{"id":59518,"date":"2018-02-23T06:01:18","date_gmt":"2018-02-23T06:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=59518"},"modified":"2018-02-23T06:01:18","modified_gmt":"2018-02-23T06:01:18","slug":"south-korea-says-approved-visit-sanctioned-north-korean-pursue-peace-peninsula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/south-korea-says-approved-visit-sanctioned-north-korean-pursue-peace-peninsula.html","title":{"rendered":"South Korea says approved visit by sanctioned North Korean to pursue peace on peninsula"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Korea says approved visit by sanctioned North Korean to pursue peace on peninsula<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

South Korea said it approved the Winter Olympic visit by a sanctioned North Korean official, blamed for the deadly 2010 sinking of a South Korean navy ship, in the pursuit of peace and asked for public understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kim Yong Chol, vice-chairman of the North\u2019s ruling Workers\u2019 Party\u2019s Central Committee, will lead a high-level delegation at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on Sunday. The delegation will also meet President Moon Jae-in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kim was previously chief of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, a top North Korean military intelligence agency which South Korea blamed for the sinking of its navy corvette the Cheonan, killing 46 sailors.<\/span><\/p>\n

North Korea has denied any involvement in the sinking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnder current difficult circumstances, we have decided to focus on whether peace on the Korean peninsula and improvement in inter-Korean relations can be derived from dialogue with (the visiting North Korean officials), not on their past or who they are,\u201d said Unification Ministry Baik Tae-hyun in a media briefing on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

A South Korean lawmaker briefed by the country\u2019s spy agency said on Friday that Kim was the \u201cright person\u201d for inter-Korean and denuclearization talks, according to Yonhap news agency.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKim Yong Chol is the top official regarding inter-Korean relations and he is being accepted (here) as the right person to discuss various issues like easing military tension, improving inter-Korean ties and denuclearization,\u201d said Kang Seok-ho to Yonhap and other reporters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kim currently heads the United Front Department, the North\u2019s office responsible for handling inter-Korean affairs.<\/span><\/p>\n

His visit will coincide with a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s daughter, Ivanka, who is scheduled to arrive in South Korea later on Friday to attend a dinner with Moon and later, the Winter Olympics\u2019 closing ceremony.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Blue House has said there are no official opportunities for U.S. and North Korean officials to meet.<\/span><\/p>\n

PROTESTS AGAINST NORTH KOREA DELEGATION<\/span>
\nSouth Korea\u2019s decision on Thursday to allow Kim, currently sanctioned by the United States and South Korea, across the border has sparked protest from family members of the dead Cheonan sailors and opposition parties.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some 70 members from the main opposition Liberty Korea Party staged a protest in front of the presidential Blue House on Friday, demanding the government withdraw its decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Moon\u2019s decision to accept the North\u2019s facade of peace is a serious issue and it will go down in history as a crime eternal,\u201d said the party in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

A group of family members of those killed in the Cheonan sinking has said it will hold a press conference against the decision on Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Acknowledging public angst over Kim\u2019s pending visit, Baik said the South\u2019s stance that the Cheonan sinking was instigated by the North has not changed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, what\u2019s important are efforts to create actual peace on the Korean peninsula so these kind of provocations don\u2019t occur again,\u201d said Baik, adding the government would make \u201cvarious efforts\u201d to assuage the public\u2019s concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he wants to boost the \u201cwarm climate of reconciliation and dialogue\u201d with South Korea after a high-level delegation returned from the Winter Olympics, while the United States has stressed the need to intensify pressure to force North Korea to give up his nuclear weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, North Korea conducted dozens of missile launches and its sixth and largest nuclear test in defiance of United Nations sanctions. However, it has now been more than two months since its last missile test in late November.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-olympics-2018-northkorea\/south-korea-says-approved-visit-by-sanctioned-north-korean-to-pursue-peace-on-peninsula-idUSKCN1G70AL<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t