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Press

Press Briefings

본문영역

Regular Briefing by Spokesperson Lee Sang Min

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고민석
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2019-10-14
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13077

Date: Monday, October 14, 2019
Time: 10:30-10:40 A.M.

1. Minister's Schedules

Minister Kim Yeon Chul will attend the cabinet meeting tomorrow(10.15) at 8:30 A.M.

On Thursday(10.17), Minister Kim will attend the National Assembly's inspection of state administration of the Unification Ministry.

On Sunday(10.20), Minister Kim will attend a field day event attended by residents from Northern Korean Provinces at 10 A.M.

2. Vice Minister's Schedule

Vice Minister Suh Ho will attend the National Assembly's inspection of state administration of the Unification Ministry on Thursday(10.17).

3. Q&A (Partial)

Q. Will a live broadcast of the South-North World Cup qualifier be possible? It is being said that an agent is negotiating this issue in North Korea. Has the government asked for the North’s cooperation regarding this either today or over the weekend?

A. We are aware that continuous efforts are being made through an agent, as you have mentioned. However, we have not received any new or additional response from the North regarding a live broadcast.

Q. The North’s football association has mentioned that authorizing visits by media-related personnel is not under their jurisdiction. Then one naturally comes to think that the Unification Ministry should have made more official requests to the North. Have you tried contacting the North via any channel other than the joint liaison office in Gaeseong?

A. As we have explained before, the Ministry, together with the Korea Football Association, has tried to sound the North out on its intentions through various channels. However, the North remained irresponsive, which is disappointing.

Q. With recent series of events including the North’s refusal to accept food aid, cooperate in preventing the spread of African swine fever, or respond to requests regarding the Pyongyang qualifier, worries are mounting over whether inter-Korean cooperation is at a complete halt. What is the Government’s view on this?

A. The Government’s position is not any different from its previous stance. It is true that inter-Korean relations continued to thaw since the second U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi. However both the South and the North continue to express its willingness to pursue and implement agreements made between the two leaders in the Panmunjeom Declaration and the Pyongyang Joint Declaration.

There may be disagreements between the two sides. But with the shared will to follow-up on agreements as the foundation, we will closely look into the situation, take necessary action or make necessary preparations.