Unification minister calls on North to fulfill inter
发布时间:2024-09-23 14:40:32 作者:玩站小弟 我要评论
Unification Minister Lee In-young waves his hand toward North Korean soldiers observing his visit to
。
Unification Minister Lee In-young waves his hand toward North Korean soldiers observing his visit to the truce village of Panmunjeom, Wednesday. / Joint press corps |
By Kang Seung-woo, Joint press corps
Unification Minister Lee In-young urged North Korea to put inter-Korean agreements into action, Wednesday, and return to negotiations amid a deadlock in bilateral relations.
He also called for an early restoration of consultation channels between the South and North, including a liaison office that was demolished by Pyongyang in June.
Lee's pleas came during his first visit to the truce village of Panmunjeom since his inauguration in July, and days ahead of the second anniversary of a summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, Sept. 19, 2018, during which they signed agreements to reduce military tensions and bolster cooperation.
"Agreement must be kept and they can be completed by implementation," Lee said. "In order to complete the determination of the two leaders and restart the timeline for the South and North, joint efforts between the two Koreas should continue to move things forward."
He added: "I expect the North to respond to our call for the implementation of the joint agreements."
Journalists call for continued efforts for peace between the two Koreas 2020-09-16 16:45 | Foreign Affairs
While asking for the North to return to dialogue, the minister also said the Kim regime has fulfilled the agreements to a certain extent.
"Even though it is regrettable that the North unilaterally blew up the liaison office, Kim's follow-up actions such as suspending military action against the South and scrapping plans to reinstall propaganda loudspeakers and send propaganda leaflets across the border were part of efforts to prevent inter-Korean tensions from further escalating," he said, adding that the country has also somewhat fulfilled its military agreement.
Describing the current situation on the Korean Peninsula as military tension-free, the minister unveiled a plan to resume peace tourism.
"When the coronavirus situation gets better, the government will resume tours to Panmunjeom, while trekking programs around the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) can commence as early as October," he said.
"In addition, I hope that we could offer a small-scale reunion of separated families at Panmunjeom."
The two sides last held reunions of separated families in August 2018 at the Mount Geumgang Resort on the North's east coast.
Since the Hanoi summit between the North and the U.S. ended in failure in February 2019, denuclearization negotiations have made little progress and as a result, inter-Korean ties have remained chilly as well because these were are regarded as a subordinate factor by Pyongyang in its talks with Washington.
The minister once again insisted that the South pursue inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation independently of the deadlocked denuclearization talks, which he believes would help trilateral trust between the South, the North and the U.S.
"If we engage in humanitarian cooperation in the fields of public healthcare, quarantine and climate change, separate from any progress in the North-U.S. talks, all three will be able to build mutual trust," he said.
To this end, he expressed hope that the communication channels, including the inter-Korean liaison office, will be normalized.
"The reopening of communication tools will enable the two Koreas to hold frank dialogue," Lee said.
相关文章
- The Dallas Cowboys and All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb have agreed on a significant 4-year contrac2024-09-23
Peace will offer growing market for foreigners: Moon
President Moon Jae-in speaks at the start of his meeting with foreign businesspeople at Cheong Wa Da2024-09-23- 雅安日报讯日前,在人社部、教育部表彰的一批优秀教师和教育工作者名单中,我市郑天斌、 庹庆明等7名教师和教育工作者榜上有名。今年,人社部、教育部对全国719名教师授予“全国模范教师”荣誉称号,我市天全县2024-09-23
Zidane unsure if injured Hazard's season is over
LONDON:Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane says he is unsure if forward Eden Hazard will play again2024-09-23- 患者制作香囊“这是我们自己做的香囊,有安神助眠、除湿等功效,价格不贵,10元钱一个。”8月14日,雅安市第四人民医院门诊大厅的“爱心义卖”吸引了医院里不少人的目光。售卖香囊的是该院精神康复科的患者,售2024-09-23
8 men accused of faking hearing impairment to dodge draft
South Korea's military recruitment agency has accused eight men of having dodged or attempted to eva2024-09-23
最新评论