Chung Dongyoung: "Restoration of September 19 Military Agreement Within This Year... Government Discussions Underway"

Claim Raised: "September 19 Agreement Termination Closely Linked to Martial Law Preparations"

On September 19, Minister of Unification Chung Dongyoung stated regarding the September 19 North-South Military Agreement, which was suspended during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, "At the very least, I believe the September 19 agreement should be proactively restored before the end of this year," adding, "Discussions are underway within the government."

Minister Chung made these remarks while attending a discussion titled "The New Administration's Policy on the Korean Peninsula and the Restoration of the September 19 Military Agreement," held in conjunction with the 7th anniversary ceremony of the September 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration and North-South Military Agreement at Camp Greaves in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Camp Greaves, the venue for the ceremony, is located about 2 kilometers from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Minister Chung said, "The first thing the new administration must do to restore inter-Korean relations is to bring an end to the three years of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration," adding, "While South Korea and the United States previously held about ten joint exercises annually, there were as many as 48 large-scale field maneuver exercises during the Yoon administration. The scale of strategic asset deployments and public drills, such as decapitation exercises targeting North Korea's leadership, also increased. This created a culture of hostility and confrontation."

He went on to say that regarding North Korea's subsequent severance of inter-Korean relations, "During the Moon Jae-in administration, inter-Korean relations led North Korea-U.S. relations. However, given the current domestic and international environment, I believe that prior North Korea-U.S. dialogue is now inevitable." He added, "During the South Korea-U.S. summit, both in public and private meetings, 'Kim Jong Un' was mentioned more than twenty times. Our greatest task is to act as a pacemaker so that a North Korea-U.S. summit can be held as soon as possible."

Minister Chung also addressed North Korea's definition of inter-Korean relations as a "hostile relationship between two countries in a state of conflict," referencing the Buddhist monk Wonhyo's concept of "Not One, Not Two (Builburi)" and stating, "The government's task is to transform the hostile relationship between two countries into a peaceful one by any means necessary."

Additionally, Minister Chung argued that the process of suspending the effectiveness of the September 19 North-South Military Agreement under the Yoon administration was "closely linked to the preparations for the December 3 martial law and coup," insisting, "This is an issue that needs to be clarified in terms of facts."

Minister Chung explained, "If you look at the process of suspending the effectiveness of the September 19 Military Agreement, the Yoon administration declared a partial suspension on November 22, 2023, and North Korea announced a complete termination the following day." He continued, "Although North Korea had announced a military reconnaissance satellite the day before, there was no need to directly link the September 19 Military Agreement with the satellite launch issue."

Minister Chung further noted, "The real issue is that November 13, ten days prior, was the day when Yeoh Inhyeong, former commander of the Defense Security Command; Lee Jinwoo, former commander of the Capital Defense Command; and Kwak Jonggeun, former commander of the Special Warfare Command-so-called 'the three martial law generals'-were appointed. A week later, North Korea launched its military satellite, which was then used as a pretext for the partial suspension, and later, in June last year, for the complete suspension of the agreement."

Meanwhile, the discussion was attended by key policymakers from previous Democratic Party administrations, including former Minister of Unification Jeong Sehyun (Kim Dae-jung administration), former Minister of Unification Lee Jaejung (Roh Moo-hyun administration), and former National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon (Moon Jae-in administration), who gathered to discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula. They reached a consensus that, unlike in the past, the current environment does not allow for rapid improvement in inter-Korean relations.

Former Minister Jeong Sehyun mentioned the possibility of scaling down next year's South Korea-U.S. joint exercises. He argued, "Whether next year's joint exercises are canceled, conducted on a smaller scale, or carried out as intensively as during the Yoon administration will determine the timeline for inter-Korean relations."

He also commented on civilian Defense Minister Ahn Kyubaek, saying, "It seems he is somewhat being led by the military," and added, "Minister Chung Dongyoung should play the role of a pacemaker and help the defense minister become a pacemaker who leads the military."

Former Minister Jeong also addressed the North Korea-U.S. summit, diagnosing that if the United States insists on denuclearization, the summit may not take place. He suggested, "Our government must persuade the United States as to whether the goal of negotiations is denuclearization or a nuclear freeze, and confirm what reciprocal measures will be offered to North Korea. This is how we should lead negotiations between North Korea and the United States."

Former Director Suh Hoon cited his experience negotiating with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prior to the 2018 inter-Korean summit, mentioning the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises. He said, "(The South Korea-U.S. military exercises) are a significant obstacle, but not an insurmountable one. Now is the time for the new administration to carefully consider and prepare what solutions it will propose, including on this issue."

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