Jeong Dongyoung's Confirmation Hearing for Minister of Unification
"We Must Move Toward Unification Through Peaceful Coexistence"
Jeong Dongyoung, nominee for Minister of Unification, said on July 14, "We must restore the devastated inter-Korean relationship and rebuild the collapsed peace and coexistence system on the Korean Peninsula."
During his opening remarks at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly that day, Jeong stated, "While considering ways to implement what the two Koreas have agreed upon in the past, we need to restart from the first stage of reconciliation and cooperation, which has come to a halt."
Jeong Dongyoung, nominee for Minister of Unification, is attending the AI G3 Leading Nation New Technology Strategy Breakfast Forum held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on July 9, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
Jeong noted, "Due to the intensifying strategic competition among major powers, uncertainty in the international order is rising, and the security environment surrounding the Korean Peninsula is becoming more volatile than ever. The structural environment of inter-Korean relations is also at its worst." He added, "It is true that, in the face of this harsh international situation, concerns and worries about the Korean Peninsula outweigh hope and expectations."
Jeong went on to mention the inter-Korean agreements achieved by successive governments, including the 1991 Basic Agreement, the June 15 Joint Declaration, the October 4 Summit Declaration, the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration, and the September 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement.
He said, "Looking back, even amid rapidly changing international dynamics and the politics of major powers, we have continuously written the history of building peace on the Korean Peninsula. It may have seemed impossible, but it was a historic achievement made possible by the patience and resilience of our people."
Jeong emphasized, "We must continue to move toward de facto unification through small steps toward peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula so that inter-Korean relations do not threaten the daily lives of our people. That is the path for our nation to thrive and for the Korean Peninsula to prosper. At the end of the 20th century, the German people took that path and ultimately became one."
Jeong also stated, "I was born on the very day the guns of the Korean War fell silent. Throughout my not-so-short political career, the issues of inter-Korean relations and peace on the Korean Peninsula have been the guiding themes of my life." He continued, "If you lend your support, I will dedicate the experience I have accumulated to restoring inter-Korean relations and building peace on the Korean Peninsula."
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