Panmunjom: New Unification Minister Chung Dong-young visited the truce village of Panmunjom near the inter-Korean border ahead of his inauguration Friday, the ministry said, in efforts to mend strained ties with North Korea. Chung made the visit after President Lee Jae Myung approved his appointment as the country's top point man on North Korea earlier in the day, according to the ministry.
According to Yonhap News Agency, during the visit, Chung inspected the South's facilities at Panmunjom, a historic venue where some 370 rounds of inter-Korean talks have taken place since 1971. Chung stressed that restoring now-suspended inter-Korean communication channels is an "urgent priority" in order to swiftly resume dialogue between the two Koreas.
"Under cooperation with relevant agencies, such as the U.N. Command, I will do my best to make Panmunjom into a space for connection and cooperation rather than one of separation and tension," he said. Chung, a journalist-turned-lawmaker, previously served as unification minister in 2004-05 under former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun.