Wi Sung-lac: "Raises Serious Issue Over China's 'Two States' Expression"

[Financial News] It was reported on the 3rd that Wi Sung-lac, director of the Office of National Security (ONS), officially raised an issue over China's description of North and South Korea as "two states," saying that it does not align with the South Korean government's unification policy.
Wi Sung-lac said at a closed-door press briefing on the 28th of last month, regarding the appearance of the expression "two states" in the Chinese statement, "We raised a serious issue because it differs from what we believe."
Wi Sung-lac noted that China had expressed support for the unification of the Korean Peninsula at the time of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China. He explained, "If there are 'two states,' that moves us farther away from unification, so it contradicts our position," adding, "We conveyed that this could cause misunderstanding and does not align with our position."
The government also conveyed to the Chinese side that it should refrain from using similar expressions in the future. Wi Sung-lac said, "We are urging them not to use expressions that could cause such misunderstandings."
However, Wi Sung-lac said that Wang Yi, director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs, did not use the expression "two states" during his direct meeting with him. Wi Sung-lac said, "Minister Wang did not mention 'two states' during our meeting."
The controversy began with the results of the talks released by the Chinese side after Wang Yi's visit to South Korea last month. The Chinese side announced that Wang Yi had met with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and said, "I am optimistic that South Korea and Joseon, the two states, will gradually move toward peaceful coexistence and ultimately achieve long-term and lasting stability on the Korean Peninsula."
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