South Korea to draw up new plan for reunification with North Korea

The Ministry of Unification of the Republic of Korea plans to develop, after consultations with experts, a new medium-and long-term plan for reunification with the DPRK and publish it during 2023.

On January 27, the Ministry of Unification presented a report on its goals for 2023, which formulated seven main tasks, TASS reports.

In particular, the authorities are to devise a plan for the reunification of the two states of the Korean Peninsula.

"In the first half of the year, we will listen to the opinions of the public and experts. We plan to publish [the initiative] during the year," the report says. The South Korean authorities stressed that the plan would be based on universal values such as freedom, human rights, openness, and communication, its end aim being peaceful and democratic unification.

In addition, among the seven tasks is the promotion of the normalization of relations between the South and the North.

The other guidelines are the promotion of the "bold initiative" of President Yoon Seok-yeol's administration, shaping the South Koreans’ right view of unification, reforming the defector support system, improving the human rights situation in the DPRK, and strengthening the potential and foundation for unification. In particular, the officials indicated that they planned to allow access to the North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun at special centers.

Unification Minister Kwon Yong-se said that his office should be ready to make changes and create a "denuclearized, peaceful and prosperous Korean peninsula" despite the fact that "there were many difficulties in inter-Korean relations last year and more are expected this year."