Lee Jae-myung Proposes Bold Initiatives to North Korea Including Joint Quarantine and Flood Recovery Support

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Governor Lee Jae-myung of Gyeonggi Province urged North Korea's active response to five proposals including joint inter-Korean quarantine and flood recovery support at the '2020 DMZ Forum' held on the 17th, stating "Gyeonggi Province will make its best efforts toward opening an era of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula."

In his keynote speech that day, Governor Lee said "COVID-19 has completely changed our daily lives. We are keenly aware of how precious the things we took for granted and passed by carelessly are" and added "What we can do now is to make every possible effort to restore our daily lives. The same applies to peace."
He continued, "Now we must make active and lasting peace, not passive and unstable peace, our daily reality. Achieving prosperity on that foundation is what we must do immediately."
Governor Lee recalled President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong-un's 'stepping stones bridge' talks and the Pyongyang Joint Declaration, emphasizing the Moon Jae-in administration's efforts and achievements toward peace on the Korean Peninsula.
He then said "We created peace that way, but keeping peace has not been easy" and "We cannot give up. If it is the right path, we must move forward despite trials and hardships," expressing his determination to establish peace.

In particular, Governor Lee stated "Gyeonggi Province is the largest local government of South Korea embracing the DMZ and the place most greatly affected by inter-Korean relations" and "Therefore, we have a grave sense of mission and responsibility regarding the development of inter-Korean relations," explaining Gyeonggi Province's position as the center of Korean Peninsula peace and prosperity.
He then said "Through inter-Korean exchange, we wish to restore trust, establish peace, and move toward prosperity. We believe this is beneficial to both North and South Korea. Through this occasion, I propose several cooperation projects to North Korea."
The five cooperation projects proposed by Governor Lee are: ▲Joint inter-Korean quarantine and medical cooperation ▲Imjin River water system management cooperation ▲Joint inter-Korean investigation and research on border region projects ▲Joint inter-Korean forest restoration and rural comprehensive development ▲Flood recovery support for North Korea.
Governor Lee first stated "As seen with African swine fever and COVID-19, infectious and contagious diseases cannot be stopped by borders. To prevent damage and secure safety for all, we must establish a joint inter-Korean quarantine cooperation system," proposing the establishment of a 'Joint inter-Korean Medical, Health, and Quarantine Center' in the Kaesong-Gaeseong area.
Secondly, he proposed establishing a 'Joint inter-Korean Water System Management Organization' for flood prevention and integrated water management. Governor Lee explained the reason, saying "It will greatly help the South prevent flood damage and the North prevent water shortage crises and ease power shortages."
Thirdly, he said "Now is the time to resume joint inter-Korean surveys of the Han River estuary and implement the West Sea Economic Joint Special Zone project in accordance with mutual agreement" and emphasized "Additionally, we must conduct surveys and research to construct a peace park in the Demilitarized Zone connecting Gaeseong and Panmunjom where North and South can freely visit each other."
Fourthly, mentioning that Gyeonggi Province recently became the first local government to receive UN sanctions exemption approval for nursery establishment materials and smart greenhouses, he said "With sanctions concerns removed, let us resume discussions on constructing the Gaeseong nursery and rural model villages."
Fifthly, he said "I understand that the North has also suffered severe damage from recent successive typhoons. When we suffered flood damage in 1984, the North also provided relief supplies unconditionally" and expressed Gyeonggi Province's intention to participate unconditionally in flood recovery support projects for North Korea to the extent possible.
Finally, Governor Lee said "Gyeonggi Province is prepared to talk anytime, anywhere. Since North Korea's participation is essential to realize these five proposals, we hope for a bold decision" and urged "We ask the National Assembly to promptly handle pending issues such as enacting a law banning anti-North leaflets and ratifying the inter-Korean summit declaration to demonstrate our commitment to peace cooperation."

This forum, being held online on the 17th-18th under the theme 'The DMZ Wants Peace,' will feature domestic and international scholars, experts, and peace NGOs including peace activist Leymah Roberta Gbowee from Liberia and Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye, an expert in international relations, and will proceed with ▲planning sessions ▲peace movement cooperation sessions ▲special sessions ▲invitation sessions.
On the 17th, the 'planning session' addressing the value and preservation of the DMZ, 'invitation sessions' conducted by the Veterans Education and Research Institute and the North Korea Science and Technology Research Center on theories of Korean Peninsula peace from the perspectives of North Korean women researchers and scientific and technological cooperation with North Korea respectively, and a 'special session' addressing the peaceful use of the Han River estuary were held successfully.
On the 18th, a 'peace movement cooperation session' co-hosted by the Northeast Asia Peace and Economic Association and the Korean Peninsula Peace Campaign will be held. At this session, director Lee Hae-chan of the Northeast Asia Peace and Economic Association will emphasize the importance of inter-Korean cooperation through a video keynote speech. This will be followed by a 'special session' on 'Denuclearization and Korean Peninsula Peace System' co-chaired by Moon Chung-in, Special Advisor for Unification, Diplomacy and Security, and former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens, as well as a 'comprehensive discussion' concluding the forum.

For this DMZ Forum, visitors can access the official website (www.dmzforum.or.kr) to enjoy related content including session viewing.