Vice chair of unification council raises need to call N. Korea by its official name

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The vice chair of South Korea's presidential advisory body on unification has called for the two Koreas to refer to each other by their official names, saying the first step toward a peace regime on the peninsula should begin with mutual respect for each other's names. Kang Chang-il, vice chair of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), made the remarks on Thursday, following an appeal by senior leaders of the country's seven major religious orders.

South Korea currently refers to the North as "North Korea" rather than its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or "Joson" in Korean, as Seoul does not recognize its ties with North Korea as state-to-state relations under the 1991 inter-Korean Basic Agreement.

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The call from Kang was reported by Yonhap News Agency in a series of articles published over three days, reflecting a growing debate within South Korea about the terminology used for its northern neighbor. The reports trace the issue from the religious leaders' initial plea to the response from the unification ministry and the expansion of the advisory body that Kang leads.

The first report, published on July 1, detailed the PUAC's appointment of over 2,000 new advisers and its plans for overseas expansion. The following day, a separate report focused on Kang's statement urging the use of official names, linking it directly to the religious leaders' call. A third report, published on July 3, quoted the unification ministry as saying it views the growing calls as part of a broader effort to build public consensus on the issue.

Key Claims

Kang stated that "if North Korea calls us the Republic of Korea, it is only reasonable that we call North Korea the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." He said the first step to turn the armistice system into a peace regime for the two Koreas would begin by calling one another by their official names, according to Yonhap.

The appeal from the religious leaders was made on Wednesday, with representatives of the seven major religious orders underscoring the need to respect the official names of the two Koreas for the sake of "peace on the Korean Peninsula." The Korean Council of Religious Leaders said the previous day that genuine peace begins with "acknowledging each other as they are," urging both sides to refer to each other using their official names, respectively the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Respecting each other's name is the first step" toward peaceful coexistence, the group said, as quoted by Yonhap.

The unification ministry, through deputy spokesperson Chang Yoon-jeong, said at a regular briefing on Friday that it is "paying attention to religious leaders' call for the two Koreas to use each other's official names." She added that since their announcement, the ministry has noted support from various sectors of society and will continue listening to these voices.

Kang echoed the call, expressing deep appreciation for the senior religious leaders who said peace begins with respecting each other's name, according to Yonhap. He made the remarks at a regional conference of the council in Incheon, west of Seoul.

Yonhap reported that the debate has gained momentum in recent months, with senior officials, including Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, raising the need for Seoul to call North Korea by its official name to achieve peaceful coexistence.

Separately, the PUAC announced it had appointed 2,176 new advisers at home and abroad, bringing the total number of advisers to a record 25,000, according to Bang Seung-yong, the council's secretary general. The positions are honorary and unpaid. The council also plans to expand its overseas operations, increasing the number of regional assemblies from five to eight. An amendment to the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council Act aimed at increasing the number of vice-chairs is currently under review at the National Assembly to support the expansion plan, Bang added.

The council is a constitutional presidential advisory body tasked with promoting peaceful unification through policy consultation, public consensus building and international outreach. President Lee Jae Myung serves as its chair, with Kang Chang-il, a four-term lawmaker and former ambassador to Japan from 2021-22, serving as vice chair, Yonhap reported.