Unification minister discusses NK issues with Swedish envoy
During talks with Swedish Ambassador to South Korea Karl-Olof Andersson, Chung expressed appreciation for Sweden's diplomatic efforts to "ease inter-Korean tensions and to promote peace on the peninsula as a country that maintains diplomatic relations with North Korea and operates an embassy in Pyongyang."
Chung emphasized that South Korea and Sweden will continue to work closely together, noting that Sweden's diplomatic network and trusted relationship with North Korea can make a "significant contribution to resuming dialogue on the peninsula."
Highlighting Sweden's longstanding commitment to the Korean Peninsula, Andersson said his country will maintain close communication with Seoul on issues regarding North Korea.
Sweden established diplomatic relations with North Korea in 1973 as the first Western country and has often acted as a bridge between Washington and Pyongyang.
It also hosted the working-level nuclear talks between the top envoys of the United States and the two Koreas in 2019 before a summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Andersson is among the few diplomats to have served as ambassador to both Koreas, having served as ambassador to North Korea from 2012 to 2014. (Yonhap)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
![[Editorial] Avoid overoptimism](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Avoid overoptimism
NK begins to dismantle loudspeakers; Strong military is basis for detente North Korea on Saturday began dismantling some of its loudspeakers installed along the border for noise campaigns against South Korea, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The move is encouraging in that the North seemingly took a corresponding measure after the South finished removing its anti-Pyongyang loudspeakers. But it is premature to conclude based on this response alone that inter-Korean tensions have begun to thaw. The South Korean military suspended the propaganda broadcasts it had been sending to North Korea through its loudspeakers on June 11. About eight hours later, the North turned off its loudspeakers that since last year had jarred the nerves of South Korean residents in border towns by blaring eerie noises. However, Kim Yo-jong, a high-ranking official of the North Korean Workers' Party and sister of its leader Kim Jong-un, said on July 28 that the South's suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts was not worthy of evaluation. She also said that there is no way for the North to sit across from the South for talks. Yet, Seoul took another step to appease Pyongyang. On Aug. 7, it postponed about half of some 40 field training drills in the annual South Korea-US combined Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise set to take place later this month. Then two days later, the North was spotted dismantling some of its loudspeakers. North Korea's removal of loudspeakers could be seen as a sign of positive change in South-North relations. Pyongyang has ignored Seoul since it ended communication with the South unilaterally in April 2023. But overoptimism is dangerous. Even though the government in Seoul seeks to ease inter-Korean tensions, it should not make one-sided concessions. It should not try to meet the North's unreasonable demands, either. However, the Lee administration's measures toward North Korea are worrisome. It may be going too far to appease the North. The decision to push back some training of the Ulchi Freedom Shield came after Kim Yo-jong condemned the South Korea-US joint drills. After her condemnation, South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young reportedly said he would suggest to the president that the military exercise be rescheduled, and part of it actually was rescheduled. It is hard to exclude the possibility that South Korea might have first asked to postpone parts of the exercise in an effort to curry favor with the North. But soldiers who train less or do not train at all would not be able to defend their country in a time of emergency. South Korea's military strength reportedly decreased from 560,000 in 2019 to 450,000 in July this year. Two years ago, it fell below the 500,000 mark regarded as the minimum level needed in the state of armistice between South and North Korea. Now, it is 50,000 short of that very level. Due to the decrease in military strength, the number of division-level units is said to have gone down from 59 in 2006 to 42. Diminishing force and unit dissolutions could produce ill effects for national security in many ways. South Korea must not forget that Kim Jong-un has defined South Korea as its unchangeable No. 1 enemy state. The North, while persistently upgrading its nuclear weapons and missiles, has even accumulated combat experience by sending its soldiers to Russia to fight against Ukraine. It is also expanding weapons and technology deals with Russia. China and Russia conduct joint marine training, posing a great threat to East Asia. There are growing calls in Washington for South Korea to take on more leading roles in responding to the North's threats. It is part of a strategy for US forces, including in Korea, to be operated flexibly to focus on checking China. It is hasty at this stage to view North Korea's dismantling of some of its loudspeakers favorably. Above all, a strong military must be the basis of steps to relax tensions with North Korea.
Korea Herald
7 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Police investigate Korean American professor on suspicion of defaming President Lee
The police have opened an investigation into Korean American professor Morse Tan on suspicion of making false claims about President Lee Jae Myung. They have also asked the Justice Ministry to issue an entry notification order to report him if he reenters South Korea. According to local media reports, an official from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday that Tan had been booked in late July on charges of defamation. Tan, a dean of Liberty University's School of Law and former US ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice under the first Donald Trump administration between 2017 and 2021, is accused of promoting conspiracy theories about election fraud in Korea. They include claims that the June 3 election won by Lee was rigged. The investigation was opened after civic group Freedom Korea National Defence Corps filed a complaint with the South Korean police. The details of the complaint include remarks Tan made at an event in Washington in June, in which Tan claimed that Lee was involved in gang rape and the murder of a girl during his youth. He further said that the president was sent to a juvenile detention center and was therefore unable to finish middle and high school. South Korean law allows the domestic prosecution of crimes committed abroad against Korean nationals, but in practice this requires the suspect to be in Korea. Tan is also suspected of repeating similar remarks during his visit to Korea in July, when he was invited to be a speaker at Eunpyeong Jeil Church in Eunpyeong-gu, northern Seoul.
Korea Herald
10 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Top diplomats of S. Korea, Britain discuss bilateral ties in 1st phone talks
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun spoke with his British counterpart, David Lammy, by phone Monday to discuss ways to advance their strategic partnership and other security issues, his office said. Cho noted that the two countries have actively engaged in high-level exchanges since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung government in June and urged Britain's active support for the new administration's foreign policy, according to the ministry. Additionally, Cho expressed hope for closer cooperation in upgrading their bilateral free trade agreement as well as in the economic and artificial intelligence sectors. In response, Lammy voiced his expectation that the two sides will closely communicate for the continued development of the bilateral relationship in key areas, including trade, defense and climate change. The two ministers also exchanged their views on the security of the Korean Peninsula and the situation in Ukraine, and agreed to meet at an early date for in-depth discussions on further strengthening bilateral ties. (Yonhap)
