NK weekly-inter-Korean news
Summary of inter-Korean news this week
SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- The following is a summary of inter-Korean news this week.
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(LEAD) S. Korea calls on N. Korea to give prior notice before cross-border dam discharge
SEOUL -- The unification ministry on Friday called on North Korea to provide prior notice before releasing water from a dam across the border, after the North's unannounced monsoon-season discharges raised safety concerns for residents in South Korea's border areas.
"(We) request that North Korea give advance notice when discharging water from the dam, for humanitarian purposes, to prevent flooding in border areas during the monsoon season," Chang Yoon-jeong, a unification deputy spokesperson, said at a press briefing.
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(LEAD) Defense minister nominee says to review inter-Korean military pact from scratch
SEOUL -- Defense Minister nominee Ahn Gyu-back said Friday he will reconsider a now-scrapped military tension reduction agreement from scratch, if appointed, but dismissed the possibility of its immediate restoration.
Ahn, a five-term lawmaker, was tapped as President Lee Jae Myung's first defense minister earlier this month. He is the first civilian defense chief to be nominated in 64 years for the post that has been generally taken by retired military generals.
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Defectors testify to executions by firing squad of N. Koreans for watching S. Korean TV dramas
SEOUL -- Watching or distributing South Korean TV dramas or K-pop songs is being punished by execution by firing squad in North Korea, with one young man shot to death in public on such charges, North Korean defectors testified Wednesday.
The testimonies were given during public sessions hosted by the U.N. Human Rights Office in Seoul to shed light on the human rights situation in North Korea over the past decade.
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S. Korea approves civic groups' bid for N. Korean contact for humanitarian aid exchanges
SEOUL -- The government has granted permission for several civic groups to contact North Korea for humanitarian purposes in an effort to resume civil-level inter-Korean exchanges that had effectively been suspended during the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
Last Thursday, the unification ministry approved proposals by two nongovernmental organizations to contact the North for humanitarian exchanges, followed by additional approval Tuesday for the Foundation of Inter-Korean Cooperation for a cultural exchange.
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Unification minister nominee voices need for changing name of ministry to highlight peace
SEOUL -- Unification Minister nominee Chung Dong-young on Tuesday raised the need to change the name of the unification ministry in a bid to highlight the government's efforts to promote peace and stability with North Korea.
Chung made the remarks as members of the country's state affairs committee exchanged views about the possibility of changing the official name of the Ministry of Unification by dropping the unification reference amid North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's animosity toward South Korea.
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(LEAD) Abductee family group to consider not sending leaflets to N. Korea
SEOUL -- A South Korean civic group representing families of abductees held in North Korea said Tuesday it will consider suspending the distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
Choi Seong-ryong, the head of the group, said he received a positive message by phone from a high-ranking government official on Monday and will later decide whether to stop sending leaflets to North Korea after discussions with group members.
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Vice unification minister stresses need to 'disentangle' fractured inter-Korean ties
SEOUL -- New Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung said Monday the government needs to start with small steps, including reopening now-suspended inter-Korean communication lines, to "disentangle" fractured relations and build trust with North Korea.
Kim made the remarks in his inauguration speech, as he took office as the first vice unification minister under President Lee Jae Myung, who has pledged to ease military tensions and pursue dialogue with North Korea to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.
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