김연철, 취임 후 첫 방북 "北, 공동선언 이행 확고한 의지 밝혀"<br /><br />The nation's Unification Minister reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to carrying out inter-Korean deals... during his first trip to the joint liaison office in Gaeseong since taking office.<br />Following the visit, Kim Yeon-chul... told reporters that he briefly met with officials there, and asked them to relay his greetings to his counterpart Ri Son-gwon, the Chairman of North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.<br /><br />"We've also shared a strong will to implement the joint declarations signed by the two Koreas last year... as well as the need to normalize operations at the joint liaison office."<br />The joint liaison office was set up to bolster cross-border exchanges... but has been effectively idle amid a lack of progress in denuclearization talks between Pyeongyang and Washington. <br />
