Secretary-General Welcomes Agreement between ‘Two Koreas’ to Hold

 

Family Reunions Later this Month

 

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the agreement between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea to hold family reunions from February 20-25 at Mount Kumgang as scheduled.  The Secretary-General is particularly encouraged by the agreement after he called upon the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea], during his recent meeting in Sochi with Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly, to show flexibility and to decouple humanitarian matters, such as family reunions, from political and security matters.

Tension between the two Koreas has been high and inter-Korean relations have remained strained for far too long.  As such, this important development is a step in the right direction.  The Secretary-General encourages both sides to keep up the momentum by continuing high-level engagement and taking further steps to build confidence and trust. 

The Secretary-General reaffirms his strong commitment to contribute to promoting peace, development and stability on the Korean peninsula as well as improving inter-Korean relations.

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For information media • not an official record