{"id":2202397,"date":"2023-10-03T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T23:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2202397"},"modified":"2023-10-02T16:07:07","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T07:07:07","slug":"south-korean-unification-ministers-german-visit-hints-seouls-changing-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/10\/south-korean-unification-ministers-german-visit-hints-seouls-changing-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korean unification minister\u2019s German visit hints Seoul\u2019s changing policy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South Korean unification minister Kim Yung-ho <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20231002001100315?section=news\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">warned<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> North Korea against its recurring pattern of initiating military provocations. Speaking at a conference organized by the Berlin chapter of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, Kim underscored that such behavior would not be tolerated by the Yoon administration. He highlighted the North\u2019s history of engaging in dialogue, receiving assistance and subsequently breaking off agreements, emphasizing that the Yoon administration will address North Korean provocations with principled responses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kim\u2019s remarks come during his week-long visit to Britain and Germany. On Tuesday, he plans to be in Hamburg to commemorate the 1990 reunification of Germany. Additionally, he will engage with government officials, seeking support for Seoul\u2019s objective of building a reunified Korean Peninsula.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kim Yung-ho\u2019s attendance at this year\u2019s German Unity Day, commemorating the 1990 reunification of East and West Germany, carries significant symbolic weight, especially in the context of the Korean Peninsula\u2019s own reunification aspirations. The historical parallel between Germany\u2019s reunification and the potential reunification of South and North Korea is difficult to ignore. While Germany\u2019s reunification was marked by the absorption of East Germany by West Germany, South Korea has been <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/2021\/07\/south-korea-does-not-pursue-unification-by-absorption-ministry\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">keen to distance itself<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from any notion of \u201cunification by absorption,\u201d particularly during the previous Moon Jae-in administration. However, North Korea remains wary, often <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/2017\/07\/n-korean-media-rejects-s-koreas-cunning-2020-peace-treaty-plan\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">accusing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the South of harboring ambitions to unify the peninsula under Seoul\u2019s control.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The decision of Kim Yung-ho, a figure already under <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theminjoo.kr\/main\/sub\/news\/view.php?brd=11&amp;post=1197477\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">scrutiny<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by the opposition Democratic Party (DP), to attend the German Unity Day celebrations is likely to intensify political debates back home. The DP has previously labeled Kim as \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/2023\/07\/yoon-suk-yeol-appoints-new-unification-minister-despite-opposition-objections\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unsuitable<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d for his role as unification minister, pointing to his <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20230803005300325?section=news\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> against seeking a formal end to the Korean War, a position that contrasts sharply with former President Moon Jae-in\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/2021\/10\/trust-and-pride-in-the-military-behind-proposal-to-end-korean-war-says-moon\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">repeated pledges<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Further, President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20230328002952315\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">declaration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in March 2023, asserting that Seoul would withhold financial assistance to North Korea as long as it pursues nuclear weapons, adds another layer to the narrative. Kim\u2019s presence at the German event will undoubtedly provide more fodder for the opposition\u2019s critiques against both him and the Yoon administration.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-tags\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/domestic-politics\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/inter-korean-foreign-relations\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Inter-Korean &amp; Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Korean unification minister Kim Yung-ho warned North Korea against its recurring pattern of initiating military provocations. Speaking at a conference organized by the Berlin chapter of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, Kim underscored that such behavior would not be tolerated by the Yoon administration. He highlighted the North\u2019s history of engaging in dialogue, receiving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2202394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[27,28],"class_list":["post-2202397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-briefings","tag-domestic-politics","tag-inter-korean-foreign-relations"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>South Korean unification minister\u2019s German visit hints Seoul\u2019s changing policy - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/10\/south-korean-unification-ministers-german-visit-hints-seouls-changing-policy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Korean unification minister\u2019s German visit hints Seoul\u2019s changing policy - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Korean unification minister Kim Yung-ho warned North Korea against its recurring pattern of initiating military provocations. 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