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.”
