South Korea's unification minister calls for dialogue with North Korea

South Korea’s Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young on Friday called on North Korea to end hostilities and return to dialogue, proposing a formal improvement in inter-Korean relations in his New Year’s message.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young delivers a New Year's message during the Unification Ministry’s commencement ceremony for 2026, held at the government complex in central Seoul on Jan. 2. [NEWS1]

South Korea’s Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young on Friday called on North Korea to end hostilities and return to dialogue, proposing a formal improvement in inter-Korean relations in his New Year’s message.

“Let this be the year we put an end to hostility and open the path to dialogue,” Chung said at the Unification Ministry’s commencement ceremony for the new year, held at the government complex in central Seoul.

“The Lee Jae Myung administration will fully support civilian exchanges in health, medicine and humanitarian affairs and will neither control nor interfere in such efforts,” Chung said.

“We respect the system of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and do not pursue unification by absorption,” Chung said, notably referring to North Korea by its official name.

He reaffirmed the Lee Jae Myung administration’s three guiding principles on North Korea: respect for the northern neighbor, rejection of hostile acts and no absorption-based unification.

Observers also noted that Chung’s exclusive use of the term “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [DPRK]” rather than simply “North Korea” in his message was diplomatically significant.

The terminology follows a recent dispute at the United Nations First Committee in October 2024, when the North Korean delegation protested the South Korean representative’s use of “North Korea,” insisting on “DPRK” instead.

A screen capture from Korean Central Television (KCTV) shows crowds of workers visiting the Wonsan Kalma coastal tourist area, which is reportedly bustling daily with visitors from across North Korea, according to a KCTV report on July 16, 2025. [YONHAP]

“We are ready to talk anytime, anywhere and on any agenda to resolve the issue of inter-Korean hostility,” Chung said, expressing hope for a constructive response from the North.

Chung also said the South is ready to pursue large-scale cooperation projects that could support regional development and public health initiatives in the North, adding that such efforts could evolve into cross-border projects with neighboring countries. He proposed linking North Korea’s Wonsan-Kalma tourist area and Samjiyon region near Mount Paektu with international tourism ventures.

On international affairs, Chung remarked, “With U.S. President Donald Trump now working to end the war in Ukraine, we hope that peace in Europe can extend to the Korean Peninsula.

“Our people have long seen the Year of the Horse as a time of transformation and progress,” Chung added. “How much longer will the two Koreas remain divided by walls? It’s time we rediscover the path to peaceful coexistence.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KO SEUNG-PYO [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]