Governor Kim Youngrok: "A Major Shift Needed for Peace and Reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula"

Message Commemorates the 25th Anniversary of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration
Hope for the Path to Peace on the Korean Peninsula... Achieving Mutual Prosperity

Kim Youngrok Jeonnam Governor

Kim Youngrok, Governor of South Jeolla Province, on June 15 marked the 25th anniversary of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration by reaffirming the promise of peace that brought about a major shift toward national reconciliation and cooperation. He pledged, "We will steadily build a peaceful future for the Korean Peninsula."

In his message that day, Governor Kim stated, "Going forward, we will reconnect the links for inter-Korean exchanges in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, culture, and the arts, and we will sincerely implement even the smallest forms of exchange."

Governor Kim evaluated, "The historic moment 25 years ago in Pyongyang, when President Kim Daejung and National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jongil exchanged a handshake of reconciliation, was a monumental event that showed hope that, after 55 years of division, the South and North could walk the path of peace together."

He added, "Through the June 15 Declaration, the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mount Kumgang tourism began, countless separated families experienced the joy of reunions, and the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line were reconnected. These developments demonstrated the possibility that the South and North could prosper together."

He also mentioned concerns about the recent freeze in inter-Korean relations, as well as signs of new hope.

Governor Kim said, "Unfortunately, over the past few years, inter-Korean relations have become frozen like ice, all channels of communication have been cut off, and we have had to cross a river of silence, while military tensions have continued to rise day by day."

He continued, "However, now we see new hope. The Lee Jaemyung administration is demonstrating the courage to reach out first for reconciliation, such as by suspending loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea under the banner of 'Peace is Economy.' This is both a continuation of the June 15 spirit and a new turning point for peace on the Korean Peninsula."

Governor Kim stated, "South Jeolla Province will also join this path of peace. As President Kim Daejung said, 'History progresses,' and I believe that, even if the steps toward peace on the Korean Peninsula are slow, they will never stop."

Meanwhile, South Jeolla Province is actively promoting inter-Korean exchange and cooperation projects, support for North Korean defectors, and counseling for separated families, centered on the Honam Region Unification Plus Center.