Date: Monday, February 13, 2023
Time: 10:30-10:34 A.M.

 

1. Minister’s Schedule

From 10 A.M. today, Unification Minister Kwon Youngse attended the general meeting of the National Assembly negotiation group leaders’ speech, and he will also attend the National Assembly tomorrow at 10 A.M..

At 1:30 P.M. today, Minister Kwon will attend and deliver congratulatory remarks at a forum held by the Gangwon Institute.

On February 15, Minister Kwon will attend a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs & Unification Committee.

 

2. Q&A

Q) There was a report that a non-governmental organization related to separated families received an invitation from North Korea and was seeking to apply for a visit to the North. Can you confirm this report and explain the progress of the application process? Also what is the Ministry’s stance on this matter?

A) As reported in the media, the request to visit North Korea related to separated families was received on February 10. However, the North Korean agency that issued the invitation is not what the Unification Ministry is currently aware of. Therefore, we are taking a closer look at the overall aspects including the nature and reliability of this agency.

Since the application for visiting North Korea itself is a matter related to personal information, it is difficult to disclose details on the agency that issued the invitation.

Q) Could you provide more information of this organization who claims to have received the invitation from the North including its reliability or history of visiting North Korea regarding separated families? Also, are the details of the North Korean agency included on the application?

A) As I said, any further details on the inviting North Korean agency is difficult to disclose as it relates to personal information.

The organization that applied to visit North Korea is a corporation established in 2012 under the jurisdiction of the Unification Ministry for the purpose of arranging exchanges between separated families at a non-governmental level, such as confirming the life or death of the separated families or exchanging letters.

Q) In September last year, the Unification Ministry proposed to hold talks with the North to discuss the issue of separated families. Were there any discussions taken after at the level of the South and North Korean authorities?

In addition, North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun reported on its front page today that many units of services and arms of the Korean People’s Army(KPA) have been expanded and reorganized, and the redesigned colors of the KPA were unveiled at the military parade.

How does the Ministry evaluate the reorganized and redesigned KPA units and colors in reference to the photos and videos of the parade?

A) In regards to the first question, the proposal that Minister Kwon made last year to North Korea regarding separated families is still valid. However, we do not have further information related to the follow-up discussions.

To your second question, we are aware that the relevant authorities are analyzing the reorganization of North Korea's military units.