Draft of New Unification Future Plan Released: "Let's Create a Silicon Valley in Pyongyang"

Kwon Young-se "The More the Inter-Korean Crisis, the More We Must Think About the Future"
New Foundation for North Korea and Unification Policy... Will It Be a 'Turning Point'?

The draft of the 'New Unification Future Plan,' which will serve as the foundation for new North Korea and unification policies, will be unveiled later this month. Specifically, it is expected to include a proposal to 'create a Silicon Valley in Pyongyang.'

On the 3rd, the Ministry of Unification held a 'Ministry of Unification - Unification Future Planning Committee Roundtable Meeting' at the Inter-Korean Summit Headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to discuss the draft of the New Unification Future Plan. This plan is expected to become a new foundation for North Korea and unification policies, separate from the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's denuclearization roadmap, the 'Bold Plan,' following the July 7 Declaration of 1988 and the 1994 National Community Unification Plan.

Unification Minister Kwon Young-se attended the roundtable of the Unification Ministry Vice Ministers and the Chairpersons of the Unification Future Planning Committee held on the morning of the 3rd at the Inter-Korean Summit Headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and delivered a greeting. [Image source=Yonhap News]

From the government side, Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se, Vice Minister Kim Ki-woong, and Baek Tae-hyun, the Presidential Office's Unification Secretary, attended. From the Unification Future Planning Committee, an advisory body to the Minister of Unification, Chairman Kim Young-ho (professor at Sungshin Women’s University), along with chairpersons and members of five subcommittees, totaling about 20 people, participated.

Minister Kwon Young-se emphasized the necessity of preparing the New Unification Future Plan in his opening remarks, stating, "Some say that the priority is to find a place where North and South Korea can immediately sit face to face, but in times of crisis, we must think more about the future." He continued, "The vision that the New Unification Future Plan must embody is one where freedom and peace prevail, and all members of the Korean Peninsula enjoy a better future," presenting three major tasks to realize the vision of a 'unified Korean Peninsula': ▲establishing a proper inter-Korean relationship aimed at unification, ▲promoting positive changes in North Korea, and ▲systematically preparing for unification in the future.

Chairman Kim Young-ho, who moderated the meeting, explained the future vision that the New Unification Future Plan will present, announcing, "We will propose ways to create a Silicon Valley in Pyongyang and open paths for joint prosperity between North and South Korea." He particularly noted, "The New Unification Future Plan aims to realize three core values: freedom, peace, and joint prosperity between North and South Korea," adding, "while participating in international trends, we will also seek ways to resolve the deepening security dilemma between North and South Korea through the expansion of freedom."

On the morning of the 3rd, a roundtable meeting between the Vice Minister of Unification and the Chairpersons of the Unification Future Planning Committee is being held at the Inter-Korean Summit Headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

At the meeting, there was consensus on the need for a paradigm shift in unification policy due to the rapid changes in the unification environment. The New Unification Future Plan will include visions such as "a better future for all members of the Korean Peninsula" and "a free and peaceful unified Korean Peninsula," as specified in the recent joint statement by the South Korea-US summit. The Ministry of Unification plans to start gathering public opinion domestically and internationally, beginning with the younger generation, by the end of this month. After collecting feedback through expert dialogues and meetings with various sectors based on the draft, the plan is to announce the proposal at an appropriate time within the year.

Earlier, in January of this year, the Ministry of Unification reported in the presidential work briefing that it would establish the 'New Unification Future Plan' as a mid- to long-term plan for peace on the Korean Peninsula and national prosperity. At that time, the Ministry explained that the New Unification Future Plan would become a new turning point in unification policy, similar to the 'June 23 Declaration' in 1973, which led to the simultaneous admission of North and South Korea to the United Nations, and the 'July 7 Declaration' in 1988, which defined North Korea not as an adversary but as a 'partner of goodwill.'

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