Trump's DMZ Crossing: Just a Photo-op or Opportunity for Progress?

Photo 1: On June 30, 2019, Trump crosses the raised concrete strip representing the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) that divides Korea at Panmunjum (the Joint Security Area in the DMZ/Demilitarized Zone), becoming the first sitting US president to step foot on North Korea.

Photo 2: Kim Jong-un crosses the same line into South Korea (accompanied by South Korea's Moon Jae-in), becoming the first North Korean leader to do so, in April 2018.

Photo 3: South Korean college student Im Soo-kyung (who went to North Korea to participate in the World Youth Festival) crosses the line, at the same location, into South Korea in 1989, becoming the first Korean civilian to willfully cross that line (and not by accident, defection or espionage) since the Korean War ended in an armistice and the creation of the MDL/DMZ in 1953.

Symbolism matters in the DMZ, like the Berlin Wall. That concrete line in the DMZ, a highly recognizable -- and painful to all Koreans -- symbol of prolonged Korean division and the last vestige of the Cold War, is now casually crossed over -- by government/military officials and civilians on inter-Korean meetings or exchanges.

And history was made this past Sunday as Trump crossed the line, symbolically as a "peacemaker" (whatever his motivation may have been) in a business suit and not wearing the usual military attire that US presidents had done when visiting the southern side of the DMZ in the past. [Trump's overall antics aside, his unprecedented summits with Kim and this DMZ crossing showed a way besides the business-as-usual approach.]

But that casual crossing has not been the case always. In 1989, Im Soo-kyung (accompanied by Father Moon Kyu-hyun) risked long imprisonment in South Korea for crossing that line (she received five-year sentence for violating South Korea's draconian and archaic National Security Law), in a brave and unprecedented action to help bring about a breakthrough for peace and reunification of Korea.

With persistent efforts and sacrifices of many civilian activists like Im, the once-impenetrable wall dividing Korea began to crack and led to a series of inter-Korean rapprochement and cooperation towards negotiated settlement for peace in Korea.

Now, the US and North Korea must transcend historical hostilities and animosities (and skepticism of cynics) and translate this historical moment into real progress towards negotiating a lasting peace settlement in the Korean Peninsula.

Korea Peace Advocacy Days

More than 60 activists from 20 states gathered in DC for Korea peace advocacy days, sponsored by the Korea Peace Network, composed of U.S. peace organizations and Korean American civic organizations — on the day of the US-DPRK Summit in Singapore, a potential breakthrough in relations between the US and North Korea. 

Activists held a day-long conference at the United Methodist Building on June 11,highlighted by a keynote speech by Congressman Ro Khanner. The group held a peace vigil in front of the White House, just few hours before the start of the Summit. Then on June 12, the participants visited the Congress to advocate for the peace process in the Korean Peninsula

Korean Americans Call for Genuine Peace Ahead of Kim-Trump Summit

NEWS RLEASE

Ahead of the much-anticipated U.S.-North Korea summit scheduled to take place on June 12, Korean Americans are speaking out for an end to “seven decades of hostile relations” between the two countries and a “new era of peace.”

Joined by civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. and renowned social critic Noam Chomsky, 153 organizations across the United States and around the world released a joint statement today calling for a formal end to the Korean War and replacing the 1953 armistice with a permanent peace treaty to move towards establishing normal relations between the two countries.

HK Suh, Vice President of the National Association of Korean Americans, one of the forty-six Korean American organizations that initiated the joint statement, said, “Korean Americans want genuine peace on the Korean peninsula. The unresolved status of the Korean War has been at the root of the U.S.-North Korea conflict. It is our hope that when the leaders of the United States and North Korea meet in Singapore, they will pledge to sign a peace treaty and normalize relations.”

Christine Hong, of the Korea Policy Institute said, "North Korea has paved the way for this peace process to unfold, including by releasing three Korean Americans imprisoned for hostile acts in North Korea and dismantling its nuclear testing site in Punggye-ri. The time is ripe for Donald Trump to meet positive action with positive action, with the goal of creating a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and thereby setting a historic precedent for global disarmament."

Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., who endorsed the joint statement, said, “We are on the brink of resolving a seven-decade old conflict that almost turned into a nuclear war. Leaders in Washington should put aside partisan interests in the historic interest of global peace and resolve to support a peace agreement that will lead to a unified Korea and normalized relations between the United States and North Korea.”

The full text of the “Statement of Unity by Korean Americans and Allies on the Historic Inter-Korean Summit and the Upcoming U.S.-North Korea Summit” and list of endorsers can be viewed here: http://www.zoominkorea.org/statement-of-unity-on-the-upcoming-u-s-north-korea-summit/

Towards Peaceful Settlement in Korea

"Off Ramps to War: Paths to Building Peace with North Korea" conference was held June 13, 2017, at the George Washington University School of International Affairs, Washington, DC,
 discussing various concrete paths towards peaceful settlement and "shared security" in the Korean Peninsular, with former Defense Secretary William Perry, renowned Koreanist Professor Bruce Cumings, veterans for peace, humanitarian NGOs, UN program officer, separated families, scholars, activists, journalists and concerned citizens.

"The Irrational Downfall of Park Geun-hye"

"The Irrational Downfall of Park Geun-hye"


This is a slightly dated article, but gives detailed background analysis of the crisis that led to Park's impeachment. Though the author of this piece did not predict the impeachment, the millions of people in South Korea and overseas (including in the Washington, DC area)
have spoken (peacefully) and their will was reflected in the impeachment vote result.


It is notable that the pseudonym "T.K." used by this author was also used by a famous prolific writer who clandestinely exposed repressive policies of the former president/dictator Park Chung-hee (Park Geun-hye's father) in the 70s and 80s, so "T.K." is fitting for this article.


READ THE ARTICLE

Pres. Park Is Impeached

BREAKING NEWS (from ZoominKorea):

South Korean National Assembly passes motion to impeach Park Geun-hye; 234 out of 300 legislators vote in favor of impeaching Park.

Now that the National Assembly has passed the motion to impeach Park, it is up to the Constitutional Court to decide whether to make the impeachment final in accordance with the constitution. Park will be suspended for the time being as the Constitutional Court deliberates. During this time period, the current Prime Minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn, will serve as the acting president. In order for the impeachment to go officially in effect, six out of the nine judges of the Constitutional Court must agree to rule in favor of the motion within 180 days. And if Park is ruled impeachable, she is to be removed from office and investigated (and possibly prosecuted) for her involvement in the government corruption scandal. Consequently, she would be stripped of privileges normally granted to former presidents including a pension and government-provided security detail.

South Korea can also expect to see a presidential election held within two months following Park’s removal from office if the impeachment motion is approved by the Constitutional Court.

People Demand Resignation of President Park Geun-hye

[From Zoom in Korea]   On October 29, South Korean people took to the streets to demand “Park Geun-hye Step Down!” and show their outrage over Park Geun-hye’s involvement in the recent government corruption scandal. Over 30,000 people participated in the demonstration, which was three times the expected participation.


The scandal, also referred to as “Choi Soon-sil Gate,” has exposed Park Geun-hye to have shared major classified government documents with her close friend, Choi Soon-sil, who lacked official security clearance to legally access government files. Evidence has also emerged suggesting Choi’s involvement in influencing important government decisions made by Park Geun-hye during her presidency.   READ MORE

Petition Campaign in Opposition to the Deployment of THAAD in South Korea Surpasses 100,000

The "We the People" whitehouse.gov petition campaign in opposition to the deployment of the THAAD anti-missile defense system in South Korea has surpassed the 100,000 threshold mark needed to obtain an official response from the White House on the issue.

The petition campaign was initiated by Korean Americans based in the Washington, DC area and spread across the U.S., and the momentum intensified as Koreans in South Korea joined in, including citizens of Seongju where the deployment will take place,  signifying widespread opposition to the move by the South Korean government.

Opposition to THAAD Deployment in South Korea Grows

Opposition to THAAD antimissile system in South Korea is growing, especially fervently by the residents of Seongju (where the THAAD system will be placed), who are concerned about adverse health effects on residents nearby the system.


