Seoul won’t change constitution to accept North Korea as separate state: Chung



News Seoul won’t change constitution to accept North Korea as separate state: Chung Unification minister says recognizing Koreas as two countries remains too controversial, despite endorsing the position Joon Ha Park \| Kristen Talman September 30, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young during his inauguration on July 25, 2025 \| Image: ROK Unification Ministry Seoul’s unification minister Chung Dong-young said South Korea does not plan to amend its constitution to recognize North Korea as an independent country, despite his recent comments stating that the two Koreas function as two separate states. Speaking at an event in Berlin on Monday, Chung also said that Seoul must acknowledge that the DPRK now possesses the ability to strike the U.S. with nuclear weapons as a starting point for inter-Korean policy. “As for the Republic of Korea, it is not our intention to include the two-state doctrine in the Constitution,” Chung said, in response to an NK News © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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Seoul won’t change constitution to accept North Korea as separate state: Chung

Unification minister says recognizing Koreas as two countries remains too controversial, despite endorsing the position

Joon Ha Park | Kristen Talman September 30, 2025

Seoul won’t change constitution to accept North Korea as separate state: Chung

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young during his inauguration on July 25, 2025 | Image: ROK Unification Ministry

Seoul’s unification minister Chung Dong-young said South Korea does not plan to amend its constitution to recognize North Korea as an independent country, despite his recent comments stating that the two Koreas function as two separate states.

Speaking at an event in Berlin on Monday, Chung also said that Seoul must acknowledge that the DPRK now possesses the ability to strike the U.S. with nuclear weapons as a starting point for inter-Korean policy.

“As for the Republic of Korea, it is not our intention to include the two-state doctrine in the Constitution,” Chung said, in response to an NK News

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Joon Ha Park

Joon Ha Park is a correspondent at Korea Risk Group. He has previously written on issues related to the two Koreas at The Peninsula Report, and appeared on ABC News Australia, Deutsche Welle and Monocle Radio. He specializes in offering in-depth analyses of South Korea’s defense policy, security relations and domestic politics for Korea Pro.

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