Jung Se-hyun: "North Korea Faces Serious Food Issues Next Spring... Actively Establish Support Plans"

Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, Hosts Dinner for Former Ministers
9 Former Ministers Attend... Advice on North Korea's Specificities and Food Aid

Former Minister of Unification Jeong Se-hyun is speaking at a meeting with former Ministers of Unification held on the afternoon of the 17th at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Jung Se-hyun, Senior Vice Chairman of the National Unification Advisory Council, argued on the 17th that North Korea is expected to face a severe food shortage starting next spring due to consecutive floods and poor harvests this year, and that an active food aid policy toward North Korea should be pursued.

At a dinner hosted by Minister of Unification Lee In-young for former ministers of unification on the afternoon of the same day, Vice Chairman Jung stated, "(North Korea) has practically lost this year's harvest, and food issues will become serious starting next spring."

He predicted that North Korea's food situation would worsen due to this year's heavy monsoon rains and successive typhoons, advising, "It would send a good message to the North to actively establish plans for food aid while continuing to approve local governments' projects toward North Korea."

Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, is speaking at a meeting with former Ministers of Unification held on the afternoon of the 17th at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.

At the dinner held at a hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, Minister Lee In-young sought advice from nine former ministers on North Korea policies to break the deadlock in inter-Korean relations. Attendees included former ministers Cho Myung-gyun, Son Jae-sik, Lee Se-gi, Lee Hong-gu, Kang In-duk, Lim Dong-won, Park Jae-kyu, Jung Se-hyun, and Hong Yong-pyo.

Having been in office for 53 days as of that day, Minister Lee confessed, "Lately, I have been deeply contemplating what is needed for sustainable inter-Korean relations and consistent North Korea policies."

He added, "With changes in the administrations of South Korea and the United States, the North Korea policy stance has also shifted from time to time, even when we did not want it to. I imagine that if the South and North secure peace and form a peace community, it could expand into a peace competition in Northeast Asia, transforming the US-China conflict over the Korean Peninsula division from a hostile to a non-hostile relationship."

He also said, "Inter-Korean relations have never been easy even for a moment. I, too, have approached this with a steady mindset, trying to expand spaces for cooperation through small steps," seeking advice.

In response, former Prime Minister Lee Hong-gu, who served as the first Minister of Unification during the Roh Tae-woo administration, took the microphone first and said, "It seems that the results of a Minister of Unification's actions are determined more by domestic and international circumstances than by what the minister personally does."

He pointed out variables such as North Korea's situation and the US presidential election, urging, "Since various factors could bring changes internationally or on the Korean Peninsula, please carry out unification policies consistently and well."

Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, is speaking at a meeting with former Ministers of Unification held on the afternoon of the 17th at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Former Minister Son Jae-sik, who led the Ministry of National Unification during the Chun Doo-hwan administration, emphasized, "One thing to be especially cautious about in negotiations with North Korea is that North Korea is very different from East Germany before unification," pointing out, "East Germany never invaded West Germany, never developed nuclear weapons, never established a wealthy hereditary regime, nor did it break basic treaties, but North Korea is different."

When former Minister Son proposed a toast "for the success of democratic peaceful unification and the Ministry of Unification," the attendees responded with "Cheers," showing support for Minister Lee.

Former Minister Kim Yeon-chul did not attend the dinner. A Unification Ministry official stated, "He could not attend the meeting today due to scheduling conflicts, but it is understood that he will meet separately with Minister Lee soon."