Koreans in the U.S. has initiated a petition campaign:


Rescind the decision to deploy THAAD antimissile system in South Korea.


The U.S. and South Korean governments, against wide opposition of South Koreans (and strong subsequent backlash from local citizens of the deployment site), have agreed to deploy U.S.-made THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defense) system in South Korea. This measure is supposedly to counter North Korean ballistic missiles and provide additional security, yet this is a controversial move that will likely to escalate tension in the region, by provoking North Korea, China and Russia into a spiraling arms race in the region that is already heavily militarized with weapons of mass destruction. Now, more than ever, is the time to step back and de-escalate tensions by pursuing negotiated settlements that will provide sustainable peace mechanism in the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region. 
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/rescind-decision-deploy-thaad-antimissile-system-south-korea

"Engaging North Korea: US Policies to Improve Bilateral Relations"

Engaging North Korea: US Policies to Improve Bilateral Relations


Sponsored by Korea Peace Network and Partnerships for International Strategies in Asia (PISA)
Thursday, June 23, 2016, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

The Elliott School of International Affairs, GWU, Washington, DC


Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have arguably reached historic highs in the first few months of 2016. Relations between the two countries appear deadlocked following North Korea´s nuclear test in January, the largest ever U.S.-South Korea military exercises, several North Korean rocket launches, US-led sanction efforts, vicious rhetoric and more. Further, the Obama Administration´s policy of ´strategic patience´ has not yielded diplomatic progress and both official and back-channel dialogue have reportedly ceased.


Yet, despite the impasse between the two countries, there remain an array of policy options to help de-escalate tensions, increase understanding, build trust, and ultimately pave the way for a peacebuilding process. Join the Korea Peace Network and GWU´s Partnership for International Strategies in Asia as we explore a menu of policy options to build a more peaceful Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia. The all-day event featured discussions with academics, policy analysts, U.S. government officials, practitioners from across the foreign policy spectrum, and more.


9:30-10:45 Panel I
The Korea Exception to the Mine Ban Treaty & Obama´s Last Days in Office
11:00-12:30 Panel II
Remembering the Forgotten: Retrieving the Remains of US Veterans Left in North Korea
1:30-3:00 Panel III
Communication Breakdown: People-to-people Exchanges & Building Understanding
3:30-6:00 Film Screening and remarks on Divided Families
Film: "People are the Sky" - Dai Sil Kim-Gibson

A Plea for Peace in Korea

Photo: Rally in South Korea calling for the end of military exercises (war games) during the heightened tension in the Korean Peninsula.


“Heart speaks to heart”


By Simone Chun


The latest sanctions on North Korea are having immediate effects, including jingoistic reports from the foreign media on Korea and the halting of humanitarian aid to the North from international NGOs. Now is the time to bolster efforts to promote humanitarian and people-to-people exchange with North Korea: it’s the only channel left under the current political climate.      READ MORE

Protest on the Korea-Japan "Comfort Women" Announcement

The 1221st "Wednesday Protest" took place in front of the Japanese embassy (special protest in Washington, DC) with survivor and delegation from South Korea on the "comfort women"/military sex slavery issue. The following is the statement from the rally.


We Denounce the Korea-Japan Announcement on the “Comfort Women” Issue

The military sexual slavery (“comfort women”) system perpetuated by the Japanese military during the World War II in Asia was a war crime committed by the wartime Japanese government, and it is clearly sex crime and human rights violation against women (mostly Korean), including minors aged 13 to 16.

To this day, the Japanese government has made statements on this issue which attempt to whitewash its own responsibility and the coercive nature of the abusive system. The recent Korea-Japan joint announcement on this issue does not drift afar from this.

The Japanese government needs to admit the coercive nature of the “comfort women” mobilization as historical accuracy and provide its legal responsibility and direct reparations – only then will there be sincerity in its apology and lead to the true recovery of honor and dignity of the surviving victims.

We also denounce the diplomatic folly by the Park Geun-hye government of South Korea for reaching this agreement without consultation with the survivors, that does not include official apology from the Japanese government, that yielded to the Japanese pressure on possibly removing the statue (which depicts a victim) across from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, and agreeing to “irreversible” clause that will prevent future settlements on this issue. Many Korean citizens have voiced strong anger and the survivors have proclaimed this agreement as null and void.

