Inter-Korean Relations

[Anchor Lead]

Government data show that inter-Korean personnel exchanges surpassed 7,000 in 2018 thanks to cross-border summit talks. But due to sanctions, inter-Korean trade and economic cooperation still remained sluggish. Here's a summary of a white paper issued by the Unification Ministry.

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A joint project to excavate a Goryeo dynasty era palace site in North Korea's border city of Kaesong was suspended since 2015. But the project resumed last October and the two Koreas successfully uncovered roof tiles and earthenware during two months.

[Soundbite] Baik Tae-hyun(Ministry of Unification Spokesman(Dec. 10, 2018)) : "This time, excavation centered on the embankment area at the center and we could verify palatial arrangements."

Seoul and Pyongyang held active exchanges last year with personnel exchanges reaching nearly 7,500 people. This is a 65 fold increase compared to just 115 in 2017. There were 6,000 instances of vehicle travels across the border last year, compared to none in 2017. Planes flew across the border ten times while a ship was used once for inter-Korean travel. Last year, reunions for war-torn families also resumed after three years. Some 830 members of 170 families from the two Koreas were reunited, albeit briefly. Government-level talks also jump-started after two years for a total of 36 dialogue sessions including three summits that produced a total of 23 agreements. But due to global sanctions on Pyongyang, inter-Korean trade volume only reached about 32 million dollars last year. It's risen by a million dollars from 2017 but is still a far cry from the billion dollar level during the years when the Kaesong Industrial Complex joint venture was in operation. The government also said that it provided a 140 billion won aid for companies reeling from suspended tourism to North Korea's Mount Geumgang resort and some 570 billion won so far to firms that used to operate inside the suspended joint factory park.