New Unification Minister Chung Dong-young visited the truce village of Panmunjeom ahead of his inauguration ceremony and stressed the need to restore lines of communication with North Korea.

According to the ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs on Friday, Chung went straight to Panmunjeom after President Lee Jae Myung authorized his appointment. He then met with officials from the United Nations Command(UNC) and checked up on severed inter-Korean communication channels.

Chung stressed that restoring the cross-border channels is an urgent priority in order to seek resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and restoration of mutual trust. 

He pledged to closely cooperate with the UNC and related agencies to make Panmunjeom a place symbolizing connection and cooperation.

The minister's decision to visit the truce village before the start of his official duty is likely intended to send a message to Pyongyang that the new government in Seoul is determined to improve cross-border relations and to urge the regime to revive channels and return to dialogue.

Panmunjeom is where the two Koreas have held over 370 meetings since 1971, including the 2018 inter-Korean summit.