Official Lee administration policy recognizes South, North as 'two peaceful states'
Published: 15 Oct. 2025, 11:56
Updated: 15 Oct. 2025, 17:13
![Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks during a parliamentary audit of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Oct. 14. [LIM HYUN-DONG]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/10/15/9a5334bd-4204-4525-a912-3aa8889c57b9.jpg)
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks during a parliamentary audit of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Oct. 14. [LIM HYUN-DONG]
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Tuesday that a framework recognizing South and North Korea as “two peaceful states” will become the official position of the government.
Chung also announced plans to revive the Kaesong Industrial District Foundation in preparation for restarting operations at the inter-Korean industrial complex.
Speaking during a parliamentary audit of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Chung said the idea stems from the government’s goal of concluding an inter-Korean basic agreement.
“This is one of the administration’s national policy tasks,” Chung said. “Can such an agreement be signed with a hostile state or an anti-state organization?” he added, suggesting that a formal agreement would require mutual recognition between the two governments.
However, the remarks may raise concerns over conflicting interpretations of the Constitution, which commits South Korea to the goal of peaceful reunification. North Korea has long advocated its own “two hostile states” framework, which is at odds with Seoul’s traditional position.
“The institutionalization of peaceful coexistence is part of President Lee Jae Myung’s philosophy,” Chung said. “We are referring to a two-state framework within the context of a provisional, special relationship on the path toward unification.”
In response to Chung's comments, presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon said, “The unification minister’s remarks are understandable, given his position.”
![Visitors to the Kaesong Industrial Complex during an event marking the 18th anniversary of the 2007 North?South Summit Declaration are seen at the Inter-Korean Transit Office in Paju, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 27. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/10/15/f605f701-ffa2-4205-a4fe-b6fe88575dec.jpg)
Visitors to the Kaesong Industrial Complex during an event marking the 18th anniversary of the 2007 North?South Summit Declaration are seen at the Inter-Korean Transit Office in Paju, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 27. [YONHAP]
Chung also expressed his intention to restart the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which was established in 2002 to foster collaborative economic development between the two Koreas, but has been shuttered since 2016 following North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and a long-range missile launch during the Park Geun-hye administration.
As part of the preparations, he said the government would push to restore the Kaesong Industrial District Foundation — a public entity that was dissolved under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, and was left with only the liquidated corporation.
However, the move faces significant obstacles. North Korea remains largely unresponsive to Seoul’s outreach, and any effort to restart joint ventures or employ North Korean labor would likely violate United Nations Security Council sanctions on Pyongyang.
Separately, Chung suggested that a summit between North Korea and the United States could take place at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this month in Gyeongju.
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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