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Unification Ministry plans major restructure to enhance inter-Korean relations

Published: 14 Oct. 2025, 11:16 Updated: 14 Oct. 2025, 17:54

The North Korean and South Korean flags are seen hung up near the border seen from Paju, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 22. [YONHAP]

The Unification Ministry will restore much of its structure and functions that were scaled back under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration, according to a reorganization plan set to be unveiled Wednesday. The overhaul comes about four months after the launch of President Lee Jae Myung’s government, which has prioritized easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and normalizing inter-Korean relations.

However, concerns have emerged over the downgrading of the ministry’s human rights division, raising questions about the future of its work on North Korean human rights.

According to the Unification Ministry on Tuesday, the government will release a draft of the “Amendment of Organization of the Ministry of Unification and its affiliated agencies” for public notice on Wednesday.

“We aim to restore and normalize the core functions of the Unification Ministry as defined by the Government Organization Act and to accelerate the implementation of the national policy agenda of peaceful coexistence and joint growth on the Korean Peninsula,” the ministry said.

Under the plan, the ministry’s total staff will increase by 67, from 533 to 600. The headquarters will be reorganized from three offices, three bureaus, five divisions, 27 teams and six task forces to three offices, three bureaus, two centers, four divisions, 33 teams and six task forces. This recovers roughly 80 percent of the 81 staff cuts made under the Yoon administration.

The most notable change is the restoration of departments related to inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation. The inter-Korean Relations Management Center will be dissolved, and the inter-Korean Talks Office — which had been dismantled — will be reinstated to oversee dialogue and liaison between the two Koreas. The goal is to normalize inter-Korean communication channels, create conditions for resuming dialogue and institutionalize regular meetings.

Chung Dong-young Minister of Unifcation gives a welcoming remark at a forum in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 24. [NEWS1]

To support renewed economic cooperation — including efforts to resume operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex and establish peace-oriented economic zones — the ministry will create a Peace Exchange Office and a Peace Cooperation District Task Force. These changes reflect the vision of Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who pledged to “restore organizational capacity, heal the ministry’s culture and foster its growth” after years of downsizing and restructuring.

In contrast, the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Office — expanded under the Yoon administration — will be scaled down and restructured as the Social and Cultural Cooperation Bureau. While the ministry said this would help focus on stable inter-Korean cultural exchange and practical resolutions to humanitarian issues like separated families, critics argue that the move reflects the new administration’s intent to avoid provoking North Korea by de-emphasizing sensitive human rights issues.

A new unit called the Korean Peninsula Policy Dialogue Group will be established under the minister’s direct supervision. It will be tasked with managing the Lee administration’s policy goal of promoting public discourse on North Korea and unification. According to the ministry, the group will “pursue sustainable Korean Peninsula policy based on national consensus” and lead planning and coordination efforts for institutionalizing peaceful coexistence and public dialogue on unification policy.

The National Institute for Unification Education, which oversees unification education, will be renamed the National Institute for Peace, Unification and Democracy Education (translated). The overhaul is intended to integrate the administration’s policy priorities of peace, unification and democracy. Functions related to peace, unification and civic education will be strengthened, and the institute’s Planning and Training Division and Communication and Cooperation Division will be renamed the Education Innovation Division and Education Operations Division, respectively.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO, LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]