South and North Korea hold the inter-Korean talks on healthcare cooperation
 
The inter-Korean talks on healthcare cooperation were held at the inter-Korean joint liaison office in Gaeseong on November 7. The South’s representatives included Vice Health and Welfare Minister Kwon Deok-cheol, Director General for Humanitarian Cooperation of the Ministry of Unification Kim Byung-dae, and Director General for Healthcare Policy of the Health and Welfare Ministry Kwon Joon-wook.
Before departing for Gaeseong, Vice Minister Kwon, the chief delegate, said at the Office of Inter-Korean Dialogue in Jongno-gu, Seoul, “In the September Pyeongyang Joint Declaration, the leaders of South and North Korea agreed to discuss healthcare cooperation to prevent the influx and spread of infectious diseases, and this is the first meeting to that end….This meeting calls for close cooperation between the two sides in preparation for further expansion in inter-Korean exchange.”
He also said, “A meeting on cooperation in health care was held in 2007, and it is very meaningful to see such cooperation proceed 11 years later….We will hold the meeting with the North in good faith to ensure that it is a success and brief the people on the outcome.”