Lee In-young: "Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Can Reduce 'Unification Costs'"

Minister of Unification Lee In-young is delivering a congratulatory speech at the "Symposium on Inter-Korean Cooperation Measures for Carbon Neutrality on the Korean Peninsula" held on the 8th at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Minister of Unification Lee In-young emphasized the importance of inter-Korean economic cooperation, stating that "inter-Korean economic cooperation can reduce the 'unification costs' through the joint growth of the South and North."

At the '8th Unification Finance Conference' held on the 14th at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul, Minister Lee delivered a video congratulatory message, saying, "Inter-Korean economic cooperation will become an irreversible stepping stone and material foundation for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula through a virtuous cycle of peace and economy."

Minister Lee stressed that through economic cooperation, members of both Koreas can experience the benefits of inter-Korean integration, and that joint growth between the South and North can reduce unification costs. He added, "We will present a reasonable alternative to our citizens who are worried about the enormous unification costs."

He acknowledged that "since dialogue and cooperation among South Korea, North Korea, and the United States have not progressed for a long time, it is difficult to fully activate economic cooperation as we hope immediately," but emphasized, "What is clear is that the 'time for economic cooperation' will definitely accompany the path to peace and shared prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, and we must strategically prepare and pre-design that time."

He also mentioned the need to resume South-North-US dialogue in the second half of the year. Minister Lee raised his voice, saying, "The conditions for hope still remain for us," and "We must cross the final threshold of dialogue in the second half of this year and create new changes."

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