South Korea Ministries Disagree on North's Enemy Status

South Korea's Defense and Unification Ministries are at odds over whether the country's next defense white paper should continue to describe North Korea as an enemy. The Defense Ministry maintains its assessment, citing Pyongyang's ongoing nuclear weapons development, missile advancements, and military threats.

The Deputy Defense Ministry spokesperson Lee Kyung-ho stated during a regular briefing that 'Our position that the North Korean regime and the North Korean military are our enemy has not changed.' This stance aligns with the 2022 defense white paper. The Unification Ministry argues that directly identifying North Korea as an enemy is incompatible with the current government's policy of peaceful coexistence, suggesting broader language similar to that used under former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Moon Jae-in.

A coalition of South Korean civic organizations called on the government to abandon a policy they say treats South and North Korea as separate states. Citizens' Solidarity for ONE KOREA made this demand during a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Building in Seoul, arguing that the government's approach conflicts with South Korea's constitutional commitment to peaceful unification.

The coalition criticized the government's 2026 Unification White Paper for characterizing inter-Korean relations as a 'peaceful two-state relationship oriented toward unification,' effectively recognizing South and North Korea as two separate states. They argued that this approach conflicts with Articles 3 and 4 of the South Korean Constitution, which define the territory of the Republic of Korea and require pursuing peaceful unification based on democratic principles.

The group also noted a significant increase in references to 'peaceful coexistence' in the new white paper, from 29 to 196 mentions, while references to 'North Korean human rights' declined sharply. The coalition presented four demands, including a public apology over the two-state formulation and the resignation of officials responsible for the policy.

Meanwhile, President Lee Jae Myung discussed a phased approach to denuclearization with U.S. President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in France. According to multiple reports, Trump expressed renewed interest in addressing North Korea's nuclear program and appeared keen to resume dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Lee proposed focusing on halting North Korea's nuclear and missile development in the short term while keeping long-term denuclearization as an objective.