Date: Monday, February 17, 2019
Time: 10:30-10:35 A.M.
1. Minister's Schedules
Minister Kim Yeon Chul will attend the cabinet meeting tomorrow at
9:30 A.M. Minister Kim will also listen to a parliamentary speech by
Democratic Party floor leader Lee In-young at 11 A.M., and attend the
plenary session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs &
Unification Committee at 2 P.M.
On February 19, Mr. Kim will listen to a parliamentary speech by
Liberty Korea Party floor leader Shim Jae-chul at 10 A.M.
2. Vice Minister's Schedules
Vice Minister Suh Ho will attend the plenary session of the National
Assembly’s Foreign Affairs & Unification Committee.
On February 19, Vice Minister Suh will deliver congratulatory
remarks at a peace forum hosted by Pocheon at 3 P.M.
On February 20, Mr. Suh will attend the vice-ministers’ conference
at 10:30 A.M.
On February 21, the Vice Minister will attend a Consultative Council
of Border Area Mayors and Governors at 11 A.M.
3. Q&A (Extract)
Q. With media reporting on the possibility of a novel coronavirus
outbreak in the North, is the government aware of such situation
and/or does it have any plans to officially ask the North for confirmation?
A. North Korea’s state media has not reported any confirmed cases.
Countries must issue a report to the WHO about confirmed cases, and it
is known that the WHO has been informed by the North’s Ministry of
Public Health that 141 individuals with signs of fever have tested
negative for the virus. We will monitor the situation through reports
by the North’s state media and the WHO.
Q. A North Korean propaganda outlet mentioned the idea of individual
travel of South Korean citizens to the North for the first time
yesterday, while criticizing discussions between Seoul and Washington
regarding this issue. Meanwhile, it seemingly refrained from directly
assessing the proposal itself. What is the Ministry’s understanding?
A. The government maintains a consistent stance on the issue of
individual tours. There is no additional comment to make regarding the
recent report.
