Regular Briefing by Spokesperson Koo Byoungsam

Date: Monday, September 29, 2025
Time: 10:30-10:38 A.M.

1. Minister's Schedule

Minister Chung Dongyoung is visiting Germany and Belgium from September 28 to October 4 to take part in an international dialogue on unification in Europe.

On October 1, at 2 P.M., Minister Chung will deliver congratulatory video remarks at a forum on case presentations of inter-Korean social integration.

2. Vice Minister's Schedule

Vice Minister Kim Nam Jung will encourage a North Korean defector household in need of support today at 2 P.M., followed by a visit to the Yeomyung School at 4 P.M.

On September 30, at 10 A.M., Vice Minister Kim will attend the cabinet meeting.

On October 1, at 10 A.M., Vice Minister Kim will visit a social welfare facility on the occasion of Chuseok.

At 2 P.M., Vice Minister Kim will deliver opening remarks at a seminar on formalizing inter-Korean agreements.

At 4:30 P.M., Vice Minister Kim will visit and console a separated family ahead of Chuseok.

On October 2, at 9 A.M., Vice Minister Kim will attend the vice ministers' conference.

On October 4, at 10:30 A.M., Vice Minister Kim will attend an event commemorating the Day of Separated Families.

3. Q&A

Q. What is the possibility of President Xi Jinping attending the October 10 ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the North's party founding?

A. The Ministry will not speculate on that matter.

Q. A media outlet reported today that the government has suspended publication of the "Report on North Korea's Economy and Society." Could you provide an explanation?

A. The article claiming that the Ministry of Unification has suspended publication of the "Report on North Korea's Economy and Society" is not true. The report, first released in February 2024, was a comprehensive study based on data collected over ten years from more than 6,300 North Korean defectors since 2013. It is not a recurring annual publication, and at least five to ten years of additional data would be required before issuing another edition.

This year, to better assess changes in the North following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry is working with experts to refine the survey and carry out new research. Considering the need for long-term data accumulation, it is premature at this stage to confirm any plans for re-publication.

Q. While the "Report on North Korean Human Rights" is published on the basis of a legally mandated survey, this report was not conducted under such a legal framework, right? Could you clarify if there is any other legal basis?

A. There is no specific legal basis for this report.

Q. While we will continue our own verification, could you confirm which senior Chinese officials have attended major anniversaries of the party's founding since Kim Jong Un took office, and who the highest-ranking among them was?

A. I will look into the details and get back to you on this.

Q. Foreign Ministers of North Korea and China held talks yesterday. How does the Ministry view the outcome? While absent from China's statement, North Korea's statement said there was complete agreement on the overall international and regional situation. Could you share your assessment of what issues this agreement may have referred to?

A. As noted, foreign minister Choe Son Hui is currently visiting China. The North's statement said the two ministers' views on regional and international affairs reached a complete consensus, while China's statement referred to an in-depth exchange of views on issues of mutual concern. This indicates a degree of difference in wording.

The international and regional issues mentioned by the North are within the scope of reasonable assumption, but it would not be appropriate to comment on them officially.

Q. Kim Jong Un recently declared that "the logic of security by force with nuclear forces as its backbone is the invariable stand of the DPRK." Could you share the Ministry's assessment of this statement?

A. The Government has already stated its position on denuclearization of the North on multiple occasions. I will not repeat them here.

Q. Could you provide an overall assessment of the North Korea-China foreign ministers' meeting and highlight any aspects that have drawn particular attention?

A. Foreign minister Choe Son Hui's visit to China is still ongoing, and it remains unclear what additional engagements may follow. Moreover, the information released so far, including the North's official statement, has been largely broad in scope. Accordingly, it would not be appropriate to provide an official assessment at this time.

Q. On September 26, Kim Jong Un visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and convened an "important consultative meeting" with scientists and technicians. This meeting seems new - does the Ministry see any particular significance?

A. As you mentioned, president of state affairs Kim Jong Un convened what the North called an "important consultative meeting related to the production of nuclear materials and weapons," which appears to be the first of its kind.

Earlier, on September 8, the North conducted an ICBM engine test, and between September 11 and 12, Kim visited institutes under its Academy of Defence Sciences where he outlined a policy of simultaneously advancing both nuclear and conventional forces.

This latest consultative meeting marks a continuation of those moves, and the Ministry assesses that the series of actions conveys a message directed at the United States. The message aligns with Kim's address at the Supreme People's Assembly on September 21, which implied the possibility of U.S.-North Korea dialogue with nuclear arms reduction and improved relations on the agenda, rather than denuclearization.