Song Eon-seok: "Calling North Korea 'Joseon'? Unconstitutional... Another Reason to Dismiss Chung"

Song Eonsuk, floor leader of the People Power Party, commented on April 29 regarding a statement by a Ministry of Unification official that the issue of referring to North Korea as "Joseon" would be subject to public discussion. He called this "a clear violation of the Constitution" and added, "One more reason has been added for Minister of Unification Chung Dongyoung to be dismissed."

On his social networking service (SNS) account that day, Song stated, "Saying that North Korea will be referred to as 'Joseon' means recognizing North Korea as a separate and equal state based on the North Korean-style 'two-state theory.'"

Song Eonsuk, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the floor countermeasure meeting held at the National Assembly on April 28, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Previously, Minister Chung had used terms such as "Democratic People's Republic of Korea (Joseon)" and "Hanguk-Joseon" to refer to North Korea during an academic conference co-hosted by the Ministry of Unification and the Korea Institute for National Unification last month. On this day, a Ministry of Unification official told reporters that the designation for North Korea "will be determined through public discussion via various channels."

Song further stated, "This not only violates Article 3 of the Constitution, which includes the territorial clause that does not recognize North Korea as a state, but also Article 4, which considers North Korea an object of unification. This is not an issue that can be changed through public discussion."

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