Unification Minister Kim Yeon-cheol expressed his appreciation for taking responsibility for deteriorating inter-Korean relations on the 17th.

Minister Kim visited the press room on the 6th floor of the Seoul Government Complex this afternoon and said, "I decided to step down with all responsibility for worsening inter-Korean relations."

He continued, "I'm sorry I failed to meet the needs and expectations of many people who want peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula."

Minister Kim explained that he had delivered this to the Blue House this morning.

"I thought someone had to take responsibility for the worsening relations between the two Koreas," Kim said. "I was preparing for that."

In addition, he added, "In this situation, I thought it would be a responsibility given to me to provide an opportunity to renew the atmosphere."

As for the time when he decided to resign, he said, "I think there was a time when I could have anticipated the current situation regarding the deterioration of inter-Korean relations." "I thought someone had to take responsibility for those parts," he said.

Minister Kim said of the current situation in which inter-Korean relations have been disrupted, "If you read the 20th anniversary commemoration of the June 15th Joint Declaration, you will generally be able to confirm my position on the current situation, although abstract."

“The 20th anniversary of the June 15th Joint Declaration and the Democratic Party Commemoration Event” held at the National Assembly Hall on the 15th said, “There have been many challenges and challenges in the history of inter-Korean relations, and there will not be many challenges to overcome and challenges to overcome. He emphasized, "The June 15 spirit is not a generation, it is often, not a confrontation, but peace, division, and unification."

On that day, when Kim expressed his appreciation, he resigned from the Ministry of Unification about a year and two months after taking office on April 8 last year.

North Korea has recently raised the pressure on South Korea's pressure every day, focusing on North Korea's North Korean Workers' Party's first vice-president, Kim Yeo-jung, as part of the issue of spraying North Korean troops from North Korea.

(Photo = Yonhap News)