Ministry of Unification Next Year's Work Report... "Continued Promotion of the Korean Peninsula Peace Process"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Ministry of Unification announced on the 23rd that it will lay the groundwork for restarting and continuously promoting the Korean Peninsula peace process through next year's work report, and will activate exchange and cooperation projects in various fields, including the groundbreaking ceremony for the Donghae Bukbu Line railway.

Choi Young-jun, Vice Minister of Unification, held a joint briefing on the 2022 government work report on the morning of the same day at the Inter-Korean Summit Headquarters in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, stating, "As the Korean Peninsula stands at a critical juncture between peace and long-term deadlock, we will do our utmost to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula."

Vice Minister Choi said, "Despite the prolonged deadlock, North Korea's nuclear moratorium has been maintained since 2018, and inter-Korean agreements have generally been well observed, which is a positive evaluation," and emphasized, "Meaningful dialogue is absolutely necessary at this important time to resume inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation."

Based on this assessment of the situation, Vice Minister Choi said that the Ministry is promoting a Korean Peninsula end-of-war declaration as an entry point to peace and a catalyst for denuclearization negotiations, stating, "The end-of-war declaration can be a good starting point to restart the currently stalled inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S. dialogues by allowing South Korea, North Korea, and the U.S. to put down hostile confrontations and build trust without sudden changes in the situation."

In the work report on the same day, the Ministry of Unification presented the directions for next year's work as ▲ consistently striving to restore inter-Korean relations ▲ solidly laying the foundation for peace while promoting the restart of the Korean Peninsula peace process ▲ building a sustainable foundation for peace and unification.

Specifically, the Ministry plans to focus on the prompt resumption of inter-Korean dialogue by establishing a safe meeting system for the COVID-19 era, such as inter-Korean video talks, and prioritizing humanitarian issues such as separated families, healthcare, and livelihood cooperation.

Additionally, to restart the Korean Peninsula peace process, the Ministry aims to promote denuclearization through the end-of-war declaration and pursue the development of inter-Korean relations, and based on coordination with the U.S., it will consider corresponding measures in inter-Korean relations such as easing sanctions on North Korea and economic cooperation following denuclearization steps. The Ministry will also resume inter-Korean military talks, review the implementation of the September 19 military agreement, and promote the operation of the inter-Korean military joint committee.

Regarding inter-Korean economic cooperation, the Ministry will first resolve issues such as pilot visits centered on separated families and displaced persons and the Mount Kumgang tourism issue, and promote the resumption of human and material exchanges through small-scale trade. In January next year, it will create conditions for cooperation on public infrastructure such as the groundbreaking ceremony for the Donghae Bukbu Line railway and the modernization of inter-Korean railroads and roads.

The Ministry will provide necessary cooperation and support for the Pope's visit to North Korea, cooperate if North Korea participates in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and explore support plans for the joint hosting of the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics by South and North Korea.

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