Former Unification Minister seen as good fit for job
Former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun has been chosen to lead South Korea’s delegation at the meeting scheduled May 16 to plan former president Kim Dae-jung's visit to Pyongyang in June, the Unification Ministry said Tuesday. Additional delegates to the working-level meeting will include the ministry's publicity chief, Yi Gwan-se, Kim's former presidential secretary, Choe Gyeong-hwan, and the ministry's top person in charge of logistics for intra-Korean talks, Cheon Hae-seong. The ministry sent its list of delegates to the relevant authorities in North Korea Tuesday morning. The North was first to form its delegation, telling Seoul on May 5 that it will be sending Ri Jong Hyok, Vice Chairman of the North's Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, and three other working-level officials. Seoul's choice of Mr. Jeong is said to have been made in respect to the former president's wishes. Former president Kim's closest longtime aid, Park Jie-won, and Lim Dong-won, who served as Mr. Kim's first unification minister, were specifically not chosen because it was determined that various "personal circumstances" would make them inappropriate. Mr. Jeong, meanwhile, currently works outside the government and is an expert in intra-Korean affairs. He served as Mr. Kim's last unification minister and the first unification minister in the government of President Roh Moo-hyun. Mr. Jeong is currently the chairman of the Korea Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation.Avoiding specific comment about the upcoming planning meeting, Mr. Jeong said only that he was contacted several days ago and has since met personally with former president Kim. A ministry official said the meeting will take place at the North's Mount Kumgang, in order to discuss which route the former president will use to travel to Pyongyang, how many people will accompany him, as well as other procedural and logistical concerns.
