July 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has urged the Unification Ministry to stop acting as a “support agency” for North Korea following the appointment of a new minister, Kim Yung Ho, as a result of a Cabinet reshuffle.
“Until now, the Ministry of Unification has operated as if it were a support department for North Korea, and this has to stop being the case,” he said before adding that “now is the time for the Ministry to change.”
Thus, he stressed that “from now on, the Ministry of Unification must fulfill its own responsibilities in accordance with the constitutional principles that unification must be carried out taking into account the democratic order.”
“The unification we seek must be one for all the peoples of the north and south, who can enjoy better lives and be treated as human beings,” he asserted, according to the Yonhap news agency.
In this sense, he has affirmed that the new Ministry of Unification “will analyze and respond to the latest trends in North Korea and that it will also manage issues related to the situation of Human Rights.”
Kim himself has stressed the importance of “pressuring North Korea to address this situation” and has pointed out that there is a need for “change” within the Ministry.
However, critics believe that his appointment could weaken the role of the ministry, which seeks to carry out exchanges with North Korea with an eye toward reconciliation.
