Unification minister nominee says to seek inter-Korea summit if needed

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister-nominee Cho Myoung-gyon said Monday he will push for a summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if the meeting is needed to resolve the North's nuclear development problem and other inter-Korean issues.

"Various solutions, including a South-North Korea summit, should be reviewed for the sake of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, bringing peace on the Korean Peninsula and developing inter-Korean relations," the unification minister-designate currently undergoing a parliamentary confirmation hearing said in a written response to lawmakers.

The summit "could be pushed for if it is needed in order to resolve the North Korean issue and inter-Korean ties," he noted.

In dealing with North Korea, he will "seek both the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and the advance in inter-Korean relations through all means possible including dialogue and sanctions," Cho said.

But North Korea should first stop its nuclear and missile tests and freeze its nuclear and missile technology advance before a fruitful dialogue between the countries could take place, he stressed. "The specific date and manners (of dialogue) will be reviewed in sync with improvement in the North Korean nuclear issue," he added.

If there's progress in inter-Korean relations and the North Korean nuclear front, the government would also seek to expand and develop the Kaesong Industrial Complex, he said, referring to the inter-Korean joint factory park in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, whose operations were suspended under the previous Park Geun-hye administration.

"There will be limits to normally run the complex because of strengthened sanctions against North Korea under United Nations Security Council resolutions, including bans on opening banks or bank accounts in North Korea," according to the minister nominee. South Korea "will cooperate with the U.N. and the international community on removing the limits if the issue of reopening (of the complex) goes into full swing."

pbr@yna.co.kr
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