Expansion of Special Envoy Theory for North Korea in Politics... Ahn Cheol-soo "I am Willing to Go Too"

Seolhun "Reviewing All Possible Cards"
Park Jiwon "Let's Return to the Spirit of June 15"
Yoon Sanghyun "Conservative Opposition Figures as Special Pardons"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The political sphere is witnessing the rise of the 'Special Envoy to North Korea' theory. There is a consensus across parties and factions that to break through the deadlocked inter-Korean relations, the thread of dialogue must not be severed. In particular, the opposition is voicing more proactive calls for the dispatch of a special envoy to North Korea.

Seol Hoon, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed the dispatch of a special envoy to North Korea at the Supreme Council meeting on the 15th, stating, "Peace and common prosperity can only be preserved and nurtured through dialogue." Seol emphasized, "The government must take a more active role in implementing the agreements between the South and North Korean leaders," adding, "We must consider all possible cards, including sending a special envoy to North Korea, to prevent the crisis from escalating."

Park Jie-won, a former Minsheng Party lawmaker who was dispatched as a special envoy to North Korea during the Kim Dae-jung administration, said at the '20th Anniversary Ceremony and Academic Conference of the June 15 Inter-Korean Summit' held at the Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, "Although there are difficulties due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), we should send a special envoy to North Korea wearing protective suits to hold talks and return to the spirit of June 15." Park also recalled on Facebook the previous day his meetings with Song Ho-kyung, the South Korean special envoy, in Singapore in 2000, saying, "The June 15 Joint Declaration was achieved through four secret contacts between the envoys."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, volunteered himself as a special envoy to North Korea. At the Supreme Council meeting that day, Ahn said, "Given North Korea’s current attitude, it won’t be easy, but we must mobilize all diplomatic and North Korea-related channels to push for the dispatch of a special envoy to Pyongyang," adding, "If the government deems it necessary and requests, I am willing to go as a member of the special envoy team."

The conservative opposition also raised the special envoy theory. Yoon Sang-hyun, an independent lawmaker who served as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee under the Future United Party in the 20th National Assembly, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office that afternoon, stating, "Let us dispatch a conservative opposition figure well-versed in North Korean issues as a special envoy to North Korea." Yoon emphasized that sending a conservative opposition figure as a special envoy could ease factional conflicts in our society over North Korea policy, establish a foundation for consistent North Korea policy implementation, and serve as a driving force for successful negotiations.

The special envoy to North Korea has played a crucial role at critical junctures in inter-Korean relations since 1972, when Central Intelligence Agency Director Lee Hu-rak visited North Korea. In March 2000, then-Minister of Culture Park Jie-won was dispatched as a special envoy, and in May of the same year, National Intelligence Service Director Lim Dong-won visited Pyongyang to coordinate the inter-Korean summit. During the Roh Moo-hyun administration, then-Minister of Unification Jeong Dong-young was sent as a special envoy in June 2005, and National Intelligence Service Director Kim Man-bok visited North Korea in August 2007 for the second inter-Korean summit. The Moon Jae-in administration dispatched a special envoy team led by National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong, including National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon and eight others, in March 2018. The special envoy team, including Chung Eui-yong and Suh Hoon, also visited North Korea in September 2018.

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