The Ministry of Unification has revealed that, contrary to news reports originating in the Japanese media, North Korea did not demand tens of thousands of tons of rice during secret contacts with South Korea.
Park Su Jin, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, told reporters in a regular briefing today, “It is not appropriate for the government to follow up on every report citing an unclear source,” but went on to add, “the entire report’s contents were not fact.”
The original claim arose from a report carried by Asahi Shimbun, ‘High South-North Officials Met Last Month,’ in which it claimed that tentative secret contacts broke down due to the North Korean demand.
Park emphasized, “The Ministry of Unification has not checked every single thing contained in the report, but we know that it is not true.”
Regarding the idea that North Korea might demand rice in return for dialogue, Park commented, “I want to say as the Minister of Unification said, that work related to North and South requires patience.”
