Unification council denounces Moon gov’t official’s proposal for 2 Koreas to remain separate

The executive vice chairperson of a government advisory council on unification strongly criticized a former chief of staff for ex-President Moon Jae-in on Friday for suggesting that South and North Korea remain separate nations. On Thursday, Im Jong-seok proposed that the two Koreas be accepted as distinct countries and advocated for the removal of the territorial clause in South Korea's Constitution. He made the suggestion during a speech at a ceremony in Gwangju, marking the sixth anniversary of the Pyongyang Declaration, which was announced by Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after their summit talks in North Korea. Calling Im's proposal "unconstitutional," Kim Kwan-yong of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC) expressed strong regret. Kim emphasized that the South Korean Constitution clearly states that "the Republic of Korea seeks reunification." "Our path forward, in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, is to establish a unified, free and democratic nation on the Korea n Peninsula where the people are the true sovereign," Kim said in a statement released to the press. Kim said the PUAC will spearhead efforts to expand freedom and human rights across the Korean Peninsula, in line with the so-called "Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine" announced by President Yoon Suk Yeol. During his Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15, Yoon presented a vision for the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas based on the principles of freedom. Im's remarks have been seen as highly unprecedented, given his past involvement in a progressive student activist group that advocated for the unification of the two Koreas. Source: Yonhap News Agency