SEOUL — Tae Yong-ho, the newly appointed secretary general of the presidential advisory council on unification, pledged on Monday to enhance North Korean citizens' awareness of South Korea's peaceful unification efforts.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a former North Korean deputy ambassador to Britain and the first North Korean defector to occupy the deputy ministerial-level post since the council's inception in 1980, emphasized the challenges of increasing animosity from North Korea. His appointment by President Yoon Suk Yeol last week underscores a strategic move amidst the North's recent hardline stance against South Korea, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has characterized inter-Korean relations as overtly hostile. In his inaugural speech, Tae criticized North Korea's denial of Seoul's unification initiatives and vowed to promote a unification agenda based on liberal democratic values.
Tae’s commitment to fostering a national consensus on unification in South Korea, and educating North Koreans about these efforts, reflects his unique position and experience. Having defected to South Korea in 2016, Tae's personal journey from a high-ranking North Korean diplomat to a significant political figure in Seoul illustrates the profound implications of his role in shaping policy toward peaceful unification.