This means that even North Korean residents become addicted to Korean dramas once they watch them.
This is what Unification Minister Kim Yong-ho, head of the South Korean government’s Ministry of Unification, which handles inter-Korean relations, says.
We asked him directly about the kind of relationship he plans to build with North Korea, as North Korea calls them “not the same people” and “a hostile country.”
(Saturday Watch 9 Caster Ryoji Ito / Seoul Bureau Chief Yoshiyuki Aoki)
Who is Unification Minister Kim Yong-ho?
When he was a university professor, he posted on a conservative YouTube channel with over 200,000 subscribers. Local media even reported that “We have entered an era where political YouTubers can become cabinet ministers.”
The Ministry of Unification is a government agency that has been responsible for exchanges and economic cooperation projects with North Korea. Under the Yun Seong-yeol administration, we are focusing on raising awareness of the human rights situation in North Korea and disseminating analysis of the situation in North Korea to the international community.
The reason why we say “we are not of the same ethnicity” is
When asked about these changes in North Korea’s policy toward the South, Unification Minister Kim said the following, referring to the results of an interview survey with 6,351 North Korean defectors released in February 2024.
Kim Unification Minister
“According to the interview report, 83% of North Korean defectors watched Korean dramas or foreign dramas while living in the North. There is no one who has only watched episodes of Korean dramas, and once you start watching Korean dramas, you can’t stop watching them.
Residents of the North also naturally come into contact with Korean dramas, become aware of the contradictions in society through the dramas, and are beginning to admire Korean society.
This Korean wave phenomenon is taking root in place of the culture that has dominated until now. Efforts to prevent this appear to be taking the form of emphasizing hostile relationships and denying kinship relationships.”
Unification Minister Kim also said that he is wary of General Secretary Kim Jong Un’s recent move to deny the idea of “unification of the North and South,” which his grandfather and father advocated, saying that South Korea is not subject to “unification.”
“Rejecting the unification policies and achievements of President Kim Il Sung and General Secretary Kim Jong Il is seen as a very dangerous policy that could shake the foundations of hereditary power.
Despite such radical policy changes within the North, we have yet to see a situation in which the government specifically explains these changes to residents or party leaders.
The “Monument to the Three Charters of the Reunification of the Fatherland” (*1) has been removed, but what do the elites and residents of the North think about the government, which has promoted a red-southern policy (*2) with unification as its cause? Do you think so?
We cannot rule out the possibility that internal turmoil may arise as the Kim Jong Un regime, which has inherited power hereditary, undermines its hereditary power base, and we are watching the situation carefully. If there is any turmoil, it is very likely that it will lead to external provocations to quell the turmoil.”
*2 Red-South policy = A policy to unify South Korea under the leadership of North Korea.
Conveying the reality of North Korea to the younger generation
We covered a lecture held at Ewha Womans University in Seoul at the end of March 2024.
In the speech that day, Unification Minister Kim explained about interviews with North Korean defectors, and a Korean-Canadian pastor who was detained by North Korea for more than two and a half years until August 2017 spoke about the situation at the time. I spoke.
He was sentenced to life in prison after he said in a sermon in the United States that “General Secretary Kim Jong Un is a tyrant,” which was deemed to be “a violation of the highest dignity.”
Although he was given food at the facility where he was detained, the food was lacking in nutrients, and he lost 23 kilograms in two months.
When he entered his cell and had to raise his hand to ask for permission to go to the toilet, the pastor said, “It made me realize the importance of freedom.It’s important to me that we are able to eat and live properly.” We have to take it seriously,” he urged the students.
Kim Unification Minister
“Up until now, unification has been discussed at an economic level, such as cost issues, but the people have come to have a very negative perception of unification.
However, if we learn about the poor human rights situation in the North and the economic problems faced by its residents, we will say, “Unification must not be delayed even for a day,” and “The longer unification is delayed, the worse off the lives of North Korean residents will be.” You might think, “It’s only going to get worse.”
