EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE INTER-KOREAN CONTACT

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To promote inter-Korean cooperation, the South Korean government is pushing for an amendment of laws to make it easier for South Koreans to have contact with North Koreans by just reporting in advance to the minister of unification.

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​All cross-border exchanges between South and North Korea, including separated family reunions, Mount Geumgansan tours and doing business at the inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong, must be approved by the government under the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act. 30 years after it was enacted, the government decided to amend the law. Under the revised law, South Koreans will be permitted to have exchanges with North Koreans after just reporting such activities to the government. Currently, the unification minister can turn down reports for various reasons including national security. Those who accidentally meet with North Korean citizens overseas or keep in touch with their separated relatives across the border are no longer required to report their exchanges to the government. There will be also a legal ground for organizations and businesses to set up their offices in the North for cross-border exchanges.

[Soundbite] HONG SANG-YOUNG(KOREAN SHARING MOVEMENT) : "It was a difficult part for those involved in cross-border exchanges. I hope the revised law will lay a foundation for promoting inter-Korean exchanges further."

The South Korean government said earlier that the sanctions imposed against the regime in 2010 to restrict inter-Korean cooperation had lost their efficacy after ten years of implementation. The revision of the law is intended to show South Korea's willingness to improve cross-border cooperation.

[Soundbite] LIM EUL-CHUL(PROF., KYUNGNAM UNIVERSITY) : "The move represents the government's determination to usher in a new era of inter-Korean exchanges by eliminating obstacles in advance."

It remains to be seen how Pyongyang will react to Seoul's measures to improve inter-Korean ties.