Lee In-young: "If North Korea Raises Tensions Through Military Drills, It Will Be Difficult to Create a Negotiation Atmosphere"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Minister of Unification Lee In-young emphasized that if the North creates tension in response to the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, it will be difficult to create a negotiation phase. He also requested that North Korea understand the efforts to make the joint exercises more flexible and minimized, even though they are proceeding as scheduled.

In an interview with the online media Tongil News on the morning of the 9th, Minister Lee said, "This is almost the first case where there is no live-fire training in the form of joint military exercises," adding, "The efforts to make the exercises more flexible and minimized were a process converging with our own wisdom and will to prevent obstacles to peace on the Korean Peninsula." He also urged, "I hope there will be a process of understanding and responding to our efforts with a more open mind."

However, he issued a strong warning regarding North Korea's military provocations. Minister Lee stated, "If the North shows more patience and wisely responds to the military exercises in a peaceful manner, it can wisely move toward the path of peace and cooperation," but added, "On the other hand, if tensions arise due to these military exercises, it could lead to the U.S. strategically turning a blind eye or adopting a hardline stance."

Regarding reports that his call for exempting sanctions on humanitarian cooperation faced opposition from U.S. and European Union (EU) officials, Minister Lee rebutted, saying, "There is considerable sympathy for the awareness that sanction procedures related to humanitarian cooperation should be exempted or significantly improved," and insisted, "Under no circumstances should humanitarian cooperation be blocked by the wall of sanctions." On the issue of North Korean human rights, he said, "More humanitarian cooperation could lead to more substantial improvements in human rights in North Korean society," adding, "Although it has not yet been verified and I cannot speak lightly, there are partial testimonies that cooperation between us and the international community has helped improve the human rights of vulnerable groups in North Korea."

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