“We have a historic task ahead of us that must definitely be solved… It is the unification of the two Koreas… Complete liberation remains an unfinished task, as the Korean Peninsula remains divided,” Yoon said in a speech marking Liberation Day, which commemorates the end of Japanese colonial rule in 1945.
“The freedom we enjoy must be extended to North Korea… Only when a unified, free and democratic state truly owned by the people is established throughout the entire Korean Peninsula will we finally achieve complete liberation,” he added.
He continued: “I propose today that the authorities of the two Koreas establish an inter-Korean working group. This body can address any issue, from easing tensions to economic cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, disaster response and climate change.”
Yoon urged North Korea to respond to the proposal, saying dialogue and cooperation could bring about substantial progress in inter-Korean relations.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced a change in policy toward South Korea last December, saying that “unification will never happen with this Republic of Korea,” noting that “relations between the North and the South represent relations between two warring states at war.”
In late January 2024, North Korea dismantled the Three Pacts Monument on the outskirts of Pyongyang, dedicated to the North Korean leadership’s plans for reunification with South Korea.
Pyongyang is also expected to draft a new version of the country’s constitution that will not mention the possibility of unification of the two Koreas.
Source: Novosti + Yonhap
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2024-08-16 03:12:37
