S. Korea preparing for environmental cooperation with N. Korea: minister

SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- South and North Korea are gearing up to expand cross-border cooperation to various environment areas, such as nature, atmosphere and water, Seoul's top environment policymaker said Wednesday. Minister of Environment Kim Eun-kyung said that her ministry and other relevant government agencies are steadily preparing to expand cooperation with North Korea in all parts of the environment. "The environment sector, which is irrelevant to political, economic and military issues, will play an important role in the early stages of inter-Korean cooperation," Kim said in a speech to a forum held at the National Assembly. She noted that North Korea's major rivers, forests and waterworks are in "desperate" need of extensive overhaul and external support. "Many inter-Korean environment cooperation projects were planned until the middle of the 2000s but never materialized due to deteriorating inter-Korean relations," said Kim. "It is now clear that there is a desperate need for cooperation, as much of North Korea's forests are devastated, major rivers are polluted and a clean water supply is not available to the people," she said. The minister said she is now pondering feasible measures to improve environmental protection in the North, but stressed that the most important task at this moment is denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. "The government will push for inter-Korean environmental cooperation quietly and carefully in order not to disturb efforts for denuclearization and lasting peace," she said. Chu Jang-min, vice president of the Korea Environment Institute, said at the same forum that North Korean areas suffering from serious water pollution should first be singled out before restoration measures are launched there. "The supply of safe drinking water should be pushed in regions in the North inhabited by the most marginalized people," said Chu. ycm@yna.co.kr (END)