New unification minister vows efforts to hold inter-Korean parliamentary meeting

SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- The new point man on inter-Korean affairs vowed Thursday to make active efforts to hold the first-ever parliamentary talks between South and North Korea. Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, who took office earlier this week, made the remarks during his meeting with Lee Hae-chan, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), where the two exchanged opinions about the peace-making process on the Korean Peninsula. "North Korea held its key parliamentary meeting today. The unification ministry will actively make efforts to hold inter-Korean parliamentary talks," the minister said. Last year, North Korea accepted, in principle, South Korea's proposal for parliamentary talks between the two Koreas. But the process has hit a snag amid North Korea's lukewarm attitude toward the preparation. On Thursday, North Korea is believed to have held the first session of its 14th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) since new deputies were elected to the parliament in March. DP chairman Lee said that a planned summit between South Korea and the United States, set for Thursday, will set the tone for the peace-making process on the peninsula. President Moon Jae-in arrived in the U.S. on Wednesday (local time) for his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss ways to bring the North back to the negotiation table following the breakdown of the Hanoi summit between Washington and Pyongyang. Lee also expressed hope that the two Koreas could jointly mark the anniversaries of the first and second inter-Korean summits on June 15 and Oct. 4, respectively. sooyeon@yna.co.kr (END)