By Deutsche Welle
Aug 15, 2024, 01:23 AM EDT
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Thursday proposed dialogue with North Korea and outlined his vision for reunification in his speech marking Liberation Day, Japan’s surrender in World War II, which marked the end of colonial rule on the Korean peninsula.
Yoon promised to expand information with the hermetic neighboring country and proposed creating an official dialogue channel that can address “any issue,” at a time marked by inter-Korean estrangement after Pyongyang amended its Constitution to describe Seoul as its “number one enemy” and precisely ruled out any desire for reunification with the South.
“Complete liberation remains an unfinished task” in Korea, the South Korean leader said, adding: “The freedom we enjoy should be extended to the frozen kingdom of the North, where people are deprived of freedom and suffer from poverty and hunger.”
“Only when a unified free and democratic nation legitimately owned by the people is established across the Korean Peninsula will we finally achieve complete liberation,” Yoon insisted.
Yoon outlined three key tasks for reunification: defending South Korea’s freedom from fake news and other destabilizing elements, bringing about change in North Korea through improvements in human rights and external reporting, and strengthening cooperation with the international community.
Tension relief and cooperation
“Today I propose that the authorities of both Koreas establish an inter-Korean working group” to address issues such as easing tensions, economic cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and responses to natural disasters and climate change, the South Korean president said.
Yoon urged North Korea to respond to the proposal, noting that dialogue and cooperation can bring substantial progress in the stalled inter-Korean relations, and also called for expanding North Koreans’ right to information.
“Testimonies from numerous North Korean defectors show that our radio and television broadcasts helped them realize the false propaganda and the instigations emanating from the North Korean regime,” said Yoon, who believes that reunification “is the only way to improve their lives,” referring to North Koreans.
The South Korean leader said the South will set up a Fund for Freedom and Human Rights in North Korea to support non-governmental activities that promote freedom and human rights in the country, while continuing to try to provide humanitarian aid to the North.
Yoon was referring to Pyongyang’s rejection of aid recently offered by Seoul and international organisations in the wake of the serious flooding that has affected the country.
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