South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young left for Europe on Monday for an eight-day visit to Northern Ireland, Ireland and Germany. The ministry said the trip is intended to explain Seoul’s policy toward North Korea and examine how the three destinations moved beyond deep divisions.
In Northern Ireland, Chung will meet people involved in the peace process and discuss how the region worked through decades of conflict. In Ireland, he is due to meet international conflict-resolution experts and learn about the country’s long struggle for independence and the eventual settlement of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
While in Dublin, Chung is scheduled to deliver a special lecture on peaceful coexistence with North Korea at Trinity College Dublin. The Society for International Affairs (SOFIA), a student organization focused on international politics and relations, invited him to speak.
His final stop is Bremen, Germany, where he will represent South Korea at the German Unity Day ceremony marking the 36th anniversary of reunification. Before the ceremony, he plans to meet Bremen Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte to seek German interest and support for peace-building on the Korean Peninsula. Chung is expected to return home next Monday.