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Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon guides Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the North Korean Supreme People‘s Assembly, and Kim Yo-jong, first vice director of the Central Committee of the North Korean Workers’ Party, to a meeting lounge at Incheon International Airport following their arrival as part of a high-ranking North Korean delegation on Feb. 9. (Blue House Photo Pool)
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A number of candidates would be considered for the role if the government decides to pursue a third inter-Korean summit
The Blue House is distancing itself from the possibility of sending a special envoy to North Korea in response to Kim Jong-un’s Pyongyang invitation, remarking that “that’s not under consideration yet.” But sending a special envoy on South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s behalf to discuss hosting an inter-Korean summit or creating the conditions for that summit is merely a matter of time and is regarded as the next logical step. There are a number of candidates who could serve as a special envoy to North Korea, given the numerous experts who have handled North Korean affairs in the Blue House and government ministries not only under the current Moon administration but under the administrations of previous presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. But if Moon does send a special envoy, he is likely to lean toward a figure who has openly dealt with inter-Korean affairs with an official title, rather than opting for a surprise choice such as Kim Yo-jong. Assuming this is the case, one leading contender would be Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, who led the delegation to the high-level inter-Korean talks on Jan. 9. Cho was also in charge of both welcoming in and seeing off the North Korean high-ranking delegation. “This is a brief parting, and I’m sure we will meet again, perhaps if I go to Pyongyang,” Cho said to Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly and the leader of the high-ranking delegation, when Cho was bidding farewell to the delegation at Incheon Airport on the evening of Feb. 11. Cho kept the meeting minutes during the summit between Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Jong-il in 2007, and he was on the staff during the previous inter-Korean summit on June 15, 2000. National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon is another person who was closely involved in the two inter-Korean summits in 2000 and 2007. He reportedly had a hand in the North Korean delegation’s visit to South Korea, and he was also present when Moon met the North Korean delegation on Feb. 10. “These are people who visited North Korea frequently during the presidencies of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. The very fact I have them with me should give a sense of my commitment to quickly and energetically developing inter-Korean relations,” Moon said when he introduced Cho and Suh during the meeting. If Moon decides to send someone who can not only convey his intentions but also deal with the North Korean nuclear issue and other key agenda items while preparing for the third inter-Korean summit, the envoy might be Blue House Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok or Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, both of whom made the acquaintance of the North Korean high-ranking delegation. Lee presided over a luncheon with the delegation on Feb. 11, while Im organized an informal going-away dinner that same evening. Other possible envoys are Moon Chung-in, professor emeritus at Yonsei University and Moon Jae-in's special advisor on unification, foreign affairs and national security, and former Unification Minister Lim Dong-won, who is considered a living witness of inter-Korean dialogue. Other available figures are Jeong Se-hyun, director of the Hankyoreh Foundation for Unification and Culture who served as Unification Minister under Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, and Lee Jong-seok, a senior research fellow with the Sejong Institute who served as Unification Minister for Roh Moo-hyun. By Kim Bo-hyeop, staff reporter Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
