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Newly appointed Ministry of Unification Kim Yeon-chul gives an address at his inauguration ceremony at Seoul’s Central Government Complex on Apr. 8. (Yonhap News)
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Kim Yeon-chul outlines his plan for inter-Korean relations and peace
“What came to mind is the expression, ‘The weight is heavy, and the road is long.’ I sense a tremendous weight of responsibility.” Kim Yeon-chul shared his response to his recent appointment as Minister of Unification in an inauguration ceremony at the Central Government Complex in Seoul on Apr. 8. “Thirteen years after I worked as a policy aide to the Minister of Unification, it is all the more moving for me now to be appointed as Minister of Unification during the 50th anniversary year of the ministry’s establishment,” he said. The same day, Kim shared his three major policy areas of emphasis in inter-Korean relations, stating that the most important task would be to “develop the current of peace on the Korean Peninsula that started last year to a level from which it cannot be turned back.” The first of the three areas of emphasis named by Kim was “peace equals economy.” “We need to see opportunities for South and North to prosper together in the process of denuclearization and the establishment of peace,” he stressed, announcing plans to “establish and reinforce a virtuous cycle where the economy is a means of cementing peace and peace becomes a foundation in turn for promoting economic cooperation.” Meeting with Ministry of Unification reporters after the ceremony that afternoon, Kim expanded on the “peace equals economy” equation in terms of inter-Korean relations. “I feel like the South Korean public needs more tangible results in terms of the establishment of peace, and in that sense we have a lot of issues to resolve,” he said. “We’re going to need to give that aspect adequate consideration as we come up with a plan.” The second area of emphasis was “decentralization and coordination.” “As the scope of inter-Korean relations increases and exchange and cooperation reach a full-scale level, this will mean an increase role for local government and the private sector,” Kim explained. “In that sense, we’re going to have to pursue an organic division of labor and coordination between the central and local government levels and between the government and private sector,” he said. Kim also referred to cooperation by the National Assembly, adding that he planned to “visit [lawmakers] to explain and begin full-scale efforts as early as tomorrow.” The third area of emphasis named by Kim was “communication and consensus.” “We need to stop this repeated pattern of North Korea policy changing direction each time a new administration comes into office,” he insisted. “The starting point for sustainable development of inter-Korean relations lies in uniting the hearts of the South Korean public,” he continued, announcing his plans to “make concerted efforts to communicate broadly on inter-Korean relations and reunification issues to allow for North Korea policies that the public supports and agrees with.” During the ceremony, Kim also emphasized his three “requests” for Ministry of Unification staffers. Stressing that he was “aware that the tasks are complex and are not easy to resolve” at the ministry level, he went on to say, “It’s easy to find reasons why something won’t work. But what the South Korean public wants from the government is for us to find the answers even when it’s difficult.” “Those voices criticizing and opposing government policy also represent the public’s views,” he added. “We need to listen to different suggestions and advice and communicate in a rational way.” Kim further stressed the need for all ministry employees to build their expertise. “Officials in charge of forestry cooperation will need to work to develop their expert knowledge with regard to forests,” he said. “Employees in charge of railway and road cooperation will need to upgrade their knowledge of railways and roads to expert levels,” he added. By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
