On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement and the 23rd anniversary of the June 15 Joint Declaration, Gyeonggi Province Governor Dong Yeon Kim said, “It is time to create a new framework for new inter-Korean relations and the path to peace,” expressing Gyeonggi Province’s willingness to consider and generously support the issue.

Governor Kim made this remark while attending the “Five Unification Ministers Talk about Peace on the Korean Peninsula” peace policy discussion held at the National Assembly Museum on June 12.

During his welcoming speech at that event, Governor Kim said, “The Republic of Korea is getting smaller. Politics more intensively divide your side and mine, and the economy is drawing a line between economic players. Inter-Korean relations are seeing diplomacy of subtraction while leaning on one side… In 2009 at the Kim Dae-jung Library, President Kim Dae-jung spoke of the three crises of democracy as well as people’s livelihoods and peace; 14 years later, instead of improving, the country is becoming smaller and smaller.”

He continued, “In this situation, I am re-evaluating the June 15 Joint Declaration. It was the first gathering of leaders with authority and responsibility after national division. This led to the October 4 Joint Declaration in 2007 and the Panmunjeom Declaration on April 27, 2018… Isaac Newton said, ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants,’ and I believe that the turning point for the June 15 Joint Declaration is on the shoulders of the giants we have been riding.”

Governor Kim added, “At this point in time, when the world is changing rapidly, we need to think about what our policy direction and framework will be to fit the change. It is time to create a new framework for new inter-Korean relations and determine what the path to peace should be… While holding the DMZ Open Festival from May to the end of November, I will think about issues of peace and the environment. Gyeonggi Province will give a great deal of consideration and generous support in this regard.”

At this event, co-hosted by Gyeonggi Province, the Inter-Korean Peace and Cooperation Local Government Council, and the Kim Dae-jung Foundation, former Unification Ministers (Jeong Se-hyeon, Jeong Dong-young, Lee Jong-suk, and Lee Jae-jeong) gathered in one place to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement and the 23rd anniversary of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration. They took time to convene for discussions regarding peace on the Korean Peninsula and the way forward under the theme of ‘The Road to National Reconciliation and Peaceful Reunification.’

Gyeonggi Province Governor Dong Yeon Kim, former National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang, former Unification Minister Lim Dong-won, former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun, and former Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young, former Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok, former Unification Minister Lee Jae-jeong, and members of the National Assembly pose for commemorative photos at the Peace Policy Discussion held in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement at the International Experience Center on the 2nd floor of the National Assembly Museum on the afternoon of June 12.