"North Korea Tourism Does Not Violate Sanctions"
"Many Cooperative Projects Possible If North Korea Responds"
The Ministry of Unification reiterated its intention to promote tourism to North Korea and stated that North Korea policy falls under the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea. This is interpreted as an indirect criticism of U.S. Ambassador to Korea Harry Harris, who repeatedly mentioned the need to slow down inter-Korean relations.
On the 17th, Lee Sang-min, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, said at a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Office, in response to a question about how the Ministry evaluates Ambassador Harris's remarks on the Korean government's independent will for inter-Korean projects, "We do not think it is necessary for the government to issue a statement or comment on the ambassador's remarks," but added, "We want to emphasize once again that North Korea policy is a matter of the Republic of Korea's sovereignty." The spokesperson also added, "The United States has stated several times through various channels that it respects Korea's sovereignty over North Korea policy."
Ambassador Harris said at a foreign press briefing the day before, "To avoid misunderstandings that could trigger future sanctions, it is better to handle matters through the Korea-U.S. working group." This was interpreted as a warning against South Korea's plan to actively expand its independent space for improving inter-Korean relations.
The government is actively considering measures such as allowing travel to North Korea through third countries if one has a North Korean visa, along with individual tourism. The spokesperson said, "We believe individual North Korea tourism by our citizens can be realized," adding, "We are reviewing this in the context of expanding inter-Korean civilian exchanges."
The spokesperson said, "If there is a response from North Korea, there are projects that can be independently promoted under inter-Korean cooperation," especially noting, "Tourism issues do not violate North Korea sanctions, and realistically, many foreigners are currently visiting North Korea."
However, the spokesperson said, "North Korea has never issued visas to South Korean citizens for tourism," and "The most important thing is that North Korean authorities allow individual tourism by our citizens."
The spokesperson added, "There are matters that need to be carried out through consultations between Korea and the U.S.," and said, "Depending on the issue, we will proceed independently where possible, and if consultations with the U.S. and the international community are necessary, we will continue to go through such processes."
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