If young Koreans who are growing up in a free and prosperous society start to think again about values such as freedom and human rights, I think they will start to think positively about the issue of unification.”
Tackling the abduction issue
According to the Ministry of Unification, the whereabouts of 516 South Koreans abducted by North Korea after the Korean War and more than 60,000 prisoners of war have not been revealed, and six remain detained in North Korea. That’s it.
“I believe that protecting our own citizens is the most important responsibility of a nation.
This is a very difficult issue, but it is very important for the South Korean government to do what it can first, ask the North for what it needs to do, and work tirelessly together with the United States, Japan, the United Nations, and the international community to resolve the issue. I think it is”
The first thing I did was to create a design that symbolized the issue of abduction victims and other issues in order to make them more widely known. The theme is three forget-me-nots, which means “don’t forget me” in the language of flowers.
In February 2024, a domestic fashion brand produced clothing incorporating the design and unveiled it at a fashion show in Seoul.
We also produced badges with this design, which were worn by President Yoon and all cabinet members at the Cabinet meeting held on March 26, 2024.
Choi Sung-yong, whose father was once abducted and has been campaigning for a solution to the problem for over 20 years, said, “Our family had lost hope, but now we’re starting to have some hope.” He expressed his expectations for the South Korean government’s response.
Collaborating with Japan on the abduction issue
Furthermore, we have taken a clear position that we will cooperate with Japan on the abduction issue.
“The tragic incident of Mr. Warmbier (*1) shows that unless the South Korean and Japanese governments, as well as the international community, cooperate to resolve the abduction issue, citizens of other countries will always become victims of North Korea. I am.
Therefore, I believe that South Korea and Japan must actively cooperate on this issue, and I also believe that the international community needs to cooperate.
I believe that if we all work together, the families of the abductees in Japan who are waiting for their families to return will have hope.”
He explained one of the ways we can cooperate with Japan.
Kim Unification Minister
“When investigating the actual human rights situation for North Korean defectors, we conduct a questionnaire asking them, “Did you ever see any abductees when you lived in the North?”
Up until now, the answer options have been “No. 1: Korea,” and “No. 2: Others.” Starting from February this year, we changed the question to include “No. 1: South Korea, No. 2: Japan, and No. 3: Others.”
I hope that if we continue our investigation, we will be able to understand the current situation of Japanese abductees in North Korea.”
On the other hand, regarding dialogue between Japan and North Korea, he said, “I do not object to North Korea having dialogue with Japan and improving relations if it helps peace on the Korean Peninsula and resolving North Korea’s problems.”
After finishing the interview
Unification Minister Kim has recently been frequently quoting the four-character idiom “●sotakudoji” (●= to say goodbye) when explaining his stance on dealing with North Korea.
The literal meaning is that the baby bird can only come out of the egg if it simultaneously pecks the shell from inside the egg and the parent bird from the outside. (Used in the sense of guiding someone to a state of enlightenment.)
Unification Minister Kim said, “It is important to have high hopes for the efforts of North Korean residents, but we, who live in a free democracy, must cooperate.”
On the other hand, North Korea has said that “the window for dialogue is always open,” but there is no sign that North Korea will respond.
I would like to pay attention to whether the policy toward North Korea that is unique to South Korea, which is “the same ethnic group,” will be successful in the future.
(Scheduled to be broadcast on Saturday Watch 9 on April 27th)
saturday watch 9 caster
Ryoji Ito
Joined the station in 1988 and worked as a correspondent for the US, China, France, South Korea, etc. before joining the current station.
Responsible for general international affairs
Seoul Bureau Chief
Yoshiyuki Aoki
Joined in 1994, worked in International Department, Sydney Branch, World News Department, etc.
Current affiliation since September 2021 Second time at Seoul branch
Tags: South Korea North Korea happen NorthSouth relations Collaboration Japan abduction issueInterview Unification Minister Kim Yongho Yun administration NHK WEB special feature
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