Sanction Reviews

[Anchor Lead]

At a parliamentary inspection of government agencies on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said that the government is considering lifting South Korea's unilateral sanctions on North Korea.She was the first figure of the current government to mention the lifting of the so-called May 24th sanctions Seoul imposed on Pyongyang following the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010. However, the minister attempted to water down the significance of her remarks, which sparked political controversy. Kang said that she had originally intended to say that the office in charge would be reviewing the removal of the sanctions.

[Pkg]

At a parliamentary inspection of the Foreign Ministry, as a lawmaker asked if the government is open to lifting the so-called May 24th sanctions on North Korea, citing a resumption of cross-border tours, Minister Kang said that the move is under review.

[Soundbite] Lee Hae-chan(Democratic Party Lawmaker) : "Is the government willing to lift the May 24th sanctions?"

[Soundbite] Kang Kyung-wha(Foreign Minister) : "Yes. To my knowledge, it is being reviewed by related agencies."

This is the first time that a minister of the current administration has mentioned the removal of the May 24th sanctions. The May 24th sanctions refer to a set of unilateral administrative penalties the government imposed on Pyongyang, following the torpedoing of the South Korean naval warship Cheonan in 2010. The sanctions include a ban on new investments in the North and the suspension of inter-Korean trade with the exception of the Kaesong Industrial Complex. However, the measures have become virtually ineffective since the former Lee Myung-bak administration began taking a flexible stance toward the North, while more extensive and stronger UN and U.S. sanctions are currently placing pressure on the regime. Therefore, Minister Kang's remarks are interpreted as a position that it is necessary to improve inter-Korean relations in order to produce a breakthrough in the stalled denuclearization negotiations. However, opposition parties strongly opposed the minister's view, saying that the sanctions should not be lifted without North Korea's apology. There were also opinions that it was inappropriate for a non-unification minister to remark on the lifting of sanctions. As controversy arose over her remarks, Kang issued an apology, explaining that she had originally meant no pan-government, full-scale review but an examination by a related agency.