Ministry of Unification: "North Korea Unresponsive to 12 O'clock Contact Office Call"... Government Monitoring North Korean Developments and Preparing Response Measures
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha Attends Webinar on 'Democracy in the Era of COVID-19'
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Amid North Korea blocking and dismantling all communication channels between the South and the North, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it plans to maintain close communication with related countries, including the United States.
Kim In-cheol, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 9th, "We are in constant close communication with the U.S. side," adding, "Such communication is one of the main roles of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in this regard, we have communicated with related countries as necessary and will continue to do so."
Earlier, the Ministry of Unification announced that it attempted to connect a call to the North through the inter-Korean joint liaison office line at noon that day, but the North did not answer. North Korea condemned the South Korean government's response to the leaflet distribution earlier that morning and announced that from noon on the 9th, it would completely block and dismantle all communication lines between the South and the North, including the Blue House hotline.
North Korea's state-run media, Korean Central News Agency, reported under the title "Regarding the measure to completely block all communication lines between the North and the South," stating, "From 12:00 on June 9, the communication lines between the North and South authorities maintained through the inter-Korean joint liaison office, the East-West Sea communication lines between the North and South military, the North-South communication test line, and the direct communication line between the Workers' Party Central Committee headquarters and the Blue House will be completely blocked and dismantled."
The government plans to monitor North Korea's movements closely and prepare countermeasures. A Ministry of Unification official told reporters that "Inter-Korean communication lines are a basic means for communication and should be maintained according to inter-Korean agreements," adding, "The government will comply with inter-Korean agreements and strive for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula."
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will attend a webinar titled "Democracy in the Era of COVID-19" along with foreign ministers from Sweden and Australia. The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, which is hosting the seminar, was established in Sweden in 1995. At this seminar, held to discuss the development direction of democracy amid the COVID-19 situation, Minister Kang is expected to explain the South Korean government's principles of openness, transparency, and democracy, as well as its experience with general elections.
Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho will also attend the "Stockholm Initiative Virtual Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)" on the same day. The Stockholm Initiative meeting, led by Germany and Sweden and involving 16 countries, has been held since last year in preparation for the NPT Review Conference. Spokesperson Kim said, "At this meeting, preparations for the NPT Review Conference, postponed to next year, will be reviewed, and measures to achieve outcomes from the meeting will be discussed."
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha is speaking at the 7th Integrated Subcommittee Meeting on Foreign Policy Strategy Adjustment held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 28th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
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