Government Initiates Forestry Cooperation Following Amendment of Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act

Kim Yeon-cheol "Time to Cooperate with North Korea in Forestry Sector"

The Inter-Korean Forest Cooperation Center, which will serve as an advanced base for inter-Korean forest cooperation, opened on the 3rd in the Tanhyeon-myeon area of Paju-si, Gyeonggi Province.
The center, completed in an area adjacent to North Korea, consists of a smart nursery covering 4,020㎡ on a 17.4-hectare site and a three-story management building.
The photo shows Minister of Unification Kim Yeon-cheol (fourth from the left) and officials planting commemorative trees at the completion ceremony.

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-cheol recently visited the joint utilization site of the Han River estuary between South and North Korea and attended the completion ceremony of the South-North Forestry Cooperation Center, demonstrating his commitment to advancing inter-Korean cooperation projects. Despite North Korea's blatant silence, the government is significantly expanding independent points of contact for inter-Korean cooperation, including pushing for amendments to the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act.

At the completion ceremony of the South-North Forestry Cooperation Center in Paju on the 3rd, Minister Kim said in his congratulatory speech, "Today, our country has become a leader in international cooperation in the forestry sector," adding, "Now is the time to cooperate with North Korea, which is closest to us."

Minister Kim stated, "We must respond together, South and North, to natural disasters and climate change that threaten life," emphasizing, "Forestry cooperation is the key." He stressed, "Once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, South and North should resume the implementation of existing agreements and expand the scope of cooperation."

Forestry cooperation is both an agreed matter between South and North Korea and an area of deep interest for North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un. It is evaluated as a card that can elicit North Korea's response. In 2018, when dialogue resumed, the United Nations (UN) Security Council's sanctions on North Korea did not hinder the selection of forestry restoration in North Korea as a representative cooperation project. At the South-North Forestry Cooperation Subcommittee meeting held the same year, both sides agreed to gradually promote activities for forest creation and protection.

In July 2018, during an inspection of the construction site in Samjiyon County, Yanggang Province, Chairman Kim instructed officials, "Keep in mind that not a single tree or blade of grass can be treated carelessly as this is a revolutionary sacred site, and the ecological environment of the Baekdu Mountain area must be preserved as it is," directing an 'eco-friendly construction project.'

However, while the South continues to express a willingness for cooperation, North Korea maintains a cold response. On the 2nd, North Korea's propaganda media Meori criticized the South, saying, "South Korea is ignoring fundamental and principled issues for the implementation of inter-Korean declarations, blindly following the United States and destroying the atmosphere of national reconciliation and cooperation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.