Date: Monday, March 25, 2024
Time: 10:30-10:36 A.M.
1. Minister’s Schedule
On March 25, Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho is sitting down for a
meeting with the U.S. Congressional Study Group on Korea from 10 A.M.
At 2 P.M., Minister Kim will attend a talk concert on stories about
North Korea at Ewha Womans University.
On March 26, at 10 A.M., Minister Kim will attend the cabinet meeting.
At 2 P.M., Minister Kim will visit Yeoncheon Elementary School as a
one-day unification teacher.
On March 27, at 7:30 A.M., Minister Kim will attend the 3rd
Wednesday Forum.
At 10 A.M., Minister Kim will sit down for a meeting with
organizations and families of abductees, detainees, and POWs of the
Korean War.
At 11:30 A.M., Minister Kim will deliver a special lecture at a
forum arranged by alumni of the Seoul National University’s Department
of Political Science and International Relations.
On March 28, at 9 A.M., Minister Kim will pay a courtesy visit to
Pastor Lee Jae-hoon of Onnuri Church.
On March 30, at 2 P.M., Minister Kim will see a play with Hanawon
trainees at the Inter-Korean Cultural Integration Center.
2. Q&A
Q) Kim Jong Un inspected the 105th Tank Division yesterday. Kim
specifically mentioned this division when guiding the tankmen’s
training match on March 13. What is the Unification Ministry’s
analysis of the North’s intention behind yesterday’s inspection?
A) The Ministry of Unification will not evaluate the intention of
president Kim Jong Un’s inspection of military units.
Q) North Korean media reported on dissolving the Democratic Front
for the Reunification of Korea. What is the Unification Ministry’s
position regarding this issue?
Furthermore, North Korea continues to dissolve organizations that
have worked with the South after Kim Jong Un defined inter-Korean
relations as hostile and belligerent. If such moves were to continue,
what organizations remain that could be further disbanded?
A) Dissolving the North’s Democratic Front for the Reunification of
Korea appears to be a follow-up measure to efforts in getting rid of
remnants of unification. After the Party Central Committee held late
last year, the North has dismantled organizations with relations to
the South. I will not make predictions about possible future actions
by the North.
Q) There has been a report suggesting that a bill will be proposed
to integrate regional Hana Centers under the operation of the Korea
Hana Foundation. I understand that the North Korean defector society
has conflicting views toward this issue. Will the bill be proposed
after sufficient discussion? What is its current procedural status?
A) The Government continues its efforts to improve the settlement
support system for North Korean defectors. To provide the utmost
support for regional settlement, the Ministry is reviewing ways to
efficiently operate Hana Centers by consulting with related
organizations and collecting the opinions of North Korean defectors.
Q) Last year, on March 25, former Unification Minister Kwon Youngse
mentioned operating a consultative body with Japan to discuss the
issue of abductees. How is this working out?
Also, Minister Kim Yung Ho claimed in an interview with Japanese
media that the Ministry will share information about abductees that is
collected through interviews with North Korean defectors. How are such
discussions going?
A) With regards to the consultative body, the ROK and Japan are
cooperating at the working-level. We will keep you informed on further developments.
Regarding the collection of information through North Korean
defectors, please refer to the interview as the Minister has explained
how this will proceed.
Q) North Korea’s exchange with China, though not as strong as
Russia, continues steadily. How does the Ministry interpret this situation?
A) As North Korea and China have designated this year as the year of
DPRK-China friendship, marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic
relations, various exchanges are expected to take place. However, I
would like to reiterate that all exchanges with North Korea should
assist in building peace on the Korean Peninsula while complying with
the UN Security Council resolutions.
