North Korea misses deadline to respond to Seoul’s repatriation plan
Pyongyang did not respond by the Tuesday deadline to Seoul’s plan to repatriate the remains of a North Korean man found on the southern side of the inter-Korean border, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said.
The ministry had announced last week its intention to return the body via the truce village of Panmunjom within the DMZ and urged North Korea to reply by 3 p.m. Tuesday through an inter-Korean hotline that has been inactive since April 2023.
With no response from the North, South Korean authorities said they will now proceed “in accordance with guidelines for handling North Korean bodies.” A respectful funeral will be held following protocols for unclaimed remains.
The body was discovered on June 21 near Seongmodo Island in the Yellow Sea. The ministry identified the man as a North Korean born in 1988 and a farm worker from North Hwanghae Province, based on an ID found on the body.
This repatriation effort is part of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s broader attempts to ease tensions with the North. Recently, Seoul removed loudspeakers along the DMZ that broadcast anti-Pyongyang messages, calling it a “practical measure” to reduce conflict.
Last month, South Korea returned six North Koreans who had drifted into southern waters. Though the North did not respond to notification attempts via the U.N.-led Command, it sent vessels to collect its citizens at the border.
The Unification Ministry also made a rare public request for Pyongyang to provide advance warning before releasing water from a dam along the border, describing the appeal as “indirect communication.”
Despite these gestures, North Korea has largely rejected rapprochement efforts. Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, recently stated that Pyongyang has “no interest” in engaging with Seoul.
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