Unification minister's remarks send mixed signals on NK policy

A minister’s words carry particular weight — all the more so when that minister leads the agency steering North Korea policy for the Lee Jae Myung administration, which seeks rapprochement with Pyongyang. In recent months, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's statements have often appeared uncoordinated with other security and foreign policy officials, leaving them scrambling to keep the government's message straight. Last Thursday, he told reporters that scaling down South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises might be necessary to create conditions for renewed U.S.-North Korea diplomacy. On Monday, ministry spokesperson Yoon Min-ho clarified that Chung's comment reflected the broader implications of the exercises. While relevant ministries communicate closely, no specific adjustments are being discussed, the spokesperson said, suggesting that Chung's remarks had not been coordinated with defense officials in advance. This is not the first time the unification minister's comments on military drills have raised eyebrows. When Chung took office in July, he said he would recommend scalWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times