Ministry of Unification Abolishes Department of Social and Cultural Exchange Established During Moon Administration
No Achievements Evaluated Due to COVID-19 and Inter-Korean Exchange Suspension
Social and Cultural Exchange Policy Division and Integrated Operation
[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The Social and Cultural Exchange Operations Division under the Exchange and Cooperation Office of the Ministry of Unification will be abolished as of the 1st of next month.
On the 21st, the Ministry of Unification announced, "Following the evaluation of newly established organizations conducted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in the second half of this year, the Social and Cultural Exchange Operations Division will be abolished and integrated with the Social and Cultural Exchange Policy Division."
The Social and Cultural Exchange Operations Division was newly established in February 2020 when the Exchange and Cooperation Bureau was promoted to the Exchange and Cooperation Office under the Moon Jae-in administration, with the aim of preparing for full-scale inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.
However, as inter-Korean relations deteriorated and the spread of COVID-19 overlapped, inter-Korean exchanges were virtually cut off, leading to an evaluation from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety that "there were no clear achievements," resulting in the division moving toward abolition after about two years and seven months.
The government deliberated and approved the "Partial Amendment Ordinance of the Ministry of Unification and Its Affiliated Organizations" containing this content at the Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Government Complex Seoul the day before.
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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Unification had been reviewing organizational restructuring plans to reduce the Exchange and Cooperation Office back to the Exchange and Cooperation Bureau and to expand the India Cooperation Bureau to the India Cooperation Office, but it is known that these plans will not be pursued following discussions with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
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