Unification minister nominee Lee In-young says he will lead the way in improving inter-Korean ties.
At his confirmation hearing Thursday, Lee stressed the importance of progress in relations between Seoul and Pyongyang even though North Korea and the United States are at an impasse.
The nominee also called on the Kim Jong-un regime to stop acts that put a strain on the relationship between the two Koreas.
Earlier this month, President Moon Jae-in appointed Lee, a four-term lawmaker, as his new point man on the North to replace Kim Yeon-chul.
Kim stepped down in June to take responsibility for failing to properly manage inter-Korean ties after North Korea blew up a joint liaison office in protest of anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns carried out by defectors and civic groups in the South.
<Photo: Yonhap News>
