S. Korea ministries stress "one team" on N. Korea policy amid concerns
· UPIDec. 16 (Asia Today) -- South Korea's National Security Office, Unification Ministry and Foreign Ministry sought to project unity Monday after the Unification Ministry decided not to join a set of U.S.-South Korea follow-up consultations, a move that renewed debate over who leads policy toward North Korea under President Lee Jae-myung.
A Unification Ministry official told reporters at the Seoul Government Complex that the ministry shares the goal of peace on the Korean Peninsula but may differ with the Foreign Ministry on approach. The official said the government would ultimately coordinate and present a unified position.
National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lak echoed that message before departing for the United States, saying ministries raise their views inside the National Security Council but the administration aims to respond externally "with a single voice."
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il said at a regular briefing that the Unification and Foreign ministries are working closely as "one team" on foreign and security matters, adding that claims of discord do not match reality. Park said the results of the follow-up consultations with the United States would be shared with the Unification Ministry later that day.
The consultations were renamed from "regular consultation on North Korea policy" to "follow-up consultation on the ROK-U.S. summit joint fact sheet," a change seen by some as an effort to tamp down speculation about inter-ministerial conflict.
Still, concerns persist inside the Unification Ministry that the consultations could evolve into a revived version of the U.S.-ROK working group that operated during the Moon Jae-in administration. Critics of that framework have argued it functioned as a constraint on inter-Korean cooperation by requiring close alignment with Washington on issues such as sanctions and denuclearization.
Some analysts said the Unification Ministry's decision to sit out reflects sensitivities from that period, when the ministry's participation in a forum led by the Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department was seen as unusual. Observers also pointed to the need for smoother coordination between Wi, described as representing a more alliance-centered line, and Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who has been portrayed as favoring greater policy autonomy.
A Unification Ministry official said remarks by former unification ministers warning the consultations could become a "second working group" were "worth heeding." The official said working-level channels can be useful for close coordination with the United States, but added that the working group model had also, in the ministry's view, "became excessive" and slowed inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.
The official asked for understanding of the ministry's absence, saying participation would be handled "case by case." The comment was interpreted as signaling the Unification Ministry may seek to lead on issues it believes could improve inter-Korean relations, including dialogue, exchange and cooperation and possible moves related to sanctions.
The official said the ministry is communicating frequently with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and believes it can consult the State Department as needed once conditions are in place.
- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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