Minister of Foreign Affairs nominee says “stiffer sanctions” needed on North Korea

Posted on : 2017-05-26 16:04 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Kang Kyung-wha also pledging to keep humanitarian aid as a separate issue, and to meet with former comfort women
Minister of Foreign Affairs nominee Kang Kyung-wha answers reporters’ questions as she enters the temporary office near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex in Seoul’s Doryeom neighborhood to prepare for her hearing
Minister of Foreign Affairs nominee Kang Kyung-wha answers reporters’ questions as she enters the temporary office near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex in Seoul’s Doryeom neighborhood to prepare for her hearing

Minister of Foreign Affairs nominee Kang Kyung-wha said on May 25 that further provocations from North Korea would “require stiffer sanctions,” but added that humanitarian aid “should be addressed separately from political considerations.”

Kang also said she would meet with former comfort women if she takes office.

Speaking at Incheon International Airport early that morning after returning from New York, Kang responded to questions on whether she had changed in her beliefs on the need to restore dialogue channels with Pyongyang and provide unconditional humanitarian aid to the North.

“Humanitarian aid is a universal human value that we must undertake when people are suffering, and it should be addressed separately from political considerations,” she said.

“That is the UN’s principle,” she added.

Kang was also asked whether additional sanctions would be needed against North Korea after its two missile launches since the Moon Jae-in administration took office.

“I think that if there are further provocations, it will require stiffer sanctions,” she said, adding that she would “be able to give a more specific answer to that after hearing the operational report.”

Responding to criticisms about her lack of diplomatic experience with North Korea, Kang noted that she had had an opportunity to learn while serving as an interpreter for former President Kim Dae-jung (1998-2003).

“North Korea issues have been addressed numerous times at the UN, not simply as Korean Peninsula issues but as issues for the international community,” she added.

Kang, who reported for the first time that afternoon to a temporary office near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex in Seoul’s Doryeom neighborhood to prepare for her hearing, was also questioned on her plans for meeting with comfort women survivors.

“I definitely want to go when I have the opportunity,” she answered.

“I actually planned to go visit when I came to Seoul on holiday last time, but when I reached out, I was told the place was closed that day because someone was unwell, so I couldn’t visit,” she explained.

Kang’s close involvement in international human rights issues as a deputy high commissioner for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) since 2006 and deputy emergency relief coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) since 2013 has many watching to see how she approaches the comfort women issue. The Japanese government in particular has reportedly been watching closely since her nomination.

By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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