As North Korea steps up its nuclear weapons tests and threats, South Korea’s Unification Ministry faces an almost existential crisis. As North Korea steps up its nuclear weapons tests and threats, the Unification Ministry, dedicated to improving relations with the North and eventual peaceful reunification, faces an almost existential crisis. In South Korea, the most important decisions on North Korea now come from the president’s office and the defense and foreign ministries. “You need both hands to clap and North Korea isn’t responding at all,” said Baik Tae-hyun, the ministry’s spokesman. He briefly considered closing the Unification Ministry and transferring its functions to the Foreign Ministry.

Source: Washington Post October 03, 2017 01:05 UTC