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Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul talks with reporters at the Central Government Complex in Seoul on May 7. (Yonhap News)

South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said on May 7 that “setting up a joint response system for infectious diseases is the most important issue” in inter-Korean relations at the present moment.

Kim made the remarks in a meeting with reporters at the Central Government Complex in Seoul on Thursday. “The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting not only our routines but also inter-Korean relations and Korean Peninsula affairs in so many ways that there’s a distinct divide between the pre-coronavirus and post-coronavirus worlds,” Kim told the gathered reporters.

“As the president has emphasized, the greatest question confronting inter-Korean relations today is how to bring about a ‘Korean Peninsula of life.’ Dealing with non-traditional security threats such as periodic outbreaks of new infectious diseases and various natural disasters is a major challenge for the Ministry of Unification,” Kim said.

“Korea’s approach to disease control is characterized by the principles of solidarity and cooperation, and we seek to also apply those principles to inter-Korean relations. We’re attempting to make the concept of cooperation on public health and medical care more sustainable, comprehensive, and cooperative.”

In regard to cooperation in the border area between South and North Korea, Kim said that “it’s important to have a unified management system” for responding to forest fires and infectious diseases. “Another important goal is turning the DMZ into an international zone of peace. I think we can start allowing small numbers of civilians to take tours of Panmunjom on a trial basis in June,” Kim said. The security tours at Panmunjom were suspended in October 2019.

Because of the COVID-19 crisis, Kim said, Seoul will have to delay plans for person-to-person exchange and cooperation with North Korea. “Since individual tourism involves contact [between people], we’ll have to keep an eye on the status of North Korea’s battle against the disease, and we’ll also have to think carefully about the feasibility of in-person contact [between South and North Korea] in the ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the June 15 Inter-Korean Joint Declaration.

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

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