Kim Young-ho "Kim Jong-un Talks About War Preparations... Only Jeopardizing the Regime"

Minister of Unification's Keynote Speech at the 2023 Korea Peninsula International Forum
"Cooperation Among Korea, US, and Japan... Opening a New Era"
"Yoon Administration to Become a Speaker Revealing North Korea's Human Rights Reality"

Kim Young-ho, Minister of Unification, emphasized that security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan has reached a new level through the trilateral summit, while warning North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un that "the 'wrong choice' of talking about war preparations only further endangers the regime's security."

On the 30th, at the '2023 Korea Peninsula International Forum' held at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Minister Kim delivered a keynote speech read by Vice Minister Moon Seung-hyun, stating, "South Korea, the U.S., and Japan have opened a new era of cooperation qualitatively different from the past," and added, "We reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening cooperation not only in security but also in promoting North Korean human rights, as well as the immediate resolution of issues concerning abductees, detainees, and Korean War POWs."

Moon Seung-hyun, Vice Minister of Unification, is reading the minister's congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Korea Peninsula International Forum held at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul on the 30th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

He recalled that the three leaders supported the vision of a "free and peaceful unified Korean Peninsula" during the summit held at Camp David on the 18th (local time), evaluating it as "the first-ever multilateral summit to express support for the vision of Korean Peninsula unification." He further noted that following the normalization of Korea-Japan relations and the Washington Declaration, President Yoon Suk-yeol's strategic decision shone brightly.

Minister Kim stated, "North Korea's insistence on 'strengthening its defense capabilities' only further jeopardizes its own regime security," adding, "The only way for North Korea to escape this 'security dilemma' is to respond positively to the 'Bold Initiative' proposed by our government." He warned, "North Korea's 'wrong choice' will face even tighter and strengthened sanctions through the more solidified security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan."

Moon Seung-hyun, Deputy Minister of Unification, along with other attendees, is taking a commemorative photo at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Korea Peninsula International Forum held on the 30th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

He also reiterated the importance of the 'North Korean human rights' issue. He said, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration regards North Korean human rights as an issue as important as the North Korean nuclear problem," emphasizing, "Our government, as well as countries around the world, international organizations, and NGOs, must widely publicize North Korea's inhumane crimes such as public executions and political prison camps, and hold the perpetrators accountable."

Furthermore, defining the promotion of North Korean human rights as "a task that everyone, as members of humanity, must responsibly solve together," he stated, "In this process, the Republic of Korea government will be the largest speaker and hub for spreading the reality of North Korean human rights." In particular, he indicated the Ministry of Unification's future role in leading the discourse on North Korean human rights in the international community by saying, "We will actively cooperate in drafting the UN North Korean Human Rights Resolution and strengthen cooperation with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Seoul Office, thereby taking a leading role in the UN's North Korean human rights mechanisms."

Meanwhile, the Korea Peninsula International Forum is a 1.5-track international conference hosted by the Ministry of Unification since 2010. Its purpose is to gather opinions from government officials and scholars from various countries and reflect them in policies for peace, prosperity, and unification of the Korean Peninsula. This year's event, themed "North Korean Nuclear Issue, Human Rights, and Unification," is conducted in sessions on ▲International cooperation for North Korean denuclearization ▲Effective measures to improve North Korean human rights ▲International cooperation for Korean Peninsula unification.

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