통일부 "남북간 교류협력 활성화 지원할 것... 제재 저촉 안되도록 국제사회와 협력"
South Korea's unification ministry says it will work to expand and increase exchanges with the North... but at the same time communicate with the international community to make sure those don't violate international sanctions.
It will also push to revise some laws to make sure inter-Korean exchanges don't suddenly come to a stop without enough discussion.
Oh Jung-hee reports.
Seoul will continue to expand inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation... but will make sure things remain within the framework of international sanctions -- especially when it comes to railways, roads and forestation projects.
That's according to an unnamed official from South Korea's unification ministry on Tuesday.
In a series of talks a few weeks ago,... the two Koreas agreed to cooperate in linking and modernizing railways and roads... as well as conducting forestation projects in the North.
For railways and roads, Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to begin with joint field inspections... because bringing South Korea's resources and equipment into North Korea for construction could violate international sanctions.
The unification ministry says... foretation projects, too, could be a breach of sanctions -- for example, setting up water control systems at tree nurseries.
If the projects go so far as to involve technology transfers,... the official says South Korea will discuss these matters with the international community and the United States to make exceptions.
He added that the North is well aware of the sanctions... and the two Koreas go through detailed discussions at their talks, taking the sanctions into account, to arrive at an agreement.
Meanwhile, Seoul will be making some legal changes as well to make sure inter-Korean interactions move forward steadily.
Discussions will begin at South Korea's National Assembly... on revising the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act.
One of these changes will be that when inter-Korean projects have to be restricted or prohibited a Cabinet meeting will have to be held -- just to make sure decisions are made a little bit more prudently... than when the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex was abruptly shut down in February 2016.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
