Kim Chunsik, Appointed by Yoon, Says Removing 'Unification' from Ministry Name Is Highly Inappropriate

On July 16, Kim Chun-sik, President of the Korea Institute for National Unification, stated, "It is highly inappropriate to remove 'Unification' from the name of the Ministry of Unification under the Lee Jaemyung administration." Kim was appointed during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

At a forum held by the Korea Institute for National Unification at the Korea Press Center that day, under the theme of "The Direction of Unification and North Korea Policy under the Lee Jaemyung Administration," Kim said in his opening remarks, "If 'Unification' is removed from the ministry's name, the negative impact on national identity and external messaging would be significant," adding, "It would be understood as an abandonment of unification." He previously served as Vice Minister of Unification under the Lee Myung-bak administration and was appointed as President of the Korea Institute for National Unification, a national policy research institute under the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, in July 2023 during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Kim emphasized, "The Ministry of Unification represents our nation's will and right to unification as a state institution," and strongly criticized, "Erasing unification for the sake of peace and accepting the North's 'two-state system' is an absurd argument and a superstition that ignores the essence of peace and tension on the Korean Peninsula."

At the end of 2023, North Korea defined inter-Korean relations as those of "two hostile states" and has refused any communication. In response, under the Lee Jaemyung administration, there have been proposals to change the name of the Ministry of Unification to something like the "Ministry of Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation" as one way to resume inter-Korean dialogue. Previously, on July 14, Jeong Dong-young, the nominee for Minister of Unification, also expressed agreement during a National Assembly confirmation hearing, stating, "Since unification can only be pursued on the foundation of established peace and stability, it is necessary to actively consider changing the name of the Ministry of Unification."