North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, US President Donald Trump (left to right) at a three-way gathering in the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019 (KCNA-Yonhap)
South Korea should make sure that the inter-Korean exchange proceeds in parallel with North Korea’s denuclearization, the United States State Department said Tuesday, reiterating its earlier stance made public several times.
The department, asked by the Voice of America on Seoul’s latest easing of restrictions on engaging Pyongyang, said Washington supports inter-Korean cooperation, but it should be in “lockstep with progress on denuclearization,” referring to the North.
On Tuesday, Seoul’s Ministry of Unification said it would amend a law governing inter-Korean exchange so that citizens here could more freely contact the North Korean people.
Under the revision, South Koreans will still be required to notify the ministry of the contact with the North but can do it after the encounter if giving a prior notice is deemed impossible. In addition, chance encounters with North Korean individuals will not be required to be reported.
Only people pursuing business deals with the North would have to make that notice, however; those seeking friendly gatherings, especially by war-separated families and relatives, do not need to alert the ministry. The ministry would no longer be able to prohibit such an encounter on grounds of national security.
The new law will also allow municipalities to independently run business with North Korea without an agent. Local firms will be able to open an office in the communist country.
The measures aim to set a legal framework when the stalled inter-Korean exchange comes back up and running, according to the ministry.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has repeatedly championed stronger inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, despite the scant progress on the North’s nuclear disarmament.
“Giving more room to people and municipalities so they start taking on inter-Korean projects on their own is what we have in mind,” the ministry said, explaining why it was suddenly introducing sweeping changes into the inter-Korea exchange law legislated some 30 years ago.
South Korea’s National Assembly will vote on a revised law later this year.
