Seoul: Unification Minister nominee Chung Dong-young stated during a parliamentary confirmation hearing that he disagrees with the characterization of North Korea as South Korea's "main enemy," referring to the North instead as a "threat." This stance contrasts with the former conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration, which labeled North Korea as an "enemy" in the 2022 defense white paper.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea first designated North Korea as its main enemy in the 1995 defense white paper. However, this language was softened in the 2004 version, describing the North as a "direct military threat" amid a period of slightly improved relations between the two Koreas. The Yoon administration reinstated the "enemy" label after the liberal Moon Jae-in administration removed it in the 2018 and 2020 editions of the defense paper.
In late 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un described inter-Korean relations as those between "two states hostile to each other" and declared South Korea his country's "primary foe," dismissing any prospects for reconciliation and unification. Chung expressed hope that a suspended inter-Korean military tension reduction pact could be restored through a Cabinet meeting decision.
The military agreement, which was fully suspended by the Yoon government in response to North Korea's hostile activities, aimed to halt aggressive actions and establish buffer zones where military exercises would be prohibited. Chung suggested that South Korea could adopt "interim" measures by voluntarily suspending military actions prohibited by the agreement.
Chung also proposed a potential renaming of the unification ministry to reflect the current inter-Korean dynamics. He suggested the Ministry of the Korean Peninsula as a possible alternative, emphasizing the importance of discussing this matter with the National Assembly. While some experts argue that a name change could alleviate North Korea's fears of absorption-based unification, opponents worry it might signal a lack of commitment to national unification.
Chung attributed North Korea's hostile stance to the former South Korean government's strict approach, advocating for a "pragmatic" path similar to the East and West Germany unification model, which focused on cooperation and exchanges.
Highlighting former President Moon Jae-in's 2017 proposal to pause joint military exercises with the United States, Chung noted it facilitated the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. He also mentioned that North Korea is reportedly operating three semiconductor factories, potentially producing cell phones with imported components, which could pave the way for future cooperation in science and technology sectors.
Chung, a journalist-turned-lawmaker, was nominated last month as the first unification minister under the Lee Jae Myung administration, having previously served as unification minister in 2004-05 under former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun.