Lee In-young: "I may not be the best, but I am confident as the 'second-best Minister of Unification'"

First Day as Minister of Unification
"Bold Changes Through Strategic Moves"

Lee In-young, the newly appointed Minister of Unification, is answering questions from reporters as he arrives at the Government Seoul Office Building on the afternoon of the 27th.

On the afternoon of the 27th, Lee In-young officially began his duties as Minister of Unification. On his way to work, he told reporters, "I am not confident that I will do better than any previous Minister of Unification, but I am confident that I will do the second best."

Minister Lee started his work at 2 p.m. that day, immediately after President Moon Jae-in approved his appointment, by arriving at the Government Seoul Office.

Although no inauguration ceremony was held, he sent a text message to the staff saying, "Let’s create bold changes through strategic moves and let the Ministry of Unification be at the center of the time between South and North Korea," as a greeting for his inauguration.

He explained, "The (inter-Korean) situation is sensitive and urgent, so I think holding a formal inauguration ceremony is somewhat cumbersome. It’s not really my style," and said he plans to immediately start working on current issues.

When asked about his first impressions on his first day as Minister of Unification, he reiterated, "We need to create bold changes. To do that, while it is important to respond flexibly, strategic actions are necessary."

Regarding the most urgent tasks after his inauguration, he reaffirmed his existing plans, saying, "We will restore dialogue between South and North Korea, immediately implement humanitarian cooperation, and through that process build trust to enter the phase of fulfilling the promises made between South and North."

He also emphasized communication with the staff. He said, "First, today I will listen to the opinions of the Ministry of Unification’s division and bureau chiefs, visit each department personally to greet them and receive reports," adding, "I will accept good suggestions and work together to correct areas that need improvement."

Since being nominated as Minister of Unification, he has consistently emphasized 'creative solutions' for restoring inter-Korean relations. Minister Lee mentioned inter-Korean exchange and cooperation methods such as trading North Korea’s Geumgangsan and Baekdusan water and Daedonggang liquor for South Korea’s rice or medicines in kind.

He also expressed his intention to promote individual tourism to Geumgangsan, hold separated family reunions before Chuseok, and expressed hope that the joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises scheduled for August would be postponed.

The confirmation hearing for Minister Lee was held on the 23rd. The following day, the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly adopted the report without the participation of opposition United Future Party members, and at 11:45 a.m. that day, President Moon approved the appointment of the Minister of Unification.

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