Unification minister advocates 'peaceful two state' peninsula
Published: 24 Sep. 2025, 19:44
Updated: 24 Sep. 2025, 23:35
![Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks at a forum commemorating the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration at Camp Greaves in Paju, Gyeonggi District, on Sept. 19. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/24/4f7ea62e-356a-4c94-81c9-d03cf0defd15.jpg)
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks at a forum commemorating the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration at Camp Greaves in Paju, Gyeonggi District, on Sept. 19. [YONHAP]
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Wednesday described North and South Korea as “two states” under international law, using language that acknowledges the North’s de facto political status.
“North and South Korea joined the United Nations at the same time and have been treated as two states under international law and international politics — and they still are,” Chung said. “We must focus change on eliminating hostility.”
He made the remarks in a welcome speech at a seminar titled “North Korea’s Two-State Theory and the Direction of the Inter-Korean Basic Agreement” (translated) held at Koreana Hotel in central Seoul.
The comment appeared to suggest that Seoul should adopt a pragmatic approach and acknowledge the North Korean regime as it is — a stance that could help restore strained inter-Korean relations. But critics warned that Chung’s words risked sounding like an endorsement of Pyongyang’s “hostile two-state theory,” which frames the two Koreas as permanently antagonistic, sovereign countries.
“We must transform the hostile two-state relationship into a peaceful two-state relationship,” Chung said.
Chung's remarks stood in contrast to comments made on Wednesday by National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, who told reporters in New York, “The government does not support or recognize the notion of two states.”
![A North Korean flag flutters at the propaganda village of Gijungdong in North Korea, in this picture taken near the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea on July 19, 2022. [REUTERS/YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/24/d325c27f-d3a9-4969-b339-9a6d04cd479f.jpg)
A North Korean flag flutters at the propaganda village of Gijungdong in North Korea, in this picture taken near the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea on July 19, 2022. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
Still, Chung’s statement seemed aligned with President Lee Jae Myung's address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, in which he reiterated his administration’s “three principles of peaceful coexistence.”
The principles — first outlined in Lee's Aug. 15 Liberation Day speech — are to recognize the North Korean regime, to avoid seeking unification by absorption and to refrain from any hostile acts.
“Based on these three principles, the government will consistently pursue steps to normalize inter-Korean relations through peaceful coexistence and trust-building," Chung said. “To push inter-Korean ties in the direction of reconciliation and cooperation without wavering, we must institutionalize peaceful coexistence."
That position reflects language found in the government’s five-year policy plan, published by the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning, which calls for a new “Inter-Korean Basic Agreement” (translated) modeled after the 1972 Basic Treaty between East and West Germany. The German treaty acknowledged the two states as equals and committed to maintaining a peaceful relationship until eventual reunification.
The Ministry of Unification, meanwhile, plans to review the direction and naming of the National Center for North Korean Human Rights, which had been set to open next year. The ministry had launched the project in 2023 under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration as a symbolic venue to highlight the North’s human rights abuses.
“We are currently reviewing all North Korea human rights initiatives to ensure they align with the broader policy goal of substantively improving the rights of North Korean residents.” a Unification Ministry official said. “This includes re-evaluating the center’s name, functions and role.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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