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On May 22, South Korean unification minister Kim Yeon-chul addressed the Korea NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea (KNCCK), an alliance of some 50 groups dealing with the DPRK.

Kim said that “South and North Korea must be the first to join hands among many countries in times of crisis” — referring to the COVID-19 pandemic — and suggested that Seoul would be willing to provide medical equipment and other necessary supplies.

There was nothing surprising about this grand-sounding proposal. Since