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Kwon Young-se responds to questions from lawmakers during his confirmation hearing to become unification minister on May 12. (pool photo)

The nominee to become South Korea’s next unification minister stated that South Korea’s North Korea policy “is like a relay race,” and that “it’s undesirable for a new administration to create its own brand and differentiate itself from its predecessor.”

The remarks from Kwon Young-se came during his Thursday confirmation hearing at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, where he also added that “a policy of ‘anything but Moon Jae-in’ is not only not beneficial to [South Korea’s] North Korea policy but can also cause confusion within North Korea.”

“The strengths of the previous administration should be accepted while its weaknesses should be made up for,” Kwon explained.

Regarding the declarations signed between the two Koreas as well as between North Korea and the US, including the Panmunjom Declaration made on April 27, 2018, and the Singapore Declaration of June 2018, Kwon said he “evaluated them positively,” adding that “the new administration will preserve their broad framework.”

Still, he stated that he “believes some parts [of the declarations] are difficult to implement, as sanctions against North Korea make their implementation practically impossible, and some parts cannot possibly be accepted based on the spirit of North Korean sanctions, the current status of inter-Korean relations, and public opinion in South Korea.”

On what will form the basis of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s North Korea policy, Kwon said that it would not be based on a “cause-and-effect relationship whereby denuclearization needs to precede bold support for North Korea.” Revealing that even Yoon said that denuclearization and support for North Korea “should mesh together like cogwheels,” Kwon conceded that “right now is the time for sanctions.”

He continued, “There are two ways to lead North Korea towards dialogue concerning denuclearization — sanctions and economic cooperation — but because the two contradict each other, they cannot be used at the same time.”

“Sanctions aren’t all-powerful, and after leading [North Korea] toward dialogue for the purpose of denuclearization, we will thoroughly discuss regime stability and economic aid,” Kwon said.

On the possibility of an inter-Korean summit, Kwon said, “In a system like North Korea, a top-down method has absolute meaning.” Regarding Yoon’s comment that inter-Korean summits should lead to outcomes, Kwon explained that Yoon was referring to “the principle that a meeting that contributes to reunification is necessary.”

When People Power Party lawmaker Lee Tae-kyu asked whether Kwon planned to sound out the possibility of him visiting Pyongyang as Yoon’s presidential envoy to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with North Korean authorities after taking office as unification minister, Kwon answered that he would “keep an open mind about it by taking into consideration inter-Korean relations and consulting the foreign policy and security team.”

Citing Germany’s case as an example, Kwon stressed that “we should neither aspire to nor anticipate reunification by absorption.” On the issue of human rights in North Korea, he said, “While they should be emphasized, human rights should not be used as a strategy,” adding, “[The issue] should be used to actually improve the quality of life of the North Korean people, not as a means to embarrass the North Korean leadership and upset North Korea.”

Relatedly, when asked whether Kwon would do well as unification minister with Kim Tae-hyo — a hard-liner on North Korea who wrote in a publication a few years ago that the North Korean administration should be agitated — as first deputy director of the National Security Office, Kwon answered that he will “do a good job supervising Kim [Tae-hyo].”

When asked about Yoon’s mention of a preemptive strike against North Korea during the presidential election, Kwon said that “the mindset and statements made when one has actual responsibility tends to diverge from statements made on the campaign trail.”

“A preemptive strike is just another option with many constraints,” he added.

Additionally, Kwon revealed that he was “an active proponent of the Kaesong Industrial Complex even while being an opposition party member.” He stated that after the complex was shut down in 2016, South Korean companies with operations there received inadequate compensation.

“I plan to look into the matter further after taking office,” he said.

By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter

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