Jeong Dong-young, minister of unification (left), speaks during a policy briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Overseas Koreans Agency) and the Ministry of Unification at the Government Complex Seoul Annex on Dec. 19. To his right is Cho Hyun, minister of foreign affairs. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – The unification and foreign ministries launched their vice ministerial-level consultative channel to coordinate policies on North Korea on Friday, officials said.
Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung and Jeong Yeon-doo, vice minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence at the foreign ministry, held a luncheon meeting earlier in the day in the inaugural session of regular consultations, according to the unification ministry.
The consultative channel was launched after a subtle mismatch emerged between the ministries over which should lead consultations with the United States on North Korea policy.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said his ministry would handle consultations with the U.S. on policies related to the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean relations when the foreign ministry launched a regular consultative body with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on North Korea policy last month.
“(The officials) agreed to meet frequently in the future to share information on North Korea’s latest moves, as well as views on North Korea policy,” the unification ministry said in a press release.
(Yonhap)
