Cheong Emphasizes 'Inter-Korean Agreement' While Even Bringing Up Agreements from Kim Il-sung Era

In November 1972, at the Munsu Grand People's Study House in Pyongyang, former Central Intelligence Agency Director Lee Hu-rak and North Korean Deputy Chairman Park Sung-chul (Second Deputy Prime Minister) signed the "Agreement on the Formation and Operation of the Inter-Korean Coordination Committee" during the 2nd Joint Chairmen's Meeting of the Inter-Korean Coordination Committee. / Photo by National Archives

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] The Blue House has expressed its intention to comply with "all agreements between the South and the North," presenting even the joint statement made 48 years ago during the era of Chairman Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un.

Kim Yoo-geun, Secretary General of the Blue House National Security Council (NSC) (First Deputy Director of the National Security Office), briefed the press at the Chuncheon Press Center immediately after the NSC Standing Committee meeting on the 11th, stating, "Our government will continue to comply with all agreements between the South and the North to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula and prevent accidental military clashes." This official position from the Blue House came seven days after Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, mentioned the possibility of "terminating the inter-Korean military agreement" and issued a strongly worded statement criticizing the South.

To explain that the act of distributing leaflets against the North violates inter-Korean agreements, the Blue House presented a total of five inter-Korean agreements. Among these, two were made during Chairman Kim Il-sung’s era. The joint statement from the 2nd meeting of the Joint Chairmen of the Inter-Korean Coordination Committee on November 4, 1972, included the phrase, "We have agreed to stop broadcasting to the South and North and the distribution of leaflets in the other side’s territory." The Inter-Korean Coordination Committee was the first inter-Korean dialogue body. The 2nd meeting was held in Pyongyang between Lee Hu-rak, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency under the Park Chung-hee regime, and Park Sung-chul, Acting Chairman (Second Deputy Premier) from the North.

Additionally, the Supplementary Agreement to Chapter 1 of the Basic Agreement between the South and the North, signed on September 17, 1992, explicitly states, "The South and the North shall not slander or defame each other through the media, leaflets, or other means and methods."

However, as the dialogue bodies were suspended thereafter, these agreements lost their effectiveness. The government’s presentation of these practically obsolete past agreements appears to emphasize that the prohibition of leaflet distribution is a long-standing promise between the South and the North. Furthermore, it added that the current laws, such as the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act?which requires the Minister of Unification’s approval to send goods to North Korea?and the Aviation Safety Act?which prohibits leaflet distribution via drones?could be grounds for legal violations.

Secretary General Kim stated regarding the leaflet and goods distribution activities by some defectors’ groups, which Kim Yo-jong criticized, "We will thoroughly crack down on such activities going forward and respond strictly according to the law in case of violations," signaling a firm stance on the matter.

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