In solidarity with the continuing effort of the survivors on this issue, we will continue to push for full and sincere apology and legal responsibility from the Japanese government.

March 10, 2016
Participants of the 1221st Wednesday Protest, in front of Japanese Embassy in the USA

Contact: nabiusadc@gmail.com

A Statement by Korean NGO on Korea-Japan Agreement on the "Comfort Women" Issue

Here is a statement from the South Korean NGO working on the "comfort women" issue on the recent governmental agreement on the issue, citing the absence of legal responsibility by the Japanese government and the lack of Korean government's consultation with the survivors:

----------------

The Official Statement from the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan regarding the Agreement on the Military Sexual Slavery (“Comfort Women”) Issue during the Korea-Japan Ministerial Meeting

Today’s meeting between the foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan concluded with an agreement on the resolution for the military sexual slavery issue. The survivors of the “Comfort Women” system as well as the Korean citizens sincerely hoped for the rightful resolution on the issue through this meeting, on the year which marks the 70th anniversary of Korea’s independence.

The Agreement specified that: first, Japanese government feels its responsibilities for the military sexual slavery; second, Prime Minister Abe apologizes as the representative of the Japanese government; and third, the Korean government establishes a foundation where Japanese government provides the funding while the two governments collaboratively manage initiatives.

Although the Japanese government announced that it “feels [its] responsibilities,” the statement lacks the acknowledgment of the fact that the colonial government and its military had committed a systematic crime. The government had not just been simply involved but actively initiated the activities which were criminal and illegal. Also, the apology was not directly made by the Prime Minister himself as the official representative of the government but was read by a diplomatic representative, while it was unclear to whom he was actually apologizing. Hence it is hard to believe if it was a sincere apology.

In addition, the announcement specified that Korean government will be responsible for establishing the foundation, despite the fact that Japanese government must be actively involved in follow-up initiatives, including acknowledgement of its criminal responsibilities and legal reparations. It appears that Japan will pass the future responsibilities on to the government of the victims’ country after simply paying off the money. Also, it is notable that the Agreement did not specify anything on preventative initiatives such as truth seeking and history education.

The Korean government’s attitude towards this Agreement, which is vague and incomplete, is rather shocking. The government concurred that this Agreement represents a “final, irreversible” settlement of the issues, as long as the Japanese government is committed to the due diligence in the future. Meanwhile, the Korean government promised that it will seek a resolution for the matter of the Peace Monument in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul in order to maintain the dignity of the Embassy, and will limit its criticism against Japanese government internationally. This is a diplomatic humiliation.

The Korean government accepted the Japanese government’s absurd condition on the Agreement which demanded the removal of the Peace Monument. Moreover, the attitude of the former which declared that it will not even mention the military sexual slavery issue in the future is shameful and disappointing.

The Peace Monument cannot be a condition or means for any Agreement. It is a public property and a historic symbol representing the peaceful spirit of the Wednesday Demonstrations, which has been continued by the survivors and the citizens for over a thousand Wednesdays. The Korean government cannot mention anything about the removal or moving of the Monument. While the survivors and the civil society cannot accept the Agreement, the governments cannot push their own agenda. Such an act of arrogation only adds to the pain of the victims even more.

All these years, the survivors, supporting civil society organizations and citizens demanded that Japanese government acknowledge its national, legal responsibilities clearly and commit to due diligence in order to recover dignity and human rights of the survivors and prevent any such tragedy in the future. However, the Agreement today is only a diplomatic collusion which betrays the demands from all.

The military sexual slavery issue must be resolved to bring true friendship and peace between Korea and Japan while more survivors are still alive. However, this cannot be rushed while defying proper principle and common sense.

In 2012, the 12th Asia Solidarity Conference for the Resolution of the Military Sexual Slavery by Japan Issue adopted recommendations for the Japanese government to commit to its governmental, legal responsibilities. In order to make such a commitment actually happen, the Korean Council will continue to work tirelessly with the survivors and the domestic and international civil society.

