S Korean ruling party, gov’t ready for rapprochement with Pyongyang

Seoul, May 28 (FN Agency) The South Korean ruling Democratic Party and the government agreed on Friday to resume the dialogue with the North in order to restore the relations between the two countries as soon as possible, the spokesperson of the party, Koh Yong-jin, said.

“We have agreed that Seoul should facilitate conversations and exchanges with Pyongyang to ease the strained inter-Korean relations,” Koh said after a policy consultation meeting between the party and the presidential administration, South Korean Yonhap news agency reported. According to the spokesperson, the party and the government will work together to have the parliament ratify the Panmunjom Declaration, adopted by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un in 2018, at an appropriate time.

The inter-Korean dialogue is at a low point following Pyongyang’s decision to cut all lines of communication with Seoul last June. On May 21, US President Joe Biden and Moon held a summit in Washington, where they discussed the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and coordination on the issue of North Korea. Biden said he would be willing to hold a meeting with the North Korean leader if Pyongyang commits itself to denuclearization.