The nomination of a professor who has called for North Korean regime change to serve as Seoul’s next unification minister has proven controversial in South Korea, drawing criticism from those who see his views as antithetical to the ministry’s remit of facilitating inter-Korean cooperation.

Despite the noise surrounding Kim Yung-ho, the lack of current inter-Korean engagement suggests that there’s little he could do as minister to change the course of ties with Pyongyang.

But his appointment is also unlikely to do anything to cool tensions, and it marks a notable milestone in President Yoon Suk-yeol’s efforts to reverse course from