Unification minister slows push to use North Korea's official name as elders back the move

Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young stepped back Friday from his push to use North Korea's official name, saying the matter should be settled through public debate rather than driven by his ministry — a move widely interpreted as a response to President Lee Jae Myung's call for caution. Senior figures in inter-Korean affairs, however, rallied behind the idea, arguing that using the name "Joseon" — short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea — is a foundation for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.

Speaking at a tea meeting with elder members of the Peace and Unification Advisory Council at Government Complex Seoul on Friday, Jeong said the controversy arose because an explanation about holding public debate first had been left out of a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae, making it appear the ministry had already set a firm policy. Jeong had earlier outlined a peaceful coexistence vision in the ministry's second-half policy briefing, describing mutual use of each side's official name as "a first step." President Lee flagged concern over the public backlash that followed Jeong's remarks, warning that the approach "could actually make things worse" and urging him to think it through carefully.

In response, the Ministry of Unification clarified that its focus was on supporting the gathering of public opinion, not on leading a name-change initiative. Jeong reiterated that he had explained at a pre-briefing on Friday that public debate and the maturation of public sentiment would come first. He nonetheless underscored the need for the change, citing past proposals by three major press organizations and senior religious leaders from seven faiths to adopt the official name.

The elder statesmen at the meeting also backed the use of North Korea's official name. Former Unification Minister Lim Dong-won recalled the simultaneous admission of the two Koreas to the UN in 1991, saying the idea of using the name "Joseon" was "not a new concept." He added that "there is a need to change how the public thinks about it." Former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun noted that more than 100 inter-Korean agreements signed since 1991 had used the official name, and said: "We have been writing 'Joseon' in documents all along — why are we so afraid to say it out loud?"

Paik Nak-chung, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, said it was "arrogant and tantamount to picking a fight" to refuse even to call a country by its own name. "Regardless of what others do, civil servants on the public payroll have an obligation to call it Joseon, inconvenient as that may be," he said.

Sharp criticism was also directed at the Foreign Ministry. Paik said South Korea's diplomatic moves this year — including statements at the NATO and G7 summits emphasizing the principle of North Korean denuclearization — amounted to a declaration of hostility. "Announcing denuclearization principles at gatherings like NATO and the G7, which the North regards as adversarial, and then presenting that as a diplomatic achievement, is essentially saying we want to be in a state of mutual hostility," he said.

Meanwhile, the opposition People Power Party accused the government of running a "gukbap" administration — a term suggesting a disjointed, every-man-for-himself approach — with cabinet ministers speaking in conflicting voices on key issues from the economy to security, and called on President Lee to restore a collapsed chain of command.

People Power Party chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon said in a statement Saturday that when Jeong proposed a four-way dialogue among South Korea, North Korea, the United States and China, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun publicly dismissed it as "hope grounded in idealism," to which Jeong shot back that "ideals are what change reality." Park said, "The foreign and security chiefs, who should be speaking with one voice in the face of North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, have been publicly tearing down each other's policies. Is this a government?"

Park added that "leaving policy confusion unaddressed is not debate — it is irresponsibility," and called on President Lee to "personally coordinate and make decisions now to restore the collapsed center of governance."