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.