Im Jong-seok "Let's Not Unify... We Must Accept the Reality of 'Two Separate States'"

"Constitutional 'Hanbando' Territory Clause Must Be Removed"
"Unification Discussions Only After 30 Years Once Peace Is Established"

Im Jong-seok, the former Chief of Staff to the President during the Moon Jae-in administration, made remarks suggesting acceptance of the reality of the division of the Korean Peninsula and the idea of embracing two separate states.

On the 19th, at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju, during the keynote speech at the 6th anniversary ceremony of the September 19 Joint Declaration hosted by the '2024 Joint Committee for the Promotion of Peace on the Korean Peninsula,' Im stated, "Let's not pursue unification," proposing, "Wouldn't it be better if (North and South Korea) just live separately, together, respecting each other and being happy?"

Im Jong-seok, former Chief of Staff to the President. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Furthermore, he argued for either removing or amending Article 3 of the Constitution, which states, "The territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands."

Given that Im Jong-seok is a former chairman of the 3rd National Council of Student Representatives (Jeondaehyup) and a prominent figure of the National Liberation (NL) faction that pursued anti-American autonomous unification, as well as having served as the chairman of the South-North summit preparation committee during the Moon Jae-in government, this is considered a highly unusual stance. However, it is known that this speech was drafted by Im himself after long contemplation, without consultation with close aides or other figures.

Im proposed, "I suggest we also put aside the national federation plan we have pursued," indicating the need for a paradigm shift different from the existing 86-generation group's approach to North Korea.

He said, "This is an issue that must be addressed eventually, so I courageously raise it now," adding, "Let's abolish the National Security Act and dismantle the Ministry of Unification." His argument is based on the judgment that unification is practically impossible in the current generation, so the focus should be on recognizing each other's systems and establishing a peace regime, while leaving the unification discussion to the next generation once the atmosphere is sufficiently ripe.

Im stated, "Let's let go of the obsession that unification must be achieved. Let's firmly establish peace and entrust the future of the Korean Peninsula to the next generation." Regarding the basis of his argument, he said, "At this point, discussions on unification are unrealistic, and there is no guarantee that unification is necessarily good."

He explained, "There is strong skepticism about unification even among our own people. Among the younger generation, this skepticism manifests as rejection," and added, "(Rather) by postponing the highly rejected 'unification' for both North and South, we can reach an agreement on peace." He continued, "It is not too late to discuss unification after peace is fully established and inter-Korean cooperation is firmly in place. Let's completely seal off unification discussions and revisit them in 30 years to see how things stand."

Im said, "Under conditions where denial and hostility toward the other side persist, any claim for unification inevitably carries an aggressive goal of subjugating the other," citing President Yoon Suk-yeol's 'unification doctrine' and his advocacy of free unification as an example. He added, "Talking about unification without building trust and a will for peace is no different from an attack on the other side," criticizing the Yoon administration's North Korea policy as, "At best, 'peace through strength,' and simply put, 'willingness to go to war.'"

Im emphasized, "I clearly tell Chairman Kim as well, there can be no hostile relationship between two states," stressing, "They must be peaceful, national states."