Unification minister says Kim Jong-un’s Seoul visit and end-of-war declaration are “possible and necessary”

Posted on : 2018-11-17 18:02 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Cho Myoung-gyon addresses both issues at Q&A session at Korea Global Forum in Washington
South Korean Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon delivers a keynote speech at the 2018 Korea Global Forum at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington
South Korean Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon delivers a keynote speech at the 2018 Korea Global Forum at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington

South Korean Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon said a Seoul visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a declaration ending the Korean War are both “possible and necessary” within the year.

During a Q&A session following his keynote speech at the 2018 Korea Global Forum on Nov. 15 at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, Cho noted that a return visit by Kim within 2018 was included in his agreement with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in September.

“That agreement is still valid, and [its implementation] is feasible,” Cho said.

He went on stress that it would not be too difficult to prepare for a visit by Kim within the year.

“With the second [inter-Korean] summit at Panmunjom in May, the preparation period was less than one day,” he noted.

Cho also said it would be “important to hold an inter-Korean summit [in Seoul] within the year to encourage North Korea’s denuclearization” – suggesting a summit could serve as a catalyst for the success of a second North Korea-US summit early next year.

In a talk with South Korean correspondents, Cho said, “If we can see high-level North Korea-US talks happening quickly and a Seoul visit by Chairman Kim within the year as agreed upon, that would be an important occasion in terms of tying the situation to a second North Korea-US summit early next year.”

Cho also said an end-of-war declaration within the year would be “both possible and necessary.” During the forum Q&A session, he explained, “An end-of-war declaration from Chairman Kim’s standpoint would be very meaningful in terms of establishing a rationale in denuclearization negotiations with the US and South Korea.”

“Since an end-of-war declaration is a political declaration, I think there are several ways in which it could be signed,” he added. The approach apparently under consideration would be one in which a declaration is signed at minister-level talks by South and North Korea, the US, and China and then approved later by the respective heads of state.

S. Korean government currently has no plans to resume Kaesong Industrial Complex

Cho also said that sanctions “will be kept in place until there is definite progress in denuclearization,” adding that “full-scale economic cooperation between South and North would be possible after progress in denuclearization.”

“If we’re talking about the Kaesong Industrial Complex, people are asking whether we’re resuming operations there, but we’re not at all saying that we plan to reopen the Kaesong Complex at the moment,” he said.

The forum was hosted by the Ministry of Unification and jointly organized by the Kyungnam University Institute for Far Eastern Studies, the University of North Korean Studies, and the Wilson Center. Former Minister of Unification and current Kyungnam University president Park Jae-gyu explained, “The US and North Korea made pledges at the Singapore summit for North Korea’s complete denuclearization and guarantees on the North Korean regime’s security.”

“At the future US-North Korea summit, we need to see a turning point in terms of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and establishing a peace regime,” he said.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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

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