Seoul greenlights private inter-Korean dialogue as peace overture

In a significant policy shift aimed at revitalizing inter-Korean relations, South Korea will now allow its citizens to engage in private-level contacts with North Koreans without restrictions, provided such interactions are declared in advance, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young announced.

According to Chung, he approved the removal of existing ministry guidelines that had previously governed declarations of civilian contact with North Koreans, Caliber.Az reports, citing Korean media.

The guidelines had long served as a basis for the government to deny applications from South Koreans seeking to establish communication with individuals in the North, effectively contributing to a prolonged freeze in people-to-people exchanges across the border.

“This (permits) full-range contacts at the private level,” Chung told reporters on his way to work. “Free contacts between the peoples make mutual understanding possible, which can then lead to coexistence.”

The revised policy marks a departure from past practices that imposed strict limitations on inter-Korean communication due to lingering tensions and the technical state of war that continues to define relations between the two Koreas, whose 1950–53 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Under the new rules, South Korean citizens may pursue personal, business, or cultural exchanges with North Koreans as long as they notify the Ministry of Unification in advance. The requirement remains in place due to national security laws, but the policy removes previous discretionary barriers that restricted nearly all civilian interaction.

Minister Chung also stated that a National Security Council meeting scheduled for early August will review possible adjustments to the upcoming Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise with the United States. The large-scale drills, typically held in mid-August, have often been a flashpoint in inter-Korean tensions.

Earlier this week, Chung said he intends to propose a revision to the exercise timetable to President Lee Jae Myung as part of broader efforts to de-escalate tensions and foster dialogue with Pyongyang.

By Vafa Guliyeva