Jung Dong-young Likely to Block 'North Korea Is an Enemy' Phrase at NSC, Signals Opposition

[Financial News] Minister of Unification Jung Dong-young said on the 19th that the Ministry of National Defense's plan to publish a Defense White Paper that describes North Korea as an enemy should first be discussed by the National Security Council (NSC).
At the meeting, Jung said, "The Ministry of National Defense has its own reason for existence, and the Ministry of Unification has its own reason for existence," but added, "Coordinating that is the role of the NSC." He is therefore expected to strongly oppose any move to define North Korea as an enemy at the NSC. At his National Assembly confirmation hearing last year, Jung also said, "I do not agree with the view that North Korea is the South's main enemy," and described North Korea as a threat.
The previous day, the Ministry of Unification said it intended to raise objections through interagency consultations after the Lee Jae Myung administration's first Defense White Paper, which would label North Korea as an enemy, was put forward for publication.
A ministry official said, "Peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula is a firm position of the Lee Jae Myung administration," adding, "But it is difficult to reconcile the idea of a main enemy with peaceful coexistence."
In Defense White Papers issued by previous administrations, references to North Korea as an enemy or main enemy have varied. The concept of North Korea as the main enemy was first included in the 1995 Defense White Paper, triggered by the "Seoul will become a sea of fire" remark, and remained until 2000. It was then replaced in the 2004 Defense White Paper under the Roh Moo-hyun administration with phrases such as "direct military threat" instead of "enemy."
However, under the Lee Myung-bak government, the phrase "the North Korean regime and the North Korean military are enemies" reappeared in the 2010 Defense White Paper, following the sinking of the Cheonan and the 2010 Bombardment of Yeonpyeong Island. It remained in place through the Park Geun-hye administration. The explicit designation of North Korea as an enemy then disappeared again when the Moon Jae-in administration took office.
Still, the phrase "North Korean military is an enemy" was revived after six years in the 2022 Defense White Paper issued under the Yoon Suk Yeol government, amid worsening inter-Korean relations. The Defense White Paper, published every two years, was not issued in 2024 because of the Dec. 3 emergency martial law crisis. There had also been speculation that the new Defense White Paper, the first to be issued by the Lee Jae Myung administration, might again omit the word "enemy," but the Ministry of National Defense has denied that.
Meanwhile, amid the conflict between South Korean government ministries, North Korea declared South Korea its "unchanging enemy." On the 13th, a spokesperson for the 10th Bureau under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, "No matter what words or actions the authorities in Seoul take, our principle of treating South Korea as a thoroughly hostile state remains unchanged."
rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter