The North and South Korea Joint Liaison Office, a key agreement in the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration will open in a building in the Kaesong Industrial Compound on September 14 and go into operation. On September 12, the Ministry of Unification announced that Chun Hae-sung, vice minister of unification will be the chief representative of South Korea, and the vice chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland will head the North Korean authorities. The office will oversee negotiations, contact, discussions between authorities, and support for civilian exchanges, while also working to facilitate the people traveling between the two Koreas. With the opening of the inter-Korean liaison office, the two Koreas will have a channel allowing communication 24/7, 365 days a year. This is groundbreaking and has historical significance for it will lay the foundation for permanent and institutionalized inter-Korean relations.

The unification ministry explained that the director of the liaison office would be the chief liaison officer as well as the nation’s representative in negotiations and discussions with North Korea, and if necessary, he can personally deliver messages from the leaders of the two Koreas. This means that messages from President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong-un can be delivered in person, so the establishment of the liaison office will be equivalent to dispatching a permanent special envoy. If the North and South Korea authorities reside together in one building, come face to face and discuss bilateral issues, they could reduce unnecessary misunderstanding. Considering how the two Koreas had to have their authorities exchange notices just to set a date for talks, having a permanent office will save time and space, and is expected to contribute to stabilizing inter-Korean relations.

The liaison office currently has the task of working-level discussions on the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration, such as connecting and modernizing railways and roads and seeking cooperation in forestry. But if North Korea makes progress in denuclearization negotiations with the U.S., eventually lifting the sanctions, the office can be the true center of inter-Korean economic cooperation. When inter-Korean relations advance further, the two Koreas can expand the liaison office and establish representative offices in Seoul and Pyongyang. The liaison office is practically the starting point for inter-Korean relations to make a leap forward, after repeatedly experiencing ups and downs due to government tendencies and changes in political situation.

Some conservatives in South Korea and some people in the United States argue that the inter-Korean liaison office violates the sanctions on North Korea or describe it as an example of how the inter-Korean relations is advancing at a pace irrespective of the North Korea-U.S. relations. A debate once heated up on the export of goods to North Korea, such as oil, for the opening of the liaison office. We would like to stress once again that the establishment of a liaison office is the diplomatic activity of a sovereign state, and is not subject to the sanctions.

It should also be noted that the inter-Korean liaison office could be used as a door to promote denuclearization and closer relations between North Korea and the U.S. as well as to develop inter-Korean relations. Unlike in the past, North Korea has become more flexible in its attitude, enough to discuss denuclearization and other issues concerning the U.S. with the South. The unification ministry probably had this in mind when it said that it expects the liaison office "to contribute to progress in denuclearization negotiations." We ask North and South Korea to make an effort to make the inter-Korean liaison office into a base to support a virtuous cycle, where inter-Korean relations and relations between North Korea and the U.S. can continue to have a positive effect on each other.