Jeong Dong-young, the Minister of Unification, expressed a cautious stance regarding the use of the term 'Joseon' to refer to North Korea, stating, "This is not something the Ministry of Unification should lead; public debate must come first."
During his opening remarks at a discussion with members of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council held at the Government Seoul Complex on August 7, Jeong noted, "In the work report on August 5, due to time constraints, the statement about pursuing this after public discourse was omitted, which made it seem as if the Ministry's policy had been decided. I hope to clarify this."
He emphasized, "In a pre-briefing for the work report on August 4, I explained that this is not something the Ministry will push forward; public discourse must come first, and we will proceed after public opinion matures."
Jeong added, "In the reporting guidelines released in 1995 by three media organizations—the Korean Journalists Association, the National Union of Media Workers, and the Korean PD Federation—there is a provision to refer to the other party by their national title. I hope this issue is not used as a political tool."
The discussion included prominent members of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, such as Emeritus Professor Baek Nak-cheong of Seoul National University, former Unification Minister Lee Jae-jung, former Unification Minister and National Intelligence Service Director Im Dong-won, Director of the National Museum of Korean Literature Im Heon-young, former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun, and Father Ham Se-woong, Chairman of the Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Foundation.
The elders pointed out that there have been over 100 documents in the past 30 years that include the official titles of both Koreas, asserting that the term 'Joseon' is not new.
Former Unification Minister and National Intelligence Service Director Im Dong-won stated, "The June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, drafted between President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean Defense Chairman Kim Jong-il, explicitly mentions 'Republic of Korea' and 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea.' It feels as if using the term 'Joseon' is something new, but it is not at all."
Former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun remarked, "Since the 1991 Basic Agreement between North and South Korea, there have been over 100 agreements that use the official titles of both countries. Why are we so afraid to call each other by our names when it has been documented?"
Emeritus Professor Baek Nak-cheong also noted that during President Roh Tae-woo's administration, he referred to North Korea as 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea' in a speech at the UN General Assembly, highlighting a long-standing tradition. He stated, "Since the simultaneous admission to the UN, documents issued in the name of the president and numerous inter-Korean agreements have used each other's national titles."
During his opening remarks at a discussion with members of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council held at the Government Seoul Complex on August 7, Jeong noted, "In the work report on August 5, due to time constraints, the statement about pursuing this after public discourse was omitted, which made it seem as if the Ministry's policy had been decided. I hope to clarify this."
He emphasized, "In a pre-briefing for the work report on August 4, I explained that this is not something the Ministry will push forward; public discourse must come first, and we will proceed after public opinion matures."
Jeong added, "In the reporting guidelines released in 1995 by three media organizations—the Korean Journalists Association, the National Union of Media Workers, and the Korean PD Federation—there is a provision to refer to the other party by their national title. I hope this issue is not used as a political tool."
The discussion included prominent members of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, such as Emeritus Professor Baek Nak-cheong of Seoul National University, former Unification Minister Lee Jae-jung, former Unification Minister and National Intelligence Service Director Im Dong-won, Director of the National Museum of Korean Literature Im Heon-young, former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun, and Father Ham Se-woong, Chairman of the Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Foundation.
The elders pointed out that there have been over 100 documents in the past 30 years that include the official titles of both Koreas, asserting that the term 'Joseon' is not new.
Former Unification Minister and National Intelligence Service Director Im Dong-won stated, "The June 15 North-South Joint Declaration, drafted between President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean Defense Chairman Kim Jong-il, explicitly mentions 'Republic of Korea' and 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea.' It feels as if using the term 'Joseon' is something new, but it is not at all."
Former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun remarked, "Since the 1991 Basic Agreement between North and South Korea, there have been over 100 agreements that use the official titles of both countries. Why are we so afraid to call each other by our names when it has been documented?"
Emeritus Professor Baek Nak-cheong also noted that during President Roh Tae-woo's administration, he referred to North Korea as 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea' in a speech at the UN General Assembly, highlighting a long-standing tradition. He stated, "Since the simultaneous admission to the UN, documents issued in the name of the president and numerous inter-Korean agreements have used each other's national titles."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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