Regular Briefing by Spokesperson Cho Joonghoon
Date: Monday,
January 2, 2023
Time: 10:30-10:35 A.M.
1. Regarding North Korea’s 6th plenary meeting of the 8th Party
Central Committee
North Korea held the 6th party plenary meeting for six days from
December 26 to 31 last year, the longest period since President Kim
Jong Un came to power, and reported the results yesterday(1.1).
Overall, North Korea seems to have aimed at idolizing President Kim
and strengthening unity internally, while focusing on escalating
hostility towards South Korea and the United States externally.
In the military aspect, given that the official legalization of the
North’s policy on its nuclear force was introduced as an achievement
and that the development of new ICBMs, mass production of tactical
nuclear weapons, and an exponential increase of its nuclear arsenal
were mentioned, North Korea is expected to raise the level of nuclear
and missile development this year as well.
In terms of inter-Korean relations, President Kim Jong Un
specifically defined South Korea as an “undoubted enemy” and
explicitly mentioned the possibility of preemptive use of nuclear weapons.
It is beyond deplorable that North Korea persists with the
development of weapons of mass destruction while ignoring the plight
of North Korean residents and threatens South Korea with nuclear weapons.
As we begin the new year, we urge North Korea to refrain from
insisting on the wrong direction and to head towards the path of peace
on the Korean Peninsula and co-prosperity.
2. Minister’s Schedule
From 9:00 A.M. today, Unification Minister Kwon Youngse and Vice
Minister Kim Ki Woong attended the 2023 government kick-off meeting.
At 3:00 P.M., the Unification Ministry will hold its new year’s
kick-off meeting.
On January 3, Minister Kwon will present certificates to
personnels for their dedication to unification work for the year 2022.
Out of the 75 people who receive certificates, 10 people will be
invited to attend the ceremony tomorrow.
3. Q&A
Q. Yesterday, the Korea Central TV reported Kim Jong Un and his
daughter visiting a factory with missiles presumed to be Hwasong-12.
How does the Ministry evaluate the recent report on Kim’s daughter?
A. North Korean state media reported on Kim Jong Un and his daughter
inspecting missiles, however, there was no mention about the date and
the location. Thus far, Kim Jong Un’s daughter has been mentioned by
the state media three times. As she appears continuously, the
Government will closely monitor and evaluate related developments.