Date: Monday, August 30, 2021
Time: 10:30-10:38 A.M.
1. Minister’s schedule
The Unification Ministry will be holding the 2021 Korea Global Forum
for Peace (KGFP) from August 31 to September 2. The forum, running
under the theme of creating a new vision for inter-Korean relations
and establishing a community for peace, economy and life on the Korean
Peninsula, will be conducted through both online and offline
platforms. Minister Lee In-young will attend the first day of events
and deliver opening remarks.
Also on August 31, Minister Lee will deliver congratulatory video
remarks at a symposium on developing strategies to improve the North’s
healthcare system through inter-Korean and international cooperation.
Symposium participants, including healthcare experts and officials
from international organizations such as WHO and GAVI, will discuss
strategies for expanding accessibility toward and efficient supplying
of medical supplies to fight against Covid-19. Through his remarks,
Minister Lee will emphasize the importance of health and medical
cooperation in forming a community of life in East Asia.
On September 1, Minister Lee will attend an event commemorating 50
years of inter-Korean dialogue and deliver congratulatory remarks. The
event, held by the Unification Ministry, will look back at the
achievements and limitations of the past 50 years and discuss future
directions inter-Korean talks should pursue through a commemorative
ceremony and an academic forum.
2. Q&A
Q. Was the 9 A.M. routine call through the South-North Joint Liaison
Office channel made this morning? It seems as if inter-Korean
communications channels have again become severed. What is the
Unification Ministry’s position regarding this?
A. The North did not respond to daily routine calls through the
joint liaison office today at 9 A.M. North Korea has been irresponsive
to our calls form the afternoon of August 10 without any specific explanation.
Inter-Korean communications channels are the basic foundation for
dialogue and cooperation between the two Koreas. The leaders of the
South and the North have also agreed to first restore communications
lines in efforts to rebuild trust and improve relations.
The Unification Ministry, while not assuming North Korea’s actions,
will make efforts to normalize the communications line function of the
joint liaison office at the earliest possible date.
Q. IAEA published a report suggesting the North having restarted
nuclear reactors at the Yongbyon site from early July. Is the Ministry
aware of such developments? What is the Ministry’s position?
A. The ROK Government is continuously monitoring the North’s nuclear
and missile activities in close cooperation with the United States.
The Government will continue to make efforts to improve inter-Korean
relations, achieve complete denuclearization and settle peace on the
Korean Peninsula. However, we cannot confirm intelligence information,
such as those concerning operation of the North’s nuclear facilities.
Q. North Korea‘s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that it
will stock up on the strongest deterrence, while criticizing ROK-U.S.
joint military drills. What is the Ministry’s position on this?
A. North Korea has continued to express its opposition to the
ROK-U.S. joint drills and warned of response measures on a number of
occasions, starting with Vice Department Director Kim Yo Jong’s
statement on August 1. The most recent position posted on the North’s
Foreign Affairs Ministry website reiterates the stance presented in
Vice Department Director Kim’s previous statement.
The
Unification Ministry has consistently tried to peacefully manage the
situation on the Korean Peninsula in a flexible and wise manner, while
adhering to the position that military tensions should not be created
under any circumstance. The Ministry will not step ahead to predict
the North’s response, but rather closely prepare for all
possibilities. We will do so while trying to restore trust and improve
relations as soon as possible, as the two leaders have agreed.
Q. Is there any progress in the gas pipeline project between the two
Koreas and Russia?
A. There are currently no specific developments to the gas pipeline
project. However, South Korean and Russia are conducting consultations
on related matters, including in the form of joint research.
