Wi Sung-lac, the Presidential Office Office of National Security chief, on the 24th addressed the recent dispute in foreign and security policy between the "sovereigntists" and the "alliance camp," saying, "I think it is better not to show a confusing look externally."
At a briefing at Chunchugwan at the Blue House that day, the Deputy Minister answered a question about the mood within the alliance regarding the "sovereigntists-alliance camp clash," saying, "Anywhere you can have differing views, and constructive debate can be a creative process to draw better conclusions. What matters is coordination."
Recently, as President Lee Jae-myung received briefings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Unification, a conflict surfaced between the "sovereigntists," who emphasize Korea's leadership in North Korea policy, and the "alliance camp," which prioritizes cooperation with the United States. In this process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signaled a stance that policy coordination between South Korea and the United States should be managed through diplomatic channels, while the Ministry of Unification put forward separate consultations with the United States regarding North Korea policy.
The Deputy Minister repeatedly emphasized the role of the National Security Council (NSC). He said, "It's important to coordinate at the NSC, and it's important to proceed as coordinated," adding, "Then controversy at the starting point won't be a big problem."
The Deputy Minister is said to have devoted considerable time to discussing North Korea policy during this trip to the United States, in addition to follow-up measures on the joint fact sheet on trade, commerce, and security agreements between South Korea and the United States.
The Deputy Minister said, "We shared assessments of the current situation in which dialogue with North Korea has been severed and discussed ways to advance U.S.-North Korea and inter-Korean talks," adding, "With various diplomatic schedules in the first half of next year in mind, we discussed South Korea-U.S. coordination plans on North Korea policy to resume dialogue with the North."
According to a senior official at the Presidential Office, the U.S. side asked during the meeting a question to the effect of "Which is the South Korean government's position?" It suggests the United States is aware of the conflict between the sovereigntists and the alliance camp and is effectively telling Seoul to sort it out.
It was not disclosed what answer was given to the U.S. side, but based on the Deputy Minister's remarks that day, it is highly likely the government settled on "coordination through the NSC." It means the NSC's decision takes precedence over a meeting of ministers on security affairs to be led by the Ministry of Unification.
At the briefing that day, the Deputy Minister also repeated answers along the lines of "We will integrate diverse opinions through the NSC and present the government's position" and "Each ministry (the Ministry of Unification) has policies it focuses on and can propose them, but such proposals are discussed at the NSC."
Earlier, the Ministry of Unification said it would not participate in the South Korea-U.S. consultative group on North Korea issues and would consult directly with the United States. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea brought a senior figure who called for a personnel overhaul of the foreign and security team into the party's Korean Peninsula Policy Committee. President Lee Jae-myung recently ordered the Ministry of Unification to "take the lead on North Korea policy" during a work report and instructed the ministry and all relevant ministries to push for a ministers' meeting. As a power struggle within the government became visible, some in the ruling camp interpreted this as the president throwing his weight behind the sovereigntists.
Regarding this, the Deputy Minister said, "The United States and Japan are likely monitoring and receiving reports on our government's situation. They know what discussions are taking place."