level meeting was held among local governments on
June 23.
The Government will continue to strengthen communications and
cooperation with the local government and private organizations by
holding regular meetings.
2. Settlement Support Center for North Korean Refugees to publish
book on basic vocational training terminology
The Settlement Support Center for North Korean Refugees (Hanawon)
will publish a basic vocational training terminology book on June 29.
The book is a compilation of key terms used when North Korean
defectors receive basic vocational training at Hanawon. The
publication is an attempt to resolve difficulties faced by defectors
due to differences in terminology used in the South and the North. The
book makes the most out of images and photos, while also using North
Korean expressĭons to assist defectors better understand various
vocational terminology.
This project was an effort by Hanawon to approach support measures
from the perspective of North Korean defectors, and provide aid that
meets the need of the receivers.
3. Other schedules
Minister Lee In-young will deliver a lecture on the current status
of inter-Korean relations and its future direction to 40 members of
the Seoul Metropolitan Council on June 30 at 8 A.M.
4. Q&A
Q. This coming Thursday is the 100th anniversary of the founding of
China’s Communist Party, and I understand that China is preparing a
large-scale event. Has the Ministry detected any moves by North Korea
to send a delegation to the event?
A. July 1 of this year marks the 100th anniversary of the
establishment of the Chinese Communist Party, and July 11 marks 60
years since the signing of the Sino-DPRK Treaty of Friendship,
Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. For this reason, North Korea and
China have commemorated this year by exchanging letters among its
leaders and holding photo exhibitions. Some new developments have also
been observed this year, such as running op-ed pieces by the
ambassadors of each state in the North’s Rodong Sinmun and China’s
People’s Daily respectively. Holding diplomatic talks in China was
also a rare event held this year.
The Government is keeping a close watch on the situation as
commemorative events between North Korea and China are being carried
out with more weight than before on the occasion of this year’s
anniversary. The two states have a record of sending senior delegates
to mark major anniversaries such as the 10th and 20th anniversaries.
However, I do not have any information to confirm whether China and
North Korea will be exchanging high-level delegations.
Q. There is speculation that North Korea may send a high-ranking
official to China, just as Choe Ryong Hae visited China for the 70th
anniversary of its victory in World War II. On the contrary, other
observers believe the North may not send any delegation because of
Covid-19. What is the Ministry’s understanding?
A. Exchanges between the North and China, including personnel and
material exchanges, are in fact suspended due to the Covid-19
situation. The prolonged border closure will likely be a major factor
for the North in determining whether it will push forward with
personnel exchanges.
The North is expected to decide on the issue of sending a high-level
delegation to China after comprehensively considering various
circumstances including the upcoming major anniversaries as well as
Covid-19 related concerns. The Government will carefully monitor
related developments.
