Amid Controversy Over 'Suppression' of Pro-North Groups... Government to "Expand Scope of Office Inspections"

Ministry of Unification "Accounting Corruption Naturally Included"
"Appropriate Measures Will Be Taken Against Discovered Corruption"

On the afternoon of June 26, when the police conducted a search and seizure of the office of the defector group 'Free North Korea Movement Alliance' led by Park Sang-hak and his younger brother Park Jung-oh, known as 'Keunsam,' in Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the police entered the office of Park Sang-hak's 'Free North Korea Movement Alliance.'

The Ministry of Unification is expanding the scope of office inspections on pro-North Korea organizations. Earlier, as North Korea protested against the distribution of leaflets by these organizations, causing controversy, the Ministry conducted office inspections on 25 registered corporations and checked registration requirements for 64 non-profit private organizations.

On the 12th, at a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Office, Yeosang-gi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, was asked about "the progress of the ongoing office inspections on the 25 registered corporations in the first phase." He said, "The office inspections on the 25 corporations started this week, and the scope of the inspections will gradually be expanded."

He added, "Next week, the scope will be expanded to the social and cultural sectors."

The Ministry of Unification plans to send official letters next week to social and cultural exchange cooperation organizations regarding future inspection schedules and other matters.

The Ministry plans to sequentially carry out office inspections on corporations and registration requirement checks on organizations in five phases by sector.

Through these inspections and checks, the Ministry intends to examine whether the corporations and organizations are properly carrying out the purpose projects specified in their articles of incorporation.

When asked whether accounting is included in the inspection items, spokesperson Ye said, "If there is any accounting fraud, it will naturally be included," adding, "It is a bit early to say what measures will be taken assuming fraud is detected, but appropriate actions will be taken against any discovered fraud."

As the Ministry of Unification expresses its determination to proceed with the office inspections despite criticism from domestic and international quarters, it is expected that related private organizations will strongly oppose the move.

Representatives of about 30 North Korean human rights and defector organizations formed a joint countermeasure committee the day before to respond to the Ministry’s office inspections. Park Sun-young, chairperson of the nonprofit organization Mulmangcho, and Kang Cheol-hwan, director of the North Korea Strategy Center, serve as co-chairs.

When asked about the government’s stance on the formation of the joint countermeasure committee, spokesperson Ye only replied, "I understand that some individuals and organizations included in the joint countermeasure committee are unrelated to the current office inspections."

International human rights organizations are also expressing concerns to the Ministry of Unification. Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement on the 1st titled "South Korea: Stop Threats Against Human Rights Groups," urging the Ministry to halt the office inspections targeting pro-North Korea organizations.

HRW stated, "The South Korean government must stop regulatory threats targeting specific civil society groups," and argued, "Controversies over leaflets should not obstruct the need to support and protect diverse civil societies pressuring North Korean authorities to respect human rights."

Meanwhile, regarding the government’s plan to provide flood relief to North Korea, it stated, "Since the extent of North Korea’s damage is still unknown, the government has clarified the principle that humanitarian issues will be pursued regardless of political or military matters," adding, "No decision has been made to provide flood relief."

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