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Vice Minister of Unification Chun Hae-sung (front center) on his way to North Korea via Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Sept. 8 to inspect the facilities that are to be used for the inter-Korean join liaison office. (photo pool)
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Office to be staffed by resident representatives from both sides
South and North Korea have decided to open a “joint liaison office with resident representatives of both sides in the Kaesong region” as specified in the Apr. 27 Panmunjom Declaration before Sept. 18, Blue House National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong said on Sept. 6. The South Korean government has reportedly named Vice Minister of Unification Chun Hae-sung to be the office’s inaugural director on the South Korean side, serving concurrently as vice minister and office director in a temporary system. Plans are reportedly in place to have the office staffed by around 30 people on the South Korean side alone, including the director and officials from various government ministries. Speaking at the Blue House Spring and Autumn Pavilion (press center) that day, Chung announced results from his Sept. 5 visit to Pyongyang at the head of a special envoy delegation for President Moon Jae-in. “South and North Korea have decided to [open] an inter-Korean joint liaison office with resident representatives prior to the holding of [the next] inter-Korean summit and to provide the necessary cooperation,” he said. Seoul had additional planned to open the office within the month of August, but the opening has ended up postpone as discussions with Washington and Pyongyang have drawn out. During his joint announcement of the Panmunjom Declaration with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Apr. 27, Moon placed great weight on the liaison office, describing it as a “very important agreement,” and he also unveiled a grand vision for the office during his celebratory address for Liberation Day on Aug. 15, saying that the office “would develop into a permanent mission in the future.” In line with the president’s determination on this matter, the government has decided to assign a vice minister – a political appointee equal in status to a Blue House senior secretary – as the liaison office director and has been making preparations for the appointment. The result is double duty by the Vice Minister of Unification. This reportedly is mostly due to the practical challenges posed by the Government Organization Act, which prevents the immediate addition of vice minister-level political appointees. For now, Chun is reportedly planning to handle the duties of both jobs by spending one day a week working at the liaison office in Kaesong. The fact that this will effectively be a part-time job has sparked concerns that Chun will be unable to adequately perform his duties as office director. Because of such considerations, the government is planning to open the office under the temporary leadership of the Vice Minister of Unification, who will give way to a full-time vice minister-level director as soon as the Government Organization Act can be revised. During the inter-Korean working talks that took place in Kaesong, North Korea reportedly did not give any notice as to who will serve as its first office director. But it has not been confirmed whether such a notice took place during the special envoy delegation’s talks in Pyongyang on Sept. 5. By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
