hankyoreh

South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul gives a New Year’s address at the Central Government Complex in Seoul on Jan. 2.

“Given North Korea’s strategic plan for 2020, the situation of inter-Korean relations doesn’t look promising for the time being,” South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said on Jan. 2.

“Considering that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the June 15 Inter-Korean Joint Statement, we can’t let this year go by in deadlock. We need a new mindset, one that’s bold and innovative,” Kim said during the Unification Ministry’s kick-off meeting for the new year on Thursday afternoon. The meeting was held at the annex of the Central Government Complex in Seoul.

“We need to create more room to maneuver by restoring trust in inter-Korean relations. That’s the only way we can prepare for the denuclearization negotiations, along with a lasting peace regime and a future of mutual prosperity between South and North Korea,” the unification minister said.

Kim’s ideas for restoring inter-Korean trust include cooperating at the DMZ and along the border area, working together on tourism and railroad and highway connections linking South and North Korea with the Asian continent and with the major oceans, energizing exchange and cooperation between local governments and the private sector, and launching trilateral cooperation projects that link South and North Korea to China and Russia.

“Last year alone, more than 3,000 members of families divided by the Korean War passed away, without having a chance to ease the pain of separation. It’s urgent that we deal with the issue of the divided families,” Kim said.

“2020 is the 20th year since divided Korean families had their first face-to-face reunions. We need to redouble our efforts so that we can achieve a fundamental solution to the divided family issue this year, as the leaders of South and North Korea agreed in 2018,” he added.

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

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