Camilla Jessen
South Korea has begun approving civilian contacts with North Korea again.
South Korea has begun allowing its citizens to contact North Korean residents again, marking the first thaw in civilian-level relations after a prolonged period of political freeze.
On June 19, the Ministry of Unification approved two requests for humanitarian and cultural exchanges, signaling a clear departure from the hardline stance of the previous administration.
These are the first such approvals since August 2023, when an exception was made following floods in North Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, as cited by Digi24, the decision is part of the new administration’s push to restore people-to-people ties and rebuild peaceful communication across the border.
New Leadership, New Direction
President Lee Jae-myung, who took office earlier this year, has made normalizing inter-Korean relations a key part of his foreign policy.
His administration’s decision reverses the approach taken under former President Yoon Suk-yeol, whose government rejected nearly all civilian contact requests due to Pyongyang’s missile tests and hostile rhetoric.
A Unification Ministry official told Yonhap: “It was determined that it was necessary to restore communication channels with North Korea at the civilian level.”
Humanitarian and Cultural Exchange
The newly approved contacts include one initiated by the Inter-Korean Economic and Cultural Cooperation Foundation, which plans to engage in cultural exchanges with North Korean residents.
Such initiatives are often seen as crucial tools for building trust and mutual understanding between the two Koreas.
Religious groups, cultural organizations, and civil society associations have responded swiftly to the policy change.
Many began submitting new contact requests immediately after Lee’s inauguration, hoping to reestablish long-dormant ties in areas like health, education, religion, and the arts.
