Jeong Dong-young, the Minister of Unification, attended a special elders dialogue on inter-Korean relations themed “The Lee Jae-myung Government’s Unification Foreign Policy: Evaluation and Prospect” at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 3rd. Participating in the national salute from the right in the front row are Minister Jeong, Im Dong-won, honorary chairman of the Peace Forum on the Korean Peninsula, former Minister of Unification Lee Jae-jung, former Minister of Unification Jeong Se-hyun, and honorary professor Moon Chung-in from Yonsei University. (Source: News1)
On the 15th, former ministers who served as the Minister of Unification under the progressive government stated regarding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ forthcoming “Korean-American Policy Cooperation Meeting on North Korea” that “a ministry lacking expertise and understanding of inter-Korean relations cannot be entrusted with North Korean policy.”
On this day, former ministers Im Dong-won, Jeong Se-hyun, Lee Jae-jung, Cho Myoung-gyon, Kim Yeon-chul, and Lee In-young released a statement emphasizing the need for close consultation between the two countries on North Korean policy but expressed concern about proceeding in a manner similar to past Korea-U.S. working groups.
The two countries are coordinating plans to hold a regular cooperation meeting on North Korean policy as soon as the 16th. From our side, Chong Jae-yeon, director-general for foreign policy and strategy, is the chief representative, while Kevin Kim, acting U.S. ambassador to Korea, participates from the U.S. side. The former ministers argued that the past Korea-U.S. working group was not a productive consultation to solve problems but rather played a negative role by obstructing the improvement of inter-Korean relations and raising the bar on sanctions.
The former ministers opposed holding a foreign ministry-led policy cooperation meeting on North Korean issues, likening it to the Korea-U.S. working group established during the Moon Jae-in administration in 2018. At that time, the working group was initially a pre-consultation body for inter-Korean relations, but after it became operational, it functioned wherein South Korea had to get prior approval from the U.S. under its sanctions criteria, hindering inter-Korean cooperation projects.
They pointed out distinct opinion differences between President Donald Trump and U.S. government officials regarding North Korean policy. They added that consultation with U.S. working-level officials on North Korean policy might worsen rather than improve inter-Korean relations. The former ministers expressed concern that the U.S. representative’s participation in such consultations would not contribute to creating an environment conducive to a North Korea-U.S. summit, with concerns over Ambassador Kevin Kim’s fundamental stance on North Korea’s denuclearization.
The former ministers especially criticized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claiming that allowing it to lead North Korean policy goes against the principles of the constitution and government organization act, pointing out that historically, during significant junctures like establishing the Gaeseong Industrial Complex or considering sanctions relief, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was more negative and conservative than the U.S. government.
They reiterated that the Ministry of Unification should be the chief agency for North Korean policy, stressing the design of inter-ministerial consultations across all sectors—economic, military, humanitarian, and socio-cultural—for dialogue initiatives. They advocated halting the foreign ministry-led Korea-U.S. working group plans and having the Ministry of Unification take the lead in coming up with measures to restart inter-Korean relations, aiding President Trump in successfully establishing a North Korea-U.S. summit.
Minister Jeong Dong-young indicated during a meeting with reporters that discussions about the Unification Ministry’s participation in the cooperation meeting are ongoing, expressing a position that it is still under review. Yoon Min-ho, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, also noted in a briefing that they are communicating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding participation, stating that while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should handle communications on Korea-U.S. relations, the Ministry of Unification should also engage in dialogue with the U.S. concerning inter-Korean relations.