NK hints at willingness to hold inter-Korean parliamentary meeting

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang

National Assembly speaker’s proposal conveyed during Pyongyang summit

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang

In response to a proposal from Moon Hee-sang, speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, for a meeting between lawmakers from North and South Korea, North Korea responded in the affirmative, saying that it agreed, “in principle.”

Speaker Moon delivered the letter on the proposal for an inter-Korean parliamentary meeting through Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, who had been part of the official delegation from South Korea to the inter-Korean summit on Sept. 18-20 in Pyongyang. The letter was delivered to Choe Thae-bok, the chairman of the North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, the equivalent of South Korea’s legislative body, the National Assembly.

The National Assembly released a press statement on Sept. 27, announcing that Chairman Choe Tae-bok had responded to Speaker Moon Hee-sang in a letter through the Inter-Korean Liaison Office in Kaesong.

In his response, Choe wrote, “"The role of the North and South Korean parliaments and political parties is very important in implementing the April and September inter-Korean summit agreements. In this regard, we agreed to the offer in principle.”

Choe also added that he also hoped that the issue of the ratification of the historical Panmunjom Declaration and the September Pyongyang Declaration in the South Korean National Assembly would be soon resolved. On Sept. 11, the South Korean government submitted a motion to request the ratification of the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula to the National Assembly, but due to opposition from the Liberty Korea Party the motion is currently pending.

On the dates for the inter-Korean parliamentary meeting, Choe said that the schedule would likely depend on when meetings for the implementation of the September Pyongyang Declaration in various areas are scheduled, according to what was decided at high-level meetings between North and South Korea. The South Korean National Assembly will be creating a task force to prepare for the inter-Korean parliamentary meeting.

By Um Ji-won, staff reporter

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