Talks on cross

By Yi Whan-woo

Civic exchanges are expected to resume across the border following improved inter-Korean relations after the historic summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Activist groups in Seoul said Tuesday they seek to resume cooperation with North Koreans mainly on culture and sports, which are not in violation of the U.N. Security Council's economic sanctions against North Korea.

A mass cultural festival is being discussed to mark the anniversary of the Joint Declaration announced during the first inter-Korean summit on June 15, 2000. The last joint event to celebrate the declaration took place on Mount Geumgang in the North in 2008.

Talks are also underway about another joint celebration of Korea's liberation from Japanese occupation on Aug. 15, 1945. The last event was held in Seoul in 2005.

"We'll meet our North Korean counterparts sometime this month and discuss how the two sides can successfully commemorate the June 15 Joint Declaration and Liberation Day," said an official of the South Korean Committee for Implementation of the June 15 Joint Declaration.

An official at the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation also said the council has been contacting its relevant partners in Pyongyang to resume civic exchanges in a constructive manner.

The council said its head, Kim Hong-gul, the youngest son of late President Kim Dae-jung who held the first inter-Korean summit in 2000, plans to visit Pyongyang soon and that it has been consulting its counterparts accordingly.

An official from Korea NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea said it would be important to work on principles to resume suspended projects with the North. "We've conveyed our message to our partners in Pyongyang accordingly," the official said.

At the government level, a reunion of families separated during the 1950-53 Korean War is being considered for Aug. 15, 1945. The reunion was last held in 2015.

While the Seoul Metropolitan Government has sought to resume the Seoul-Pyongyang football matches that were held from 1929 to 1946, Kim Jong-un, a huge basketball fan, proposed basketball games during his talks with Moon, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

He talked about the basketball match earlier as well in April when Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Do Jong-hwan cited a need for sports exchanges between the two Koreas during his visit to Pyongyang for a South Korean art troupe's performance.

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