Lee Hae-chan, Senior Vice Chairman of the National Unification Advisory Council: "Our Commitment to Peaceful Unification Remains Unwavering"

Lee Hae-chan, the newly appointed Senior Vice Chairman of the National Unification Advisory Council, stated on the 3rd, "Our determination for peaceful unification can never be shaken."

Lee Hae-chan, Senior Vice Chairman of the National Unification Advisory Council, is speaking at a meeting held at a restaurant in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 3rd. National Unification Advisory Council

At his inauguration ceremony held that morning in the main conference room of the National Unification Advisory Council in Jung-gu, Seoul, Senior Vice Chairman Lee said, "We must build public consensus through 'social dialogue on peaceful unification.'" He added, "We also need to foster consensus and garner support for unification abroad."

He further emphasized, "The direction we must pursue is a 'Korean Peninsula of peaceful coexistence and prosperity.' We must recognize differences as they are, and create a new space for peaceful unification with the positive energy of inclusion, integration, and solidarity."

Since the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, there have been ongoing criticisms that the emphasis by Minister of Unification Chung Dongyoung and others on the 'peaceful two-state theory' is at odds with the 'peaceful unification' stipulated in the Constitution. In response to a question about this, Senior Vice Chairman Lee said, "Since the division, North and South Korea have been admitted to the United Nations simultaneously, and are already regarded as two separate countries in the international community." He continued, "While acknowledging that reality, I believe we must not abandon our unification policy, which defines our territory as 'the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands.'"

The National Unification Advisory Council, which reports directly to the President, is a constitutional body that advises and makes recommendations to the President on the establishment and implementation of policies for democratic and peaceful unification. President Lee Jaemyung serves as the Chairman himself.

On October 28, President Lee appointed a total of 22,824 members to the 22nd National Unification Advisory Council. These 22nd-term advisors will serve both domestically and overseas for two years, from November 1 of this year until October 31, 2027. This is an increase of 840 members (3.8%) compared to the 21st term, and the proportion of women has also risen to about 40%. Notably, the number of youth advisors (aged 18 to 45) has reached 6,017, accounting for 30.5%, the highest ever.

The 22nd-term advisors also include an 18-year-old high school student who is a descendant of an independence activist, a comedian who joined a broadcasting company through an open recruitment process, a businessperson of Koryoin descent, and a Mongolian-born naturalized university student. In addition, 234 'deliberative discussion activists' were appointed through a public recruitment process for experts on inter-Korean relations, civil society members, and other citizens.

At a press briefing that day, Bang Yongseung, Secretary General of the National Unification Advisory Council, said, "Unlike in the past, we are approaching our work with a sense of urgency, striving to reinvent the Council as a completely new organization."