Kwon Young-se: "North Korea is Responsible for the Deterioration of the Korean Peninsula Situation"

Minister of Unification's Welcome Speech at the 70th Anniversary of the Armistice Academic Conference
"North Korea, trapped in nuclear weapons and missiles, brings isolation and poverty upon itself"

Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se criticized North Korea as clearly responsible for the deterioration of the situation on the Korean Peninsula and urged a change in the attitude of the Kim Jong-un regime.

On the afternoon of the 21st, Minister Kwon delivered a welcoming speech at the International Political Science Association conference commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement held at Ewha Womans University ECC Isambong Hall, diagnosing that "the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula has not decreased, and as the severance and confrontation between the South and the North have prolonged, military tensions are increasing."

Unification Minister Kwon Young-se delivers a congratulatory speech at the Inter-Korean Forest Cooperation Symposium held at the Baekbeom Kim Gu Memorial Hall on the 21st.
[Photo by Ministry of Unification]

He continued, "The fundamental responsibility clearly lies with North Korea," criticizing that "(the Kim Jong-un regime) is deluded into believing that nuclear weapons and missiles will protect the regime, threatening peace on the Korean Peninsula and bringing about isolation and poverty." He added, "The task of our era is to develop the legacy of the Armistice Agreement and establish permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," emphasizing, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration will make every effort to induce the right change in North Korea with a flexible and open attitude suited to the times."

Minister Kwon also attended the 'Inter-Korean Forest Cooperation Symposium' and stated, "Since North Korea's actions and the surrounding situation can change at any time, it is time to maintain a steady course without being swayed by every fluctuation." In particular, he said, "It is also necessary to find 'easy points of contact' with less military and security burden to resolve the ongoing inter-Korean confrontation," citing 'Inter-Korean Forest Cooperation' as an example.

Furthermore, Minister Kwon pointed out that disasters related to forests due to climate change are increasing, and that North Korea's indiscriminate reclamation and logging are not unrelated to the food shortage, emphasizing that joint response between the South and the North is essential. He said, "Projects already agreed upon, such as forest creation and restoration, and joint pest control, can be implemented immediately if North Korea responds positively," adding, "I hope they will review these proactively and respond promptly."

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