hankyoreh

Unification Minister Cho Myung-gyon gave a briefing about inter-Korean talks at the main government office in Seoul’s Jongno District on the afternoon of Jan. 2. (Yonhap News)

The South Korean government moved quickly to propose holding high-level talks with North Korean government officials.

During a press briefing at the main government office in Seoul on Jan. 2, Unification Minister Cho Myung-gyon proposed high-level talks with North Korea concerning the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics at Panmunjeom on Jan. 9. “Given the situation and timing, inter-Korean talks would probably involve a discussion of North Korea’s participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Considering that inter-Korean talks have been suspended for a long time and that [Kim Jong-un] also spoke of the need to resume inter-Korean relations during his New Year’s address, we should be able to discuss matters of mutual interest,” Cho said.

“The detailed agenda will need to be deliberated. We hope this will be an opportunity to resume inter-Korean dialogue and restore inter-Korean relations,” Cho continued. “We hope this will be an opportunity to quickly restore the lines of contact at Panmunjeom. Now that we’ve made this proposal, we’ll have to wait for a response from North Korea.”

By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter