Seoul: Lawmakers from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) have criticized the unification ministry for referring to South and North Korea as a "two-state relationship" in its latest white paper, asserting it as a direct contravention of the Constitution.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the white paper, released on Monday, is the first under the Lee Jae Myung administration. It emphasizes shifting towards a "peace-oriented two-state relationship" to achieve unification, acknowledging the current reality of the Koreas as de facto two states. This terminology has incited backlash among opposition lawmakers, who argue that it might be seen as acknowledging North Korea as a separate state, violating Article 3 of the Constitution. Article 3 states that the territory of the Republic of Korea includes the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands.
In late 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un described inter-Korean relations as those between "two states hostile to each other." PPP Rep. Park Choong-kwon, a North Korean defector-turned-lawmaker and spokesperson for the party's central election committee, criticized the white paper as a "declaration completely abandoning the human rights of 26 million North Korean residents" and a "fatal act of self-harm." He argued that it violates the territorial clause in the Constitution and the obligation to pursue peaceful unification as outlined in the supreme law.
Article 4 of the Constitution requires the country to pursue unification and establish a peaceful unification policy based on liberal democracy. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok expressed on Facebook that a unification white paper dismissing 'unification' is a clear constitutional violation. He accused President Lee Jae Myung of undermining the Constitution, destroying national security, and abandoning peaceful unification efforts.
Furthermore, Rep. Jang criticized the white paper's use of the term "North Korean-born citizens" to describe North Korean defectors. The ministry began using this term in March, stating it better reflects the defectors' status as South Korean nationals with full legal entitlements.
PPP chief spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon accused the government of aligning with the North Korean leader's "anti-unification" stance, conflicting with constitutional Articles 3 and 4. Other PPP members, including spokesperson Cho Yong-sool and four-term lawmaker Lee Jong-bae, called for the immediate retraction of the "two-state" reference and the dismissal of Unification Minister Chung Dong-young.
In response, the unification ministry dismissed the criticism, clarifying that the "two-state" language does not imply abandoning unification efforts or recognizing North Korea as a legal state. A ministry official stated that the term underscores the necessity of pursuing a unification policy while acknowledging the factual existence of the two Koreas as separate entities. The official also emphasized that the two-state language does not reflect the government's official position.