S. Korea to seek 'substantive' approach in dealing with N. Korea: minister nominee

▲ Unification Minister nominee Kim Yung-ho attends his parliamentary confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul on July 21, 2023. (Yonhap)

minister nominee-N Korea

S. Korea to seek 'substantive' approach in dealing with N. Korea: minister nominee

SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) -- The nominee to serve as South Korea's new point man on North Korea said Friday he will prioritize "substantive" results over dialogue in dealing with North Korea, in an apparent reaffirmation of the government's hard-line stance against the recalcitrant regime.

Kim Yung-ho, the minister nominee for Seoul's unification ministry, made the remarks during a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly. The conservative scholar, also known as a vocal critic of human rights conditions in the North, was nominated for the post late last month.

"Rather than (holding) dialogue for the sake of (holding) it, (I) will take an approach that could lead to substantive outcome," the minister nominee told lawmakers.

Kim's remarks were seen as reflecting President Yoon Suk Yeol's call for a change in the ministry's role.

In a meeting with his staff earlier this month, Yoon said the ministry should no longer act like a support agency for North Korea, saying it is "time for the unification ministry to change."

During Friday's hearing, Kim said he will push for inter-Korean exchange based on law and principle while ramping up efforts to improve human rights conditions and the humanitarian situation of the North Korean people, saying such efforts will serve as preparation for unification.

Referring to the North's latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch last week, Kim said Pyongyang continues to treat the South in a hostile manner and that peace on the Korean Peninsula has become "more unstable."

"North Korea has repaid our goodwill for the peace of the Korean Peninsula and the future of our people with reckless provocations and threats, and took numerous inter-Korean agreements back to square one," Kim said.

"We need to maintain principle against North Korea's provocations and respond in a stern manner."

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