Ministry of Unification Undergoes Another Restructuring... Emphasizing Strengthening 'North Korean Human Rights'

Exchange Cooperation Office Likely to Be Reduced, India Cooperation Bureau to Be Upgraded
Joint Liaison Office Secretariat for 'North Korea Explosion' Likely to Be Abolished
"Disrupted by Regime Changes... Need for Continuity on Human Rights Issues"

The Ministry of Unification has begun reorganizing its structure by downsizing the organization responsible for inter-Korean exchanges and strengthening the department that handles North Korean human rights. The organization related to the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, which was opened in Kaesong during the Moon Jae-in administration, is expected to be completely abolished. This appears to reflect the cooling trend on the Korean Peninsula, but there are criticisms that frequent reorganizations with each regime change undermine policy continuity.

The Ministry of Unification announced on the 2nd that it is reviewing organizational restructuring to improve work efficiency. It explained that discussions are underway to respond flexibly and efficiently to changes in the environment, including inter-Korean relations.

Explosion of Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office / Chosun Central News Agency

First, the Exchange Cooperation Office, which has supported civilian exchanges between the two Koreas, is expected to be downsized back to the Exchange Cooperation Bureau just three years after being promoted to an office. There are even discussions about abolishing some departments, including the Exchange Support Division. On the other hand, the Humanitarian Cooperation Bureau, which is responsible for North Korean human rights, separated families, and support for North Korean defectors' settlement, is reportedly being strongly considered for promotion to an office.

The Humanitarian Cooperation Bureau was somewhat weakened during the Moon Jae-in administration because the sensitive issue of North Korean human rights was pushed off the agenda. However, President Yoon Suk-yeol has put this issue at the forefront by linking it to "universal values." During the Ministry of Unification's work report in January, President Yoon emphasized, "It is important to accurately inform our citizens and the international community about the human rights situation in North Korea."

According to government officials, the Ministry of Unification is considering abolishing the secretariat organization of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office and transferring the "contact function with North Korea" to the Inter-Korean Summit Headquarters. Previously, in December last year, for efficiency reasons, the secretariat system was reduced from three departments?Operations Department, Exchange Department, and Contact Cooperation Department?to two departments?Operations and Exchange Department and Contact Cooperation Department. This time, it is reported that they have decided to abolish it entirely.

The Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office was opened in September 2018 in the Kaesong Industrial Complex following the "April 27 Panmunjom Agreement" between former President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. Although personnel from both Koreas worked in one building, South Korean personnel withdrew in January 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19. Subsequently, North Korea, protesting against South Korea's leaflet campaigns, blew up the office building in June of the same year, and since then, only simple contact functions twice a day have been maintained.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is receiving a departmental work report from Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The direction of this organizational restructuring is interpreted as reflecting the reality of inter-Korean relations, which have not escaped the cooling period. However, there are criticisms that frequent reorganizations due to regime changes or rapidly changing inter-Korean relations reduce stability. For example, both the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office and the Exchange Cooperation Office were newly established or promoted in the previous administration, while the North Korean human rights division within the Humanitarian Cooperation Bureau was relegated to the lowest rank. Some express concerns that empowering the "North Korean human rights" organization, which North Korea reacts sensitively to, could send the wrong signal.

Professor Park Won-gon of Ewha Womans University’s Department of North Korean Studies said, "When looking at North Korea policy and unification policy from a broad perspective, the most important thing is to consistently maintain 'consistent principles,' but it is true that past administrations have been inconsistent and wavering." He pointed out, "In particular, there were significant differences in human rights policy and humanitarian aid with each administration, but these two are the policies that must be pursued most consistently." He added, "In organizational restructuring, while the exchange and cooperation organizations can be adjusted to some extent depending on the situation, human rights issues should be handled independently of inter-Korean relations."

A Ministry of Unification official said, "At present, no plan to abolish or establish a specific department has been finalized," adding, "We are discussing various options with related ministries such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to respond flexibly to changes in the work environment."

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