Lead

South Korea's unification ministry has pushed back against criticism that its newly published white paper violates the Constitution, clarifying that the use of "two-state" language reflects an implementation strategy for peaceful coexistence rather than legal recognition of North Korea as a separate state. Unification Minister Chung Dong-young further defended the approach during a parliamentary committee session, emphasizing its distinction from North Korea's own "two hostile states" policy.

Coverage Comparison

The response came after the ministry's annual white paper, released on Monday, drew criticism from some quarters for wording that appeared to legitimize North Korea as a sovereign state. All reports from Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean wire service, covered the ministry's defense, with some focusing on the ministry's official statement and others highlighting the minister's parliamentary comments. The coverage consistently noted that the ministry characterized the language as an "implementation strategy" within the broader framework of the Lee Jae Myung government's North Korea policy.

Key Claims

The ministry's statement, issued on Tuesday, clarified that the "peaceful two-state" concept refers to the two Koreas as UN member states and is consistent with the National Community Unification Formula, a three-stage vision unveiled in 1994 that aims for reconciliation, a commonwealth, and eventual unification. The statement emphasized that the concept does not mean recognizing North Korea as a legal state but rather respecting its system and sovereignty.

During a parliamentary committee session on Wednesday, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young elaborated on the approach, saying, "The South and the North are each sovereign states. But they are not foreign countries." He rejected criticism that the concept abandons the goal of unification or violates the Constitution, contrasting Seoul's approach with Pyongyang's vision, which he said treats the South as "a foreign country and that we should live separately."

The white paper outlines three key principles of the current government's North Korea policy: respecting the North's system, not pursuing unification by absorption, and refraining from hostile activities. It also calls for transforming North Korea's "hostile two-state policy" into a "peaceful two-state" relationship that still seeks unification.

Article 3 of the South Korean Constitution stipulates that the territory of the Republic of Korea consists of the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands, a provision that critics argue the "two-state" language could undermine.

Perspectives

Critics of the language argue that referring to two states risks legitimizing North Korea as a separate sovereign entity, potentially violating the Constitution and weakening the long-standing goal of eventual unification. Some have also questioned whether such a sensitive issue received sufficient public debate before being included in the white paper.

The ministry, however, maintains that the concept is not a formal policy position but rather an idea under review. A ministry official said the two-state concept had been shared by the minister on previous occasions and remains a broad idea rather than a definitive stance. The official also said the ministry would continue to seek a wide range of opinions going forward.

Minister Chung's comments further clarified that the "peace-oriented two-state approach" is fundamentally different from North Korea's "two hostile states" policy, underscoring that Seoul's approach recognizes the existence of two sovereign states while maintaining that inter-Korean relations are not those between foreign countries.