South Korean leftist party to begin exchanges with North Korean party

By Park Ji-won

A small South Korean leftist party will meet with a North Korean "political party" in China this week to discuss political exchanges in accord with the Panmunjeom Declaration signed at the inter-Korean summit.

The Minjung Party said it will meet with the North's Korean Social Democratic Party from Friday to Saturday in Shenyang, China, close to the border with the North, to discuss boosting exchanges.

"The party-to-party exchange with the Korean Social Democratic Party will be of importance in developing cooperation in the spirit of the April 27 Panmunjeom Declaration," Kim Chang-han, co-leader of the Minjung Party, said during a press conference.

"This meeting is the restoration of party-to-party exchanges, after 10 years of no progress during the presidencies of Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye."

Kim said the North Korean party sent a letter to the Minjung Party, Jan. 1, expressing support and solidarity for its activities with the aim of achieving national independence, unification and the protection of peace along with a new year's greeting.

In return, the Minjung Party suggested party-level exchanges, May 21, including a visit to Pyongyang, a debate and climbing Mount Baekdu. The Korean Social Democratic Party later proposed a working-level meeting.

Three members from the Minjung Party will likely meet with Ri Kum-chol, vice head of the Social Democratic Party's central committee.

The Minjung Party, founded in October 2017, has one National Assembly seat. The Korean Social Democratic Party, which holds 50 seats in the North's Supreme People's Assembly as of 2014, is allied with the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.