Seventeen years ago in mid-June, Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il, then-leaders of the divided Koreas, shook hands at the first inter-Korean summit aimed towards peaceful reunification. On Wednesday, South Korea approved a local civic group to contact North Korea hoping to reinitiate a joint event honoring the historic meeting, for the first time in nine years.

The Ministry of Unification’s approval of the June 15 South Korean Committee contacting its North Korean counterpart follows a permit last week of another civic group’s request to reach out for humanitarian aid to North Korea.

The June 15 committee plans to discuss with the North, through fax, the revival of an annual celebration which was suspended in 2008.

Yonhap News Agency reported that there was previous contact between the two this February in China where they discussed to hold the event in either Pyongyang or Kaesong.

The ministry on Thursday struck a cautious note, saying the approval of a contact doesn’t mean the government is going to allow the resumption of the event itself.

“Do not jump to any conclusion. We’re going to consider whether or not to allow (attendance in the event) once the application for North Korean visits is filed,” a ministry official said.

The anniversary event was held in Seoul and Pyongyang between 2003 and 2008 under the guidance of late President Roh Moo-hyun’s administration, as part of Roh’s effort to keep the torch of Kim Dae-jung’s sunshine policy burning. Several key government officials have attended the cross-border event in the past where performances by both South and North Korean artists and teams brought participants together.

The joint declaration adopted during the bilateral meeting in 2000 is considered to have laid foundations to carry out reunions of separate families, the Mount Kumgang tours, and inviting North Korean personnel to South Korean sports tournaments.

The event, however, poses as a problem amid North Korea’s recent missile provocations which are largely condemned by the international community.

Mindful of this, the ministry has continuously emphasized its unwillingness to breach any international sanctions through private inter-Korean exchanges.

“We plan to flexibly contemplate humanitarian aid and other private exchanges within the extent that does not undermine international sanctions,” said Lee Duk-haeng, spokesman for the unification ministry in recent press briefings.

Recently, Foreign Minister nominee Kang Kyung-wha, who worked the UN, has said that humanitarian aid is a universal value of mankind that should be treated separately from political consideration.

However, the main concern with the event is the nature of the event, which can be interpreted as political rather than humanitarian. Experts also voiced concerns on the nature of the event and what it could invoke.

“The previous events called for half-civilian and half-government support,” Choi Kang, vice president of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies told The Korea Herald.

“However government involvement should be refrained this time to prevent the risk of being misinterpreted.”

Choi added that the event should be viewed merely as a celebration rather than a serious gesture to hold inter-Korean talks about current issues.

“The event is part of the Moon administration’s goal to promote flexibility with civilian contacts between the North and the South,“ said Choi.

The government has said specific guidelines are yet to be devised for the inter-Korean festival, however they will not violate international sanctions or solve nuclear tension. The unification ministry vowed to take certain steps on the guidelines once detailed reports on the matter are submitted.

The ministry said that the new administration is taking a cautious stance as it is at its beginning stage of reopening dialogue with the North.

By Jung Min-kyung (mkjung@heraldcorp.com)