[Korean Peninsula 3.0] Hong Yongpyo: "Changing the Ministry of Unification's Name Will Only Deepen South-South Conflict"

Interview with Former Unification Minister Hong Yongpyo
Opposes Renaming the Ministry of Unification, Citing Concerns Over Internal Conflict
Raises Doubts About the Theory of Peaceful Coexistence Between North and South Korea

Editor's NoteThe international situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula is in turmoil. North Korea, once seen as the target of unification, is now declaring itself as one of two "hostile states" and preparing for a complete severance of ties. The United States, our blood ally, is presenting us with economic and security demands amid its strategic competition with China. The Lee Jaemyung administration has launched under the dual challenge of having to find breakthroughs in both diplomacy with the United States and policy toward North Korea amid these turbulent times. In a three-part series, we will examine the "Korean Peninsula 3.0 Strategy" that the Lee Jaemyung administration should pursue, moving beyond the division, war, and Cold War (1.0) since 1945, and the era of reconciliation and conflict since the 1990s (2.0).

On July 24, Hong Yongpyo, former Minister of Unification (age 64), commented on recent calls, mainly from the ruling bloc, to change the name of the Ministry of Unification, stating, "Changing the ministry's name will only deepen internal conflict within South Korea, known as South-South conflict."

In a phone interview with Asia Economy that day, Hong said, "Since North Korea's perspective on South Korea has changed, it is important for us to discuss what response strategies we should develop and what kind of peace we should pursue with North Korea. Simply changing the name (of the Ministry of Unification) could merely fuel controversy." Hong served as Minister of Unification from 2015 to 2017 during the Park Geunhye administration.

Regarding the proposal to change the ministry's name, Hong pointed out, "The idea is that, since North Korea feels burdened by talk of unification at this stage, we should set that aside and focus on dialogue for peace." He continued, "If we, for example, recognize North Korea as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and propose dialogue on a state-to-state basis, it will only exacerbate internal conflict and undermine the constitutional values and principles we have upheld. While it might elicit a short-term response from North Korea, it could actually have a negative impact on our efforts to manage inter-Korean relations and pursue peaceful unification."

Hong Yongpyo, former Minister of Unification

Currently, Article 4 of the Constitution stipulates, "The Republic of Korea shall seek unification and shall establish and implement a policy of peaceful unification based on the basic order of free democracy." The word "unification" has been included in the names of central government agencies for over 50 years, from the National Unification Board in 1969 to the current Ministry of Unification (since 1998).

Hong also addressed the opinion, raised by some, that South Korea should respond to North Korea's claim of "two hostile states" by advocating for "two friendly states." He said, "This could be described as a theory of peaceful coexistence, but given that North Korea characterizes inter-Korean relations as those of belligerent states and even claims it could invade our territory, I have some doubts about whether such a relationship of peaceful coexistence can actually be established."

He added, "North Korea continues to develop nuclear weapons and claims it could attack the South with them. In this situation, the theory of peaceful coexistence could easily become the 'nuclear peace' that North Korea desires. If peace simply means acknowledging North Korea's nuclear weapons and avoiding war, I question whether that truly constitutes real peace."

Regarding the current situation, in which the new administration has shown conciliatory gestures such as halting military loudspeaker broadcasts and suspending National Intelligence Service TV and radio broadcasts toward North Korea, yet North Korea has not responded, Hong assessed, "This is not a situation where any preemptive measures we take will necessarily yield results."

On the Lee Jaemyung administration's North Korea policy, he said, "We should prepare for dialogue, but should not place too much emphasis on merely starting talks. There is a risk of getting entangled in North Korea's various strategies, such as its two-state theory. Even if dialogue does occur, North Korea is likely to demand a state-to-state relationship, so it is time to consider such fundamental issues more carefully and slowly."

Regarding the possibility of future inter-Korean talks, Hong said, "The catalyst for dialogue could be talks between North Korea and the United States. Of course, even if North Korea-U.S. talks take place, the possibility of immediate denuclearization is not high, but if such talks do occur, the likelihood of inter-Korean dialogue could increase somewhat."

Meanwhile, Hong is a graduate of Yonsei University's Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Oxford in the UK, and has served as a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification and as Secretary for Unification at the Presidential Office. He is currently a professor in the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Hanyang University.