Seok Dong-hyun "Guarantee of Term for Democratic Peace Advisory Committee Members... Importance of Sincere Consultation"

'Controversy Over Forcing Resignation of Subcommittee Chair
"Voluntarily Stepped Down Due to Regime Change"'

Seok Dong-hyun, Secretary General of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Seok Dong-hyun, Secretary General of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (Democratic Peace Council), stated regarding the controversy over the 'pressure on subcommittee chairpersons to resign,' "It goes without saying that (the advisory members' terms) should be fundamentally guaranteed."

At a press conference held on the 17th at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Secretary General Seok explained that some subcommittee chairpersons resigned because their values did not align with those pursued by the new government, leading them to voluntarily step down from their positions.

This was in response to suspicions that Secretary General Seok had effectively pressured the subcommittee chairpersons to resign by calling them to inquire about their intention to step down. Additionally, there were criticisms that his remarks at the inauguration ceremony held on the 14th of last month, suggesting that the advisory members should be reorganized to align with the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's national philosophy, contradicted the founding purpose of the Democratic Peace Council, which is to gather broad public opinion on unification.

Secretary General Seok confirmed on the same day that six subcommittee chairpersons had expressed their intention to resign, stating, "It is not a situation that occurs every term that the government changes during the term, causing shifts in North Korea and unification policies." He explained that these individuals voluntarily expressed their intention to resign due to doubts about whether they could continue their roles amid changes in government policy during their terms, and that he merely confirmed their intentions.

President Yoon Seok-yeol and Seok Dong-hyun, Secretary General of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, posing for a commemorative photo [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, Secretary General Seok emphasized the need for members with sincere advisory intentions, given that the Democratic Peace Council is an organization that provides policy advice to the president.

He said, "While we try to respect their intentions as much as possible, I believe it is a necessary measure for the advisory council as an organization to check those who are passive or insincere in their activities as advisory members."

He continued, "I do not think that only those who blindly agree with the president should be in the council, but the important thing is that there must be a sincere intention to provide advice to the president. Even if one expresses critical views or disagreements, the willingness to fulfill the fundamental role of an advisory member is absolutely necessary," he stressed.

He also conveyed the words President Yoon Seok-yeol asked of him when he began his term.

Secretary General Seok explained, "President Yoon requested special efforts to ensure balanced public opinion gathering so that the government’s unification policy and related national affairs can receive good public opinion and advisory roles. Regarding the new member composition next year, he asked for careful attention to ensure a balanced composition of members, even if there are differences in views and political lines."

The 20th term advisory members of the Democratic Peace Council, consisting of 20,000 domestic and international figures, were appointed on September 1 of last year. Their term is two years, and if not reappointed, they will serve until the end of August next year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.