28 December, 2015

The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan

 

www.womenandwar.net 

 In South Korea, a Dictator’s Daughter Cracks Down on Labor

In South Korea, a Dictator’s Daughter Cracks Down on Labor

By Tim Shorrock, The Nation 

Following in the footsteps of her dictator father, South Korea’s President, Park Geun-hye, is cracking down on labor and citizens groups opposed to the increasingly authoritarian policies of her ruling “New Frontier” party known as Saenuri.

The situation could reach a critical point this weekend, when tens of thousands of workers organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) join forces with farmers, students, and other civic organizations in a national action in Seoul to protest Park’s conservative labor, education, and trade policies.

On Saturday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency banned the march, with Park’s Justice Minister Kim Hyun-Woong vowing to “uproot illegal and violent demonstration…no matter how much sacrifice is required.” Meanwhile, the president herself equated the protesters—some of whom wear masks as protection from riot police—to terrorists.  READ MORE.

70th Anniversary of Korean Independence/Division Marked

August 15, 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from the Japanese colonialism, and also the 70th anniversary of Korea’s division into two occupying zones that led to a tragic war and divided states, with seemingly perpetual animosities and conflicts.
2015 is also the 62nd anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice, an armistice that has not been replaced with permanent peace treaty that will officially end the Korean War. Without a peace treaty i...n place, occasional military confrontations, spiraling arms race, collective suspicions and hostilities ensue without an end in sight.


On August 15, where numerous events marking the day took place in Korea and overseas, the National Campaign for Peaceful Resolution in Korea also held activities in the DC area (a rally at the White House and a forum at The William Cho Peace Center in Fairfax, VA. The Campaign calls for "the signing of a peace treaty to end the Korean War as a prerequisite first step, and urge the stakeholders and policymakers to engage in negotiations aimed at reduction of tensions that will pave a way for a lasting peace settlement in the Korean Peninsula that includes normalization of relations, nuclear disarmament and conventional arms reduction."

More than 500 academics issue statement for peace in Northeast Asia

[From The Hankyureh

More than 500 academics from South Korea, Japan, the US, and Europe released a joint statement calling for the resolution of conflict in Northeast Asia 70 years after South Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule and 50 years after South Korea and Japan signed a treaty normalizing their diplomatic relations. The statement, released five years after a similar statement, is called “2015 Joint Statement by Korean, Japanese and International Scholars for East Asia’s Freedom from the Past.”
READ MORE

Campaign for Peaceful Settlement in Korea

[Information on a campaign for peace in Korea.]

The National Campaign for Peaceful Settlement in Korea

2015 marks the 70^th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from the Japanese colonialism, and also the 70^th anniversary of Korea’s division into two occupying zones that led to a tragic war and divided states, with seemingly perpetual animosities and conflicts.  

2015 is also the 62^nd anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice, an armistice that has NOT been replaced with a permanent peace treaty that will officially end the Korean War. Without a peace treaty in place, occasional military confrontations, spiraling arms race, collective suspicions and hostilities ensue without an end in sight.

As concerned citizens, we call for the signing of a peace treaty to end the Korean War as a prerequisite first step, and urge the stakeholders and policymakers to engage in negotiations aimed at reduction of tensions that will pave a way for a lasting peace settlement in the Korean Peninsula that includes normalization of relations, nuclear disarmament and conventional arms reduction.

Plan of Actions: (July 20 to August 16, 2015)

Letter-writing campaign to elected officials (local, state, national level)

Korea Peace Advocacy Day on July 24 (visits to the Congress)
Rally on July 26 at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in DC
Rally at the White House on August 15
Symposium at the William Cho Peace Center, Fairfax, VA on August 15

Initiators: National Association of Korean Americans (NAKA), Coalition of Korean Americans (CKA)

Endorsers (As of 7/20/15): Action for One Korea (AOK), ANSWER, Good Friends USA, National Campaign to End the Korean War, Veterans for Peace/Korea Peace Campaign, DC Methodist Church, Ham Seok-hun Society of DC, LA Sasase, Storrs Korean Church UCC, Conn., Washington DC Korean Citizens Academy

Contact: nakaadvocacy@gmail.com, info@heemang.org

Marching Towards Peace In Korea

By Tim Shorrock in PoliticoMagazine 

On Sunday [May 24, 2015], Gloria Steinem, looking radiant but tired in a white dress traditionally worn by Korean women, walked into a room packed with reporters and photographers at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine building in Paju, South Korea, just a mile from the North Korean border.

