[Reporter’s Notebook] "Chosun" as North Korea's Official Name? The Paradox of Dialogue Counterpart

Even before the aftermath of Unification Minister Jeong Dong-yeong's remarks on "core nuclear facilities" had subsided, controversy has now shifted to the issue of changing North Korea's official name. The Ministry of Unification has begun public discussions on the possibility of referring to North Korea as the "Democratic People's Republic of Chosun (Chosun)." Minister Jeong has already used this term several times in official settings. He has also referred to inter-Korean relations as "Hanjo (Hanguk·Chosun) relations."

The two Koreas are completely severed. If there is any point of consensus, it is the notion of "living as two separate states." However, North Korea attaches the adjective "hostile" to this idea, while the Lee Jaemyung administration uses "peaceful." To demonstrate that there is no intention to seek unification immediately, Minister Jeong attempted to change the name of his ministry right after taking office. Although this was not realized, the ministry later directed that "defectors from North Korea" be referred to as "Bukhyangmin," and put forth a series of significant proposals, such as partial restoration of the September 19 Military Agreement and adjustment of jurisdiction over the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Given the current, completely frozen state of inter-Korean relations, sometimes "bold proposals" that could thaw the chill may be necessary. However, the reason such proposals rarely gain traction is due to their internal contradictions. If, as Minister Jeong hopes, the South and North become two separate states—"Republic of Korea" and "Chosun"—rather than a "special relationship oriented toward unification," the Ministry of Unification could lose its very reason for existence.

Just like the United States, China, and Japan, the state of Chosun would become a "diplomatic counterpart." When the time comes for diplomatic talks with Chosun, wouldn't that naturally become the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Minister Jeong's argument of "let's get along as two states" directly threatens the identity of the Ministry of Unification.

There are also concerns about constitutionality. If the Republic of Korea and Chosun are each considered independent states, then what, exactly, is our territory? The issue of conflict with the Constitution—which defines the territory of the Republic of Korea as "the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands"—has been raised repeatedly, but the so-called "autonomous faction" has never offered a clear answer. The two-state theory is essentially a declaration of abandoning half of the Korean Peninsula. If a public opinion poll were to ask, "Should North Korea be recognized as a state and the territory of the Republic of Korea be limited to south of the Demilitarized Zone?" how many citizens would actually agree? The contradictions that arise from the Minister of Unification endorsing North Korea's two-state theory are numerous.

While a passionate desire to improve inter-Korean relations is admirable, now is a time for cool-headedness. No one knows how long it will take to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. The core stakeholder is the United States, and South Korea has positioned itself as a "pacemaker." If the pacemaker, who should lead the runner at the appropriate speed, rushes ahead alone, it will ruin the entire race.

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