The Unification Ministry has disclosed to the public the details of unification policies announced by President Lee Myung-bak during his Independence Day speech on August 15th.

The ministry said Monday that the so-called “unification tax” proposed by Lee is a key part of concrete preparations for unification. The ministry said that it not just a tax, but a starting point to comprehensively discuss preparations for unification and ways to finance it.

The ministry said that now is the time to begin earnest discussions on future unification policies and preparations to that end, adding that the related processes would be pursued over the long term.

The ministry said the most urgent task facing South Korea is the establishment of a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula through denuclearization, noting that the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear program must precede all other inter-Korean policies.