South Korea's unification ministry on Monday dismissed a report claiming it proposed a constitutional revision to President Lee Jae-myung to recognize North Korea as a separate nation. The claim emerged from a local newspaper alleging the suggestion was made during a closed-door policy briefing last Friday as part of efforts to resume engagement with Pyongyang. Ministry spokesperson Yoon Min-ho rejected the report as "groundless and false."
South Korea's unification ministry on Monday, December 22, 2025, dismissed a news report alleging it had proposed a constitutional revision to President Lee Jae-myung to recognize North Korea as a separate, independent nation. The report stemmed from a local newspaper's claim that the ministry made this suggestion during a closed-door policy briefing to the president last Friday, as part of efforts to resume engagement with Pyongyang.
The current South Korean Constitution defines the entire Korean Peninsula as the sovereign territory of South Korea, effectively not recognizing North Korea as an equal nation.
During a press briefing on Monday, ministry spokesperson Yoon Min-ho rejected the report as "groundless and false." "The ministry did not propose a constitutional revision during the policy briefing, nor has it ever reviewed such a move," Yoon said, expressing "regret" over what he called a "distorted report."
This incident arises amid discussions on normalizing inter-Korean relations, with the ministry's denial reaffirming its stance against any constitutional changes for dialogue resumption. Both sources consistently report these facts without contradictions.
