Unification Minister nominee Kim lays out his Pyongyang roadmap

Unification Minister nominee Kim Yung-ho said that past inter-Korean agreements need to be "selectively" reconsidered in his first press briefing Friday.

Kim Yung-ho, the unification minister nominee, speaks to reporters Friday in front of the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue in Jongno District, central Seoul, his temporary office to prepare for a parliamentary confirmation hearing. [YONHAP]

Unification Minister nominee Kim Yung-ho said that past inter-Korean agreements need to be "selectively" reconsidered in his first press briefing Friday.

"The Ministry of Unification will pursue policies in a principled and value-oriented direction, in accordance with President Yoon Suk Yeol's North Korea policy," Kim told reporters at the Office of the Inter-Korean Dialogue in Jongno District, central Seoul.

He then stressed that the "role of the Unification Ministry must change."

Kim highlighted freedom, human rights, and the rule of law as principles to be pursued by the ministry.

On Thursday, President Yoon Suk Yeol named Kim, a professor of political science and diplomacy at Sungshin Women's University, to replace Kwon Young-se, his first unification minister and fellow prosecutor-turned-politician.

Kim is predicted to take a hard-line stance towards North Korea and is potentially the most hawkish unification minister candidate to date.

He previously served as a presidential secretary of unification affairs and later as the Foreign Ministry's human rights ambassador under the Lee Myung-bak administration.

If confirmed, he could bring a wave of reforms to the Unification Ministry.

When asked by a reporter about his views about "continuity in unification policy," as had been emphasized by Kwon, Kim replied Friday that "continuity is definitely important in policy implementation."

But he added, "In an evolving situation, it is necessary to selectively consider things such as inter-Korean agreements."

This includes the inter-Korean military accord signed on Sept. 19, 2018, during a summit between then President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang amid a détente on the peninsula.

His remarks on an "evolving situation" is interpreted as referring to North Korea's refusal to engage in dialogue and increasingly frequent ballistic missile launches since last year.

Regarding the 2018 inter-Korean military accord, Kim said, "If North Korea fails to faithfully abide by the Sept. 19 military agreement in the future, or if it conducts high-intensity provocations again, I think our government will have to decide on our own stance."

He added that "while it is important for both sides to adhere to the agreement, it has been confirmed that North Korea has already violated part of it."

The Yoon government has maintained that it will respect and implement past inter-Korean agreements.

This comes as some officials indicated that the presidential office has been concerned that the Unification Ministry's stances do not necessarily align with its view on North Korea policy.

Kim's appointment and his known views on Pyongyang immediately prompted worries from the public that he may try to drastically reform the role of the Unification Ministry, which has held the unique task of encouraging inter-Korean dialogue even through conservative governments in the past.

Kim still awaits a parliamentary confirmation hearing process.

Speaking to reporters, Kim clarified his past remarks that were seemingly in favor of overthrowing the Kim Jong-un regime and stressed that South Korea "is not currently pursuing coercive unification by absorption" and "aims for a gradual and peaceful unification."

Kim likewise reiterated his view that the North Korean human rights issue should be a major agenda in its Pyongyang policy.

"Since the Yoon Suk Yeol government aims to become a global pivotal state, human rights issues must be approached from a universal perspective," Kim said.

He also urged the"active consideration" of a Helsinki Process on the Korean Peninsula, referring to the accords signed in Helsinki, Finland in 1975 by 35 countries, including the United States, the Soviet Union and most European nations, that called for sovereign equality, prevention of war as well as the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Regarding humanitarian aid, he said, "There are internal circumstances in North Korea, such as Covid-19 border closures, but if Pyongyang is responsive, I think it should be pursued without conditions."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]