The dissonance between the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the Lee Jae-myung administration's North Korea policy is reaching new heights.
On the 16th, the Foreign Ministry held regular consultations with the United States to coordinate North Korea policy, while the Unification Ministry was absent. The previous day, the Unification Ministry defined this Korea-U.S. consultation as "a consultation conducted by the Foreign Ministry" and declared its non-participation, stating that "the Unification Ministry will separately conduct consultations with the U.S. side as needed on matters related to North Korea policy."
The bilateral consultation—attended by the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea and defense officials from both countries to discuss implementation of the joint fact sheet and overall North Korea policy—has become a "half-measure" due to the turf war between the two ministries that form the twin pillars of our North Korea policy.
The struggle for leadership over North Korea policy between the "autonomy faction," which emphasizes inter-Korean relations, and the "alliance faction," which prioritizes the Korea-U.S. alliance, within the government's diplomatic and security apparatus is nothing new.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who from his confirmation hearing advocated adjusting Korea-U.S. joint military exercises as a bargaining chip with the North, has consistently supported the "two-state theory" for the two Koreas and maintained a conciliatory approach including easing sanctions on the North, diverging from the Foreign Ministry line led by National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac.
At a press briefing on the 10th of this month, regarding the Foreign Ministry's leadership of the regular Korea-U.S. consultations, he openly challenged, saying "Korean Peninsula policy and inter-Korean relations fall within the domain of sovereignty, and the Unification Ministry should be the counterpart for consultations with our ally."
Former Unification Ministers from previous progressive administrations added fuel to the fire on the 15th with a statement declaring that "North Korea policy cannot be entrusted to the Foreign Ministry."
Fractures in the diplomatic and security apparatus and uncoordinated messages could send wrong signals to North Korea and undermine international confidence in the Korean government's foreign and security policy. The possibility of negative effects on communication with the U.S., causing disruptions in Korea-U.S. cooperation, cannot be ruled out either.
We must take seriously the fact that the United States has already begun to show wariness toward voices from our side calling for suspension of Korea-U.S. joint exercises and easing of sanctions on the North. If confusion in our government's North Korea policy widens the gap in the Korea-U.S. alliance, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula can no longer be guaranteed.
North Korea policy is a core security matter involving the lives and safety of the people. To ease public anxiety and establish national security, it is imperative for the government to establish a prudent and consistent North Korea policy.