Gathered around the American feminist icon were 30 women from 15 countries who had just accomplished what only two foreign groups had ever done before—cross the demilitarized zone dividing the communist North from the capitalist South. They were greeted in the south by hundreds of women and peace and unification activists from a country long divided by war and 60 years of tension.  Read more:

Korean Atomic Bomb Victims

Not many know that more than one seventh of WW II atomic bomb victims were Korean colonial subjects, most of whom were forced workers in Japanese military factories during the war. Korean "hibakusha" (atomic bombing survivor) were the forgotten people -- not compensated by the Japanese government when Japanese A-bomb victims were compensated, and neglected by the Korean government, as they were not included in the reparations that Japan gave to South Korea when the two countries normalized relations.  They are forgotten victims of colonialism and war like the military sex slaves ("comfort women"). 

Female peace activists say they’ll walk across the DMZ

From The Hankyoreh Newspaper in Seoul, Korea: http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/682155.html

Eyes are on Korea after a group of well-known female peace activists announced they will walk across the DMZ on May 24 for peace on the peninsula. The event suggests that women around the world are becoming more involved in the Korean Peninsula, which remains trapped in the Cold War even 70 years after the end of World War II.

In its coverage of the press conference for the event, which was held at the UN headquarters in New York on Mar. 11, the Associated Press said that “prominent women” were “making a dramatic statement in Korean relations.”

Along with two recipients of the Nobel peace prize - Mairead Maguire and Leymah Gbowee - women from a variety of backgrounds will be joining in the walk, including writers, scholars, filmmakers, and humanitarian activists. Most of the 30 participants, who hail from 12 countries, will be paying their travel expenses out of pocket.

Gloria Steinem, 81, regarded as an icon of the women’s movement in the US, drew attention by signing on as honorary co-chair of the event.

Steinem, who played a leading role in the feminist movement in the US in the 1960s and 1970s and was active in social issues and the peace movement after that, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, the greatest honor that the US President can bestow on a private individual.

Steinem has taken great interest in the event, as her attendance at the press conference suggests. “It’s hard to imagine a more physical symbol of the insanity of dividing human beings than this zone. To me, to walk across it, has huge, huge, huge importance,” Agence France-Presse quoted her as saying.

Steinem’s deep interest in Korean Peninsula issues reportedly goes back to the sad story of a high school friend who was received a draft notice to fight in the Korean War.

“The friend’s father had suffered from trauma in the Second World War, and when he saw his son’s draft notice, he decided he couldn’t allow him to go to war,” explained Chung Hyun-kyung, a professor at New York’s Union Theological Seminary and member of the event’s executive committee. “So he killed his son and then himself.”

“Steinem noted that women had made a big contribution to ending conflict in Northern Ireland and Liberia, and she asked why that wouldn’t work on the Korean Peninsula too,” Chung added.

Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Walt, began making movies after meeting the Liberian female peace activist Leymah Gbowee in 2006. In 2008, she shared the story of the country’s peace movement with “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” a documentary about Gbowee.

Other participants included Medea Benjamin, co-founded of the leading women’s anti-war group Code Pink, and Ann Wright, a former US Army colonel who resigned from the State Department in 2003 in protest of the Iraq War.

Among the Korean and Korean-American participants joining them were Rutgers University professor Suzy Kim, Korea Policy Institute co-founder Christine Ahn, Chung, and women’s rights activist Kim Ban-a.

Foreign nationals don’t need approval from the South Korean government to visit North Korea, but they would need to apply with the UN Command to pass through the DMZ. Foreign nationals traveling between North and South Korea must pass through South Korean government immigration procedures.

“If we are provided with specific plans, including their course while traveling in North Korea, then it’s a matter for discussion with the relevant agency,” a Unification Ministry official explained.