Fire could require 'inter-Korean cooperation' says ROK

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The Republic of Korea (ROK) will share information with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) about a devastating forest fire that engulfed the country's northeastern regions near the inter-Korean border and will convey the need for possible cooperation, ROK's Unification Ministry said Friday, Yonhap reported.

The fire that broke out in Goseong, 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, has spread quickly to neighboring areas after causing one death and displacing thousands, according to Yonhap. ROK President Moon Jae-in earlier ordered officials to work with the DPRK if the fire spreads across the border.

File photo of the inter-Korean liaison office in the DPRK border city of Kaesong. /VCG Photo

The ROK Friday delivered a document about the fire to the DPRK at their liaison office in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong, the ministry said. The document contained detailed information about the fire and the possible need for inter-Korean cooperation, officials said, quoted by Yonhap.

"Through the liaison office, we will share the situation regarding the fire (with the DPRK) and convey the need for possible inter-Korean cooperation," the ministry's deputy spokeswoman Lee Eugene told a regular press briefing.

"We will consider having further consultations with the North (DPRK) depending on the situation," Lee added.

ROK Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon (L) attends with his DPRK counterpart Ri Son Gwon (R) during an opening ceremony of a joint liaison office in Kaesong, DPRK, September 14, 2018. /VCG Photo

The liaison office was established last September to better foster cross-border exchanges while easing tensions, following by an agreement reached by Moon and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un during their first summit in April in the truce village of Panmunjom. It had been one of the key developments made in the past year as the inter-Korea relationship improved.

DPRK officials return to inter-Korean liaison office

DPRK officials once withdrew from the joint liaison office on March 22 after the United States imposed new sanctions on Pyongyang since the second U.S.-DPRK summit broke down in late February. They returned three days later when U.S. President Donald Trump canceled the sanctions claiming he "likes" Kim.

The ROK is dedicated to normalizing relations with the DPRK, viewing the joint liaison office as a key way to reach the goal. On April 11, Moon and Trump will hold a summit in Washington to discuss stalled talks between the U.S. and the DPRK after the second summit, according to Yonhap.

(Cover: A giant forest fire raging near a town in Goseong, ROK, April 5, 2019. /VCG Photo)

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