Unification minister vows consistent N.K. policy, marking key summit anniv.

South Korea will continue to pursue dialogue with North Korea in line with the spirit of reconciliation rooted in the first-ever summit of their leaders over two decades ago, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se said Wednesday.

Kwon stressed the need to maintain a consistent policy toward the North to achieve stable inter-Korean relations amid such “hard times,” as he delivered a speech to mark the 22nd anniversary of the June 15 Declaration adopted at a historic summit in 2000 between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

“The Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s policy on North Korea will open a new path that embraces the flexibility shown by the previous liberal administrations, as well as a stable stance kept by conservative administrations in the past,” he said.

He also noted the importance for the two Koreas to respect the existing inter-Korean agreements, including the July 4 joint communique signed in 1972, known to be the first agreement signed by South and North Korea since the division of the peninsula, as well as the Panmunjom Declaration agreed between former President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018.

Kwon also voiced concerns over the North’s recent test-firing of missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile, and strongly urged the North to immediately cease all provocations.

In a separate event hosted by the South Korean committee set up to uphold the June 15 Joint Declaration, its North Korean counterpart sent a message criticizing the South Korean government and urged the implementation of inter-Korean declarations based on “national autonomy.”

“The conservative force that newly took power in the South has taken itself as an assault force for the realization of the U.S.’ hostile policy against North Korea,” it said.