Welcoming Agreement between Republic of Korea and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Secretary-General Encourages ‘Regular’ Dialogue to Manage Tensions

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

I warmly welcome the news of an agreement reached between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea today.  In particular, I highly appreciate the agreement to hold regular inter-Korean dialogue, and hope that this will serve as a mechanism to effectively manage any problems that may arise on the Korean peninsula.

I strongly encourage humanitarian measures such as reunions of separated families to be regularized without being subject to political and security considerations.  I further hope that this hard-won momentum for inter-Korean dialogue will lead to the resumption of talks for addressing the nuclear issue.

I want to stress the importance of the full implementation of the agreement for the peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.  As Secretary-General, I stand ready to support inter-Korean cooperation.