
South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young will visit Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Germany starting this week to study peace processes and seek international support for Seoul's policy on peaceful coexistence with North Korea, including meetings with officials, a lecture at Trinity College Dublin, and participation in German Unity Day ceremonies.
AI-generated summary
South Korea has long pursued diplomatic engagement with North Korea amid ongoing tensions over the latter's nuclear program and intermittent provocations, seeking international models of conflict resolution to inform its unification and peacebuilding strategies.
SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young will visit Northern Ireland, Ireland and Germany starting this week in an effort to explain South Korea's approach to peaceful coexistence with North Korea, the ministry said Monday.
The minister was set to leave for Europe on Monday for an eight-day trip in a bid to see how each moved past deep divisions and muster support for Seoul's North Korea policy, according to the ministry.
His first stop is Northern Ireland, where he will meet officials involved in the country's peace process and discuss how it worked through decades of conflict.
The trip will be followed by his visit to Ireland to meet experts in international conflict resolution and learn about the country's long struggle for independence and the eventual settlement of the conflict in Northern Ireland, according to the ministry.
While in Ireland, Chung is scheduled to give a special lecture on peaceful coexistence with North Korea at Trinity College Dublin at the invitation of the Society for International Affairs (SOFIA), a student organization at the school interested in international politics and relations.
His final stop is Bremen, Germany, where he will represent South Korea at the German Unity Day ceremony, marking the 36th anniversary of German unification.
Prior to the event, he plans to meet Bremen Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte to seek German support and interest in the peace building process on the Korean Peninsula.
He is set to return home next Monday.
AI outlook โ possibilities, not facts
Chung Dong-young will seek formal or informal endorsements from European officials for South Korea's North Korea policy during his trip.
Likely ยท Within days
The visit may lead to future academic or policy exchanges between Trinity College Dublin and South Korean institutions on conflict resolution.
Possible ยท Within months

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