Unification minister says N. Korea showing no unusual movements amid US-Iran conflict

South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul (right) responds to lawmakers’ questions during a session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Jan. 9. (Yonhap News)

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South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul (right) responds to lawmakers’ questions during a session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Jan. 9. (Yonhap News)

Amid escalating military tensions between the US and Iran, following the US’ killing of a top Iranian general and Iran’s retaliatory missile strike on Iraqi bases housing American troops, South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul said on Jan. 9 that “no unusual movements have been detected by the North Koreans.”

During an appearance before a full session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Thursday, Kim was asked by Won Hye-yeong, a lawmaker with the Democratic Party, about how the conflict between the US and Iran would affect North Korea-US relations. “Inside North Korea, Kim Jong-un continues to perform ‘on-site guidance’ as normal, and North Korean media such as the Rodong Sinmun are reporting the facts [about the conflict],” Kim Yeon-chul replied.

On Jan. 3, Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was killed in an air strike by the US; five days later, on Jan. 8, Iran fired more than 10 ballistic missiles at two bases in Iraq that house US and coalition forces. North Korea’s official media has been covering the news about the two countries’ conflict. For example, an article titled “US condemned for missile strike that violates UN charter” in the Jan. 6 issue of the Rodong Sinmun called out the US by quoting Chinese and Russian criticism of the US for killing Soleimani. But the North Korean authorities haven’t released an official position on the US-Iran conflict.

Some had predicted that, after the US killing of Soleimani, Kim Jong-un would stay out of sight, but the North Korean leader hasn’t been deterred from making public appearances. On Jan. 7, the Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim had visited the construction site of a phosphatic fertilizer factory in the city of Sunchon, South Pyongyan Province, for the first on-site guidance of the new year, and ran photographs of his visit.

During the same session of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Kim Yeon-chul said that the government is “making concrete preparations” to find feasible ways to move ahead with the inter-Korean cooperation proposed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in in his New Year’s address on Jan. 7, despite the ongoing sanctions on North Korea.

More specifically, Kim brought up a project aimed at linking South and North Korean highways and railroads, which has been stalled since an initial survey, conducted jointly by South and North Korea, and a groundbreaking ceremony in 2018. Kim explained that the government has “placed priority on preparing a detailed survey to follow up on the initial survey.” According to Kim, it will be possible to move forward with this project after following the procedure for securing an exemption from the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea.

“Under the current circumstances, we’re deliberating some aspects of this with the US. The US recognizes and respects an autonomous space for inter-Korean relations,” Kim said.

“Of course, I think that the [exemption] procedure would be [positively] impacted by progress in the denuclearization talks,” Kim added, acknowledging that progress in inter-Korean relations remains inevitably linked to the North Korea-US negotiations.

By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter

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