Taeyoungho: "Change the Inter-Korean Special Relationship to a State-to-State Relationship, Publicly Question the Kim Siblings"

Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, recently referred to 'Republic of Korea' instead of 'South Korea' in a statement, drawing attention to the background of this change. Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat and a member of the People Power Party, raised his voice, saying, "There are suspicious signs that North Korea is trying to change inter-Korean relations from an ethnic relationship to a state-to-state relationship," and called for a public inquiry to the North.

On the 11th, Tae posted on his social media, "We must publicly question whether the Kim siblings intend to change the fundamental principle of the ‘special inter-Korean relationship’ that their grandfather and father protected into a ‘state-to-state relationship’ in their generation," he said.

Tae Young-ho, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, is moving while receiving questions from reporters after holding a press conference to voluntarily resign from his Supreme Council position at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

He pointed out that Kim Yo-jong used the term 'Republic of Korea' in her statement and that recently, with Hyun Jeong-eun, Chairwoman of Hyundai Group, announcing she cannot visit North Korea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which handles state-to-state relations instead of inter-Korean organizations, has taken the forefront. He argued that these are suspicious signs that North Korea is trying to change inter-Korean relations into a 'state-to-state relationship.'

He added, "If North Korea tries to change inter-Korean relations from a ‘special relationship’ aimed at unification to a state-to-state relationship, it would be a serious situation that fundamentally overturns the special relationship aimed at unification, which has been maintained for over 30 years since the adoption of the 1991 Basic Agreement on Reconciliation, Non-Aggression, Exchanges and Cooperation between the South and the North," and said, "We must also prepare legislative and institutional responses accordingly."