김영호 "통일전선부 명칭 변경", "북 의도만 믿으면 오판 우려"
In a press conference today, the country's Unification Minister revealed some changes to the organization of the North Korean Workers' Party, in what appears to be Pyongyang's effort to deny the idea of reunification.
Our North Korean affairs correspondent Kim Jung-sil reports.
Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho revealed new findings on North Korea while reaffirming Seoul's policy against the regime in a press conference on Monday.
"The North hasn't announced it yet but its United Front Department has been renamed The Workers' Party's Central Committee Bureau 10, and its functions have been centralized on psychological warfare."
North Korea's United Front Department served as the counterpart to South Korea's Ministry of Unification.
A senior ministry official said the change means Pyongyang is now only focusing on espionage against the South, and not efforts related to reunification.
Other experts said it was notable that the North had decided to keep the department intact although under a different name.
When asked about former President Moon Jae-in's recent memoir in which he wrote he trusted Kim Jong-un's sincerity that he has no intention of using nuclear weapons, the minister responded as follows:
"What's most important is to read our counterpart's 'intention and capability.' North Korea has the capability to threaten us through its nuclear and missile development. If we only focus on its intention while overlooking its ability, this could lead to a misjudgment of the state."
He said one of the toughest challenges remaining was Pyongyang's refusal to engage in dialogue.
"The inter-Korean communication channels should resume regardless of the political and military situation, at least for humanitarian purposes and disaster response measures. It's urgent to restore such channels ahead of the monsoon season."
The minister plans to visit Seonyu-do beach this Friday along with U.S. Special Envoy Julie Turner, where 16-year-old Kim Young-nam was abducted by the North in 1978, to raise awareness of the issue.
Kim Jung-sil, Arirang News.
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2024-05-20, 18:00 (KST)