Seoul: South Korea has commenced allowing its nationals to freely contact North Koreans, provided these interactions are declared in advance. This announcement was made by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who revealed the new policy while speaking to reporters on his way to the office.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Minister Chung signed off on eliminating the previous guidelines that governed the declarations of contacts with North Koreans. These guidelines had previously been used by the government to deny civilians' requests to engage with North Korean nationals, resulting in a significant reduction in private-level inter-Korean exchanges in recent years.

The new policy enables ordinary South Koreans to freely interact with North Koreans, as long as these interactions are declared to the ministry beforehand. This requirement arises from the fact that the Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war, with only an armistice halting the conflict since the Korean War of 1950-53.

Minister Chung emphasized that this change permits full-range contacts at the private level, promoting mutual understanding and potentially leading to coexistence. Additionally, he mentioned that an upcoming National Security Council meeting in early August will review possible adjustments to the large-scale South Korea-U.S. military exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield.

Chung also noted that he intends to propose changes to the joint military exercise, scheduled for mid-August, to President Lee Jae Myung as part of efforts to enhance relations with North Korea.