The Korean Odyssey

  * The joint presidential briefing by the Ministry of Unification, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of National Defense for the second half of 2026 is being held at the Blue House on August 5, 2026. © Blue House Il Young Jeong Senior Research Fellow_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University On August 5, the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of National Defense jointly presented their policy reports to President Lee Jae-myung for the second half of 2026. Traditionally, presidential policy briefings have been held only once at the beginning of the year. The Lee government, however, added a summer briefing as a midterm assessment of its policies. The occasion also served as an opportunity to evaluate and adjust the government’s policies toward the Korean Peninsula over the past year. In this column, I will examine the Lee Jae-myung government’s policy of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula, identify its key challenges, an...

* Citizens Discussing Peace and Unification on the Korean Peninsula Il Young Jeong Senior Research Fellow_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University With the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration in South Korea, the Ministry of Unification has been rebuilt. One of the most notable aspects of the recent organizational restructuring of the Ministry is the large-scale introduction of social dialogue mechanisms and public – private cooperation bodies. This article seeks to propose key considerations that should be addressed in Social Dialogue 2.0 on the Korean Peninsula being pursued by the South Korean government and civil society.   The Rise of Social Dialogue During the 22nd presidential election, President Lee Jae-myung pledged to promote the “activation of social dialogue” on North Korea and unification policy. Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young has also emphasized a “people-sovereign North Korea policy,” stating that citizens — the sovereign power holders ...