Yoon: "Unification Ministry Should Not Act as North Korea Aid Department" ... Securing Justification Ahead of Confirmation Hearing (Comprehensive)

Strong Remarks Emphasizing North Korean Human Rights
Highlighting Core Role According to Constitutional Spirit
Opposition's Continuous Criticism Over Nominee

President Yoon Suk-yeol recently urged, "Until now, the Ministry of Unification has acted almost like a department for North Korean aid, but it should not be that way," Kim Eun-hye, the chief spokesperson, revealed on the 2nd.

The presidential office's disclosure of President Yoon's remarks is interpreted as a rebuttal to opposition parties' criticism labeling the newly appointed Minister of Unification nominee Kim Young-ho?a hardliner on North Korea and New Right scholar who has called for the "overthrow of the Kim Jong-un regime" and insisted that "Kim Jong-un should be held accountable for North Korean human rights"?as "far-right biased."

Regarding Kim Young-ho and other Ministry of Unification personnel, President Yoon reportedly told his aides, "It is time for the Ministry of Unification to change," according to a written briefing by spokesperson Kim Eun-hye on the 2nd.

President Yoon emphasized, "From now on, the Ministry of Unification must perform its original role based on the constitutional spirit of unification grounded in the free democratic basic order." Furthermore, he stressed, "The unification we should aim for is one where all residents of both South and North Korea live better lives and can live more humanely."

As opposition parties continued to criticize the appointment of Kim Young-ho as Minister of Unification, the presidential office directly countered with President Yoon's remarks.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized on the 30th of last month, the day after the cabinet reshuffle announcement, calling it a "regression rather than reform." He said of Kim Young-ho, "He has advocated for the destruction of the 'Kim Jong-un regime.' He was also part of the authorship team for the Korean history textbook that glorified pro-Japanese dictatorships and defined the Jeju 4.3 Incident as a 'rebellion by leftist forces resisting the establishment of the Republic of Korea,'" labeling him an "extreme anti-North Korea hardliner."

Cho Jung-sik, secretary-general of the Democratic Party of Korea, also urged at a press conference held at the National Assembly main building that day, "President Yoon Suk-yeol's cabinet reshuffle abandons the president's foremost virtue of national unity," and called for "an immediate withdrawal of this far-right cabinet reshuffle."

Before the confirmation hearing for Kim Young-ho, scheduled to be held at the extraordinary session of the National Assembly convened this month, the presidential office is believed to be building justification for Kim's appointment by repeatedly introducing President Yoon's unification policy direction and changes in the Ministry of Unification.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon views that the Ministry of Unification's work has been overly focused on inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges, resulting in being led by North Korea, and believes it must transform into an organization that leads international cooperation through issues such as North Korean human rights.

Not only the Minister of Unification but also the Vice Minister position has been filled by Moon Seung-hyun, ambassador to Thailand from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Kim Soo-kyung, a professor at Hanshin University, has been appointed as the National Security Office's unification secretary, replacing the entire unification policy line with diplomats and hardliners on North Korea.

Kim Young-ho also responded to reporters on the 30th of last month in front of the Inter-Korean Dialogue Headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, saying, "There needs to be a change in the core tasks of the Ministry of Unification," and added, "We need to pay attention to the difficulties of North Korean residents and strive to solve those problems."

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