Unification Ministry weighs public support for using North Korea’s official name

The Unification Ministry said Friday it views growing calls to refer to North Korea by its official name as part of a broader effort to build public consensus on the issue.

"The ministry is paying attention to religious leaders' call for the two Koreas to use each other's official names," deputy spokesperson Chang Yoon-jeong said at a regular briefing.

"Since their announcement, we have also noted support from various sectors of society, and we will continue listening to these voices going forward," she added.

The Korean Council of Religious Leaders said the previous day that genuine peace begins with "acknowledging each other as they are," urging both South and North Korea to refer to each other using their official names, respectively, the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"Respecting each other's name is the first step" toward peaceful coexistence, the group said.

Kang Chang-il, vice chair of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, a presidential advisory body on unification, echoed the call.

"I would first like to express my deep appreciation for the senior religious leaders who said peace begins with respecting each other's name," Kang said Thursday.

South Korea currently uses "North Korea" rather than its official name, "Joson" in Korean, as Seoul does not recognize its ties with North Korea as state-to-state relations under the 1991 inter-Korean Basic Agreement.

The debate has gained momentum in recent months, with senior officials, including Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, raising the need for Seoul to call North Korea by its official name to achieve peaceful coexistence.

Yonhap