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Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon speaks during the Unification Future Forum in Samcheong-dong

“If sanctions lead to a change in the North Korean nuclear program, our first priority will be tackling the issue of reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex,” South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said on Aug. 25. While Cho said this was contingent on progress on the North Korean nuclear and missile issues, the statement reconfirms the new administration’s strong commitment to reopening the Kaesong Complex.

Cho made the remarks during a forum about the new administration’s plans for North Korean policy that was held at the University of North Korean Studies in the Samcheong neighborhood of Seoul by the Unification Future Forum under Chairman Ryoo Kihl-jae on the morning of Aug. 25. “I find myself thinking that there may be no better way to change North Korea than the Kaesong Industrial Complex,” the minister said.

During a meeting with a delegation of lawmakers from the US Senate and House of Representatives at the Blue House on Aug. 21, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that “the Kaesong Industrial Complex and tourism to Mt. Kumgang used to play the role of spreading capitalism in North Korea.” And during a discussion of key policies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Unification Ministry on Aug. 23, Moon called on the two ministries to play a leading role in bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula.

During the forum, Cho said it was “heartbreaking” that the Kaesong Complex had been shut down and said that reopening the complex should be a priority in restoring inter-Korean relations. Even if there are changes in the international community’s sanctions on North Korea, Cho acknowledged, the complex could probably not be fully reopened right away. “Even so,” he said, “I think we could start working on this by having people go up [to Kaesong] to look after their equipment and assets, as the businesspeople have been saying.” He added that reopening the Kaesong Complex “isn’t feasible in the present circumstances.”

Cho also stipulated some preconditions for reopening the Kaesong Complex during an interview with YTN, a South Korean news broadcaster, on Aug. 25. North Korea “would have to stop its provocations – its missile test launches and nuclear tests -- and the situation would need to shift into negotiations aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear issue,” he said.

By Jung In-hwan, staff reporter

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