KNCCK statement calling for action on Inter-Korean relations (March)

The Korea NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea Statement

We have never ceased in our efforts to realize our common humanity through humanitarian cooperation between the two Koreas despite the lack of consistency in the inter-Korean relationship due to repeated political and military tensions. This is because humanitarian cooperation between South and North not only contributes to ensuring the right to safety and the right to health of South and North Korean citizens, but also builds mutual understanding and trust between citizens on this divided Peninsula and provides the foundation for peacebuilding.

We, the members of KNCCK cannot stay silent regarding our concerns about the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean relations. We are particularly worried about the humanitarian situation of North Korean citizens. After the DPRK's economic difficulties worsened last year in the face of international sanctions, natural disasters and border closures in response to COVID-19, it is clear that North Koreans will face severe difficulties this year in securing food and other daily necessities. There has been little contact between South Korean organizations and their North Korean counterparts since the 2019 DPRK-U.S. summit in Hanoi. Employees of European aid agencies, the WFP and other U.N. organizations have recently departed the North leaving no foreign employees of the U.N. or NGOs residing in North Korea. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated in their Global Humanitarian Overview report published at the end of last year that the DPRK would not figure in the UN’s 2021 humanitarian response plan. The UN’s explanation was that an on-site situation assessment is impossible in the DPRK due to COVID-19. This means there is now no way to evaluate the humanitarian situation of North Koreans.

We call on our government

It is now all the more important for the South Korean government to play a leading role in the U.S Biden administration’s Northeast Asia policy establishment. The two Koreas must demonstrate to the international community that they are taking the initiative in resolving the Korean Peninsula problem. The South Korean government should be active in attempting to bring North Korea to the table for inter-Korean dialogue. First of all, South Korea must take bold measures to implement the measures agreed between the leaders of the two Koreas. Dialogue between the South and North Korean authorities should be resumed in haste with the view to implementing joint quarantine and health cooperation measures against infectious diseases such as COVID-19. The South Korean government should also support the resumption of civilian-level inter-Korean exchange and cooperation. Efforts should be made so that civil society, which has more than 20 years of relevant experience and expertise, can serve as a driving force providing fresh impetus to resume exchange and cooperation between the two Koreas. Furthermore, should act to facilitate NGO assistance to the North including the prompt approval of aid shipments.

We urge the North Korean authorities

North Korea has been calling on the South to address ‘essential issues’ rather than focusing on ‘non-essential’ matters. However, there is no such thing as a non-essential matter when it comes to the health and wellbeing of the citizens of South and North Korea. There should be no caveats or justifications required for humanitarian cooperation. This is why KNCCK has not attached any preconditions to engaging in discussions with the North regarding cooperation for the past twenty years. Amid the ongoing and unpredictable hardships brought on by COVID-19, South and North should be reaching out to each other proactively. We call for bold action to restart talks to address the problems at hand and a sense of responsibility for building peace here on the Korean Peninsula.

We appeal to the people of South Korean

Despite strains in the relationship, KNCCK member organizations have endeavored to maintain the emotional bond between the two Koreas over the years. KNCCK members have engaged in inter-Korean cooperation for over twenty years in so doing repeatedly demonstrating our common humanity. We do this because we believe that such humanitarian cooperation will help build mutual understanding and trust between the people of the two Koreas and therefore serve as the basis for inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation. The Korean people can create peace here on the Korean Peninsula. We appeal to the people to support us and join with us on this journey.

Through humanitarian cooperation, the Korea NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea will continue to endeavor to create a path of co-prosperity and peace between the two Koreas.

March 25^th 2021

The Korea NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea