Government Holds Inter-Korean Council In Person After 4 Years... Jeong Dongyoung: "Let's Unpack the 1.4 Trillion Won Fund Together"

The government has held the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Council (Inter-Korean Council) in person for the first time in four years. Presiding over the meeting, Minister of Unification Jeong Dongyoung said on January 22, "The Inter-Korean Council is responsible for managing a fund exceeding 1.4 trillion won," adding, "By gathering the wishes of the people who long for peace on the Korean Peninsula, I look forward to the day when the two Koreas will work together to open this bundle and build a new home for inter-Korean relations."

Jeong Dongyoung, Minister of Unification, is presiding over the 340th Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Council held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 22nd. 2026.1.22 Yonhap News Agency

On the morning of January 22, Minister Jeong convened the Inter-Korean Council at the Government Seoul Office, with about 25 government and civilian members in attendance, and made these remarks. Mentioning areas such as Mount Kumgang, the Kaesong Industrial Complex, and the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, he stated, "Let us remove the curtain of hostility and confrontation and reopen all the roads leading to the continent," emphasizing, "The Lee Jaemyung administration is fully prepared." Previously, the government expanded the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund in this year's budget to a scale of around 1 trillion won.

This council meeting was held face-to-face for the first time in about four years since February 2022. Under the Yoon Sukyeol administration, all meetings had been replaced with written procedures. The government has announced plans to further increase the number of in-person meetings going forward.

On this day, the Inter-Korean Council reviewed nine agenda items, including the enactment of the "Notice on Inspection Procedures for the Import of North Korean Food Products." Although the enactment was initially expected to be approved at this meeting, the Ministry of Unification explained, "There was a raised need for the participation of relevant ministries such as the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in the working-level council stipulated in the enactment, so it was decided that the approval will be made at the next council meeting after reflecting this."

An agenda item to provide approximately 17.1 billion won from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund to support a total of seven inter-Korean exchange and cooperation projects was reviewed and approved. In addition, about 600 million won will be allocated this year to support the inter-Korean separated families DNA testing project.

A Ministry of Unification official stated, "Going forward, we will continue to actively communicate and collaborate through the Inter-Korean Council, making multifaceted efforts to restore and develop an ecosystem for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation led by the private sector and supported by the government."