Kwon Young-se, on Yoon's Criticism of North Korea Aid Department: "Submissive Dialogue Must Be Avoided"

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Unification Minister Kwon Young-se criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol's remark referring to the Ministry of Unification as a 'Ministry of Inter-Korean Aid,' stating, "An excessively aid-centered and submissive approach to dialogue with North Korea must be avoided," interpreting the comment as targeting the Moon Jae-in administration.

On the 10th, Minister Kwon met with reporters at Hanawon (the Settlement Support Office for North Korean Defectors) in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, on the occasion of its 24th anniversary, saying, "I think the remarks were not about the past year alone but rather about the Ministry of Unification overall." Earlier, on the 2nd, President Yoon had pointed out, "The Ministry of Unification has acted almost like a Ministry of Inter-Korean Aid, but now it is time for a change."

Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se [Image source=Yonhap News]

Minister Kwon emphasized, "We will continue the achievements made by the previous administration as much as possible in a relay manner, but boldly correct parts that do not fit," highlighting that he has rectified incidents such as the 'West Sea Public Official Killing Incident' and the 'Forced Repatriation of North Korean Fishermen' during his term. He added, "We disclosed the North Korean Human Rights Report, which had been kept confidential until now, for the first time," and reiterated, "Regarding North Korean leaflets, unlike the previous administration, we have expressed the position that punishing them by law is not right when considering freedom of expression and the North Korean people's right to know."

Regarding the reason President Yoon immediately demanded a major reform of the Ministry of Unification after nominating Kim Young-ho as the new minister, Kwon said, "It is based on observing the past year or so." He explained, "North Korea has shown no intention to change at all, especially last year when it conducted missile provocations over 30 times and recently even cut off communication lines," interpreting, "Seeing this, the president's remarks imply that the Ministry of Unification's policy toward North Korea needs to change further."

On the new role assigned to the Ministry of Unification, he drew a line by saying, "It is not appropriate for someone outgoing to speak," and urged, "Please listen to the future vision of the Ministry of Unification through the new appointee's words." When asked about criticisms labeling nominee Kim Young-ho as 'hardline toward North Korea,' he reserved comment, saying, "There will be a confirmation hearing on the 21st, so please watch closely."

Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se [Photo by Yonhap News]

Regarding the issue of conflicting information about North Korea's recent situation, including food shortages, he diagnosed, "Because the borders are closed, information comes in fragments," adding, "While the North Korean authorities have somewhat stabilized the situation by importing rice from China, there are still regions where starvation occurs, and these areas are expanding, indicating a difficult situation."

In particular, concerning concerns that North Korean residents or defectors staying in China are unable to attempt full-scale defection due to China's strengthened surveillance and forced repatriation policies, he said, "Requesting that defectors not be repatriated but sent to their desired destinations was an important task even during my time as ambassador to China ten years ago," and added, "The international community is applying pressure, and our government will continue its efforts."

Minister Kwon expressed his thoughts, saying, "I believe today will be my last official meeting with the Ministry of Unification press corps," and added, "When the new minister takes office, there will be many changes, so please support the Ministry of Unification in opening a more developed future for unification."

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