Lee Yeongyeon also urged colleagues to be more active in developing inter-Korean policy.
The Republic of Korea will seek a resumption of dialogue and cooperation with DPRK. This statement was made on Tuesday by the new Unification Minister, Lee In-Young, at the first meeting with his office.
“The starting point will be the resumption of talks between the South and the North, as well as the provision of humanitarian assistance to Pyongyang”, – he stressed, referring to the upcoming work to find a way out of the current impasse between the two countries.
Lee In-Young urged his colleagues to be more active in developing the inter-Korean policy, which they will then pursue “from beginning to end”. He pointed out that the ministry “should become the organization responsible for the long road to peaceful reunification of Korea”. Previously, the ministry had often been criticized for being passive and lacking initiative.
President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae In confirmed Lee Yeon as unification minister on Monday after his candidacy was formally approved by members of the National Assembly (parliament).
Moon-jae In nominated Lee In-Young as Minister on 3 July after the previous head of department, Kim Yong Chul, resigned to take responsibility for worsening inter-Korean relations. They stalled after the failure of the February 2019 U.S.-North Korean summit in Hanoi. As a result, no agreement could be reached and consultations were interrupted prematurely.
In June 2020, DPRK escalated its relations with South Korea by blowing up the building of the inter-Korean Liaison Office in Keson. The formal reason for this was the throwing of propaganda leaflets by South Korean non-governmental organizations on the adjacent territory, criticizing DPRK leader Kim Jong-un and his family members.