Seoul, Dec 19 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday instructed officials to arrange a security-related ministers’ meeting to better coordinate the government’s North Korea policy, the presidential office said.
The instruction came after Lee attended closed-door policy briefings from the foreign and unification ministries, according to presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-jun, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Lee’s instruction comes amid apparent policy direction differences between the ministries in their North Korea policies under the new administration.
The foreign ministry has traditionally emphasized the importance of consultation and coordination with Washington when dealing with Pyongyang, while the unification ministry has largely prioritized inter-Korean dialogue separate from US involvement.
Lee said differing views among ministries should be viewed positively, noting that each ministry having its own position helps broaden policy options when choosing diplomatic and security strategies, according to Kim.
Earlier in the day, South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said the ministry aims to take a leading role in establishing policies toward North Korea.
In a policy briefing to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Chung said the ministry, which is in charge of relations with Pyongyang, would “strengthen its leading role as a party directly involved in the Korean Peninsula issue.”
Chung also said international sanctions imposed on North Korea over its illegal nuclear and missile programs have effectively lost their bite, adding the ministry will seek sanctions relief in a bid to reengage the country.
“In order to buttress inter-Korean and multilateral exchanges and cooperation, (the ministry) plans to discuss and seek the relaxation of sanctions,” Chung told the briefing.
“There are some arguments calling for the strengthening of sanctions on North Korea, but, realistically, sanctions against Pyongyang have lost their effectiveness,” the minister said.
North Korea’s trade with China, which accounts for most of Pyongyang’s external commerce, now goes partly unscreened, while the regime regards sanctions as “the most hostile” action against it, he said, as the rationale for seeking sanctions relief.
Seeking dialogue with North Korea while keeping sanctions against them in place would not be acceptable to Pyongyang, he noted.
–IANS
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