Presidential committee unveils white paper on unification preparation

By a2017001

Published : May 2, 2017 - 11:56 Updated : May 2, 2017 - 16:29

A South Korean presidential committee on Tuesday released a white paper on its preparations for inter-Korean unification to help people better understand South Korea's unification policy, officials said.

The white paper was published to document the Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation's activities for the past three years and present tasks needed for a united Korea, according to the committee.

In July 2014, South Korea set up the 50-member committee, chaired by former President Park Geun-hye, which also includes the unification minister, foreign minister, five other ministers and heads of state-run think tanks, and 30 private experts.

This photo taken on Oct. 18, 2016, shows a seminar on foreign affairs and security held in Seoul hosted by the Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation. (Yonhap)

Park, who was ousted in March, ordered the formation of the preparatory committee for unification in January 2014. She said that inter-Korean unification would be a "bonanza" for both Koreas, as well as a blessing for neighboring countries.

But the committee's activities were restrained by strained inter-Korean ties due to North Korea's continuous nuclear and missile provocations. North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year alone and launched ballistic missiles.

North Korea also showed an angry reaction to the formation of the committee, saying that the move is aimed at absorbing North Korea in the name of unification.

Chung Jong-wook, deputy head of the committee, expressed regret that North Korea did not respond to South Korea's proposal for dialogue in 2014.

In December 2014, the committee proposed minister-level talks with North Korea in January 2015 to discuss pending bilateral issues, including the reunion of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

Seoul also sought to craft a charter for inter-Korean unification in 2015, the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, but the plan fell through amid Pyongyang's provocations. (Yonhap)