"Yoon Turns Ministry of Unification into North Korea Pressure Agency"…Direct Hit from Former Minister of Unification

Jeong Dong-yeong CBS Radio Interview
"There Are Unconstitutional Elements"

Regarding the downsizing of the Ministry of Unification by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, including reducing its staff and shrinking the departments responsible for inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation, Jeong Dong-young, a senior advisor of the Democratic Party of Korea who served as Minister of Unification under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, criticized the Yoon government by saying the Ministry of Unification is "not even a bureau but at the level of a division."

On the 25th, Jeong made this remark on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' stating, "Looking closely at the details, this is actually a demotion to a North Korea pressure agency."

Jeong Dong-yeong, leader of the Democratic Peace Party, is being interviewed on the 13th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

The government previously abolished four organizations responsible for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation within the Ministry of Unification, reduced the staff by 81, and merged the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Bureau into the Inter-Korean Relations Management Division as part of an organizational restructuring. This change came just one month after President Yoon Seok-yeol criticized the Ministry of Unification as a 'North Korea support department' on the 2nd of last month and called for a change in its identity.

He said, "They said they would reduce the numbers by about 10%, but in reality, they are making it impossible for the ministry to function," adding, "They want to abolish it now, but to do so, they would have to amend the Government Organization Act, and changing the Government Organization Act is impossible, isn't it?"

He also pointed out legal violations and unconstitutional elements. He said, "There are violations of the Government Organization Act. The Ministry of Unification and its minister are supposed to establish and implement policies on unification, inter-Korean dialogue, and cooperation. But they are abolishing the departments for dialogue, exchange, and cooperation, which is a violation of the Government Organization Act," and “according to Article 66 of the Constitution, the president has a sincere duty for the peaceful unification of the fatherland, and the Ministry of Unification was established to support this. Considering this, it can be seen as a declaration of not fulfilling the sincere duty for peaceful unification.”

In response to the host's question, "Isn't this personnel move implying a low stance toward North Korea that hinders unification?" he said, "It is not a low stance; the Ministry of Unification must always take a forward-leaning stance toward North Korea," adding, "The official unification plan of the Republic of Korea, regardless of the current government, is the National Community Unification Plan, which has been inherited by successive governments regardless of conservative or progressive affiliations.”

He said, "If the Ministry of Unification is taking a low stance or if unification is to be achieved, to move toward peaceful unification, the system competition actually ended 40 years ago," adding, "As the president of a divided country, any administration or South Korean president should feel a sense of responsibility to manage the Korean Peninsula beyond their regime, but I think this awareness is somewhat lacking.”