Unification minister nominee says human rights will top agenda of inter-苹果im虚拟机

Unification minister nominee says human rights will top agenda of inter

2024-06-06 19:00:31

Kim Yung-ho,<strong></strong> nominee for next unification minister, speaks to reporters in front of the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon

Kim Yung-ho, nominee for next unification minister, speaks to reporters in front of the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue in Seoul, Friday. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon

His 'uncompromising' principles set to collide with very nature of Pyongyang regime

By Jung Min-ho

Kim Yung-ho, the nominee for next unification minister, vowed on Friday not to compromise on any of his principles in the ministry's efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, saying that human rights are among the unnegotiable values.

Speaking to reporters at the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue in Seoul, Kim said the rights violations of ordinary North Koreans are "very serious" and South Korea has so far shown a lack of willingness to resolve the issue.

"Freedom, human rights and the rule of law are among the uncompromising things," said Kim, who is a political diplomacy professor. "From a scholar's perspective, the international community has paid extensive attention to addressing the issue, while South Korea has relatively been less so … As stakeholders in the unification matter, we should pay more attention to the suffering of North Koreans."

His remarks offer a glimpse into how the policy on North Korea will shift after the administration under President Yoon Suk Yeol replaced three key posts in charge of handling inter-Korean relations ― unification minister, vice minister and a presidential secretary for unification ― in Thursday's shake-up.

Ambassador to Thailand Moon Seoung-hyun, who was tapped as a vice minister, is the first official from the foreign ministry to be called for the post since the establishment of the Ministry of Unification in 1998.

Analysts told The Korea Times that all this is an obvious sign of a human rights upfront policy toward the North in close cooperation with other countries, with the aim of creating joint pressure ― possibly to an unprecedented level ― as a means of changing its abhorrent behavior.

Some say the policy could be successful to a certain degree, with the regime appearing to be conscious of international criticism on rights issues. But others worry that it would put Seoul on a collision course with the very nature of the authoritarian leadership in Pyongyang.

"There have been signs that such international pressure pushed the regime to change some awful practices. For example, the number of North Korean escapees who say they have seen public executions decreased in recent years," said Joung Eun-lee, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a think tank. "It has also passed many laws regarding, say, crimes, possibly because of international criticism on its justice system without laws."

People visit Mansu Hill to pay homage to the statues of their late leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il ahead of the 27th anniversary of the death of Kim Il-sung, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this July 7, 2021, file photo. AP-Yonhap

The minister nominee, who studied the Korean War as a scholar, demonstrated his hardline stance on the North Korea's ruling Kim family and suggested in past media columns and on his personal YouTube channel that unification would not be attainable without regime change.

Asked whether this belief would affect his policymaking as minister, Kim avoided providing a direct answer, saying he would factor practical challenges into account while serving in the government.

But given his reputation in academic circles, one scholar, who refused to be named, said Kim would likely put forward human rights issues far more aggressively than the incumbent minister, Kwon Young-se, did and might well refrain from engaging in any inter-Korean talks held simply for the sake of holding talks. This could become a bone of contention at the forthcoming confirmation hearing at the National Assembly where liberal opposition lawmakers will likely question him on the very purpose of why the government department should exist.

"Given that a drastic improvement in human rights is not possible until North Korea, or any other country, reaches a certain level of economic development, I believe there should be a balanced, gradual policy approach. Under his leadership, the focus would likely be placed on increasing pressure, which concerns me," she said.

Cheong Seong-chang, an expert on North Korea a the Sejong Institute, a think tank, reckons a human rights upfront policy would inevitably worsen inter-Korean relations, which are already in their worst state in many years, with Pyongyang stepping up efforts to develop ever more destructive weapons.

"North Korea could respond with aggression, as it did with the inter-Korean liaison office," he said, referring to the North's blowing up of the office in June 2020 in protest of South Korean civic groups' sending of anti-regime leaflets over the border with balloons. "I'm worried about the possibility of its provocations in border areas."

（作者：汽车音响）

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