South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young expressed commitment to finding ways to restart interactions with North Korea, emphasizing Seoul’s strategy to engage with the regime for peace. During a meeting of the South-North Korea Exchanges and Cooperation Support Association, Chung outlined plans for mutually beneficial projects to revive inter-Korean exchanges. The association, led by the minister, serves as a consultative group involving officials from various ministries and the private sector.
Chung highlighted the importance of fostering exchanges between the two Koreas as a key step towards peace, signaling readiness to reduce hostility and reopen transportation links with the North. Discussions at the meeting centered on nine programs related to North Korea, funded by the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two nations. Initiatives included collaborative efforts such as developing a joint Korean dictionary and conducting a joint survey of a historical palace site in North Korea.
In his New Year’s message, Chung urged North Korea to engage in dialogue, expressing South Korea’s willingness to discuss any agenda to ease tensions. Emphasizing the need to end inter-Korean hostilities, he affirmed the government’s support for private sector exchanges and cooperation in various sectors like public health and humanitarian issues. Chung reiterated Seoul’s openness to dialogue with North Korea on any topic and at any location to alleviate tensions and emphasized a stance against unification through absorption.
