In a bold initiative, “accepting all North Korean defectors” becomes the core of North Korea’s policy, and it shows “shaking the North Korean system” as a strategy to grant South Korean citizenship to North Koreans.
In his Liberation Day congratulatory address on the 15th, President Yun Seok-yeol said, "If North Korea stops developing nuclear weapons and converts to practical denuclearization, I propose a 'bold initiative' that can dramatically improve North Korea's economy and people's livelihood in accordance with that stage." After announcing a bold plan as a condition of the suspension, the Minister of Unification announced on the 16th that the policy of accepting all North Korean defectors was implemented.
In the work order of the Minister of Unification on July 22, President Yoon said, "Unification based on the free and democratic basic order stipulated in Article 4 of the Constitution means the unification process in which all citizens of South and North Korea are the main pillars." The 'Peaceful Unification Policy' was deleted and the 'South and North Koreans' were applied to include security.
Regarding the 'principle of accepting all North Korean defectors', Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se said, "I have already suggested to the president," and said, "We are reviewing how the Minister of Unification declares an enforcement ordinance stipulating the time and procedure for expressing intention to defect." announced early implementation.
Minister Kwon applied the strategic advantage of blocking inquiries in advance by disclosing the details of the bold initiative through an exclusive interview with the Dong-A Ilbo rather than an official press conference on the enforcement ordinance policy, and announcing the policy.
Then, at a press conference on the 17th, President Yoon said, "If North Korea shows its firm will for denuclearization, we will actively help," as a "policy to support North Korea's denuclearization."
Minister Kwon said at the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee of the National Assembly on the 1st, "First of all, I plan to clarify the principle of accepting all North Korean defectors. If necessary, I will suggest that President Yoon also have the opportunity to clarify such a principle. In particular, considering the damage they will inflict upon repatriation to North Korea, they should have accepted it of course,” he said.
On the same day, National Assembly member Tae Young-ho of the People's Power said, "The Yoon Seok-yeol government should send a message to North Korea and the Korean people that it faithfully upholds the principle of accepting all North Korean defectors."
"According to the South Korean constitution, all North Koreans are Korean citizens," said Greg Scarlattu, secretary-general of the North Korean Human Rights Commission. He told Voice of America (VOA).
Phil Robertson, Deputy Director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, said on the same day, "It is important that all North Koreans wishing to defect to South Korea adhere to this principle that they are immediately considered South Korean citizens. We have to be proactive, and we need to make efforts to ensure that North Koreans who want to enter South Korea from China, Russia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, etc. can travel safely,” he told VOA. .
On the way to work on June 21, President Yoon told reporters, "Once you enter Korea, you are considered a citizen of the Republic of Korea under our constitution. He said the investigation was under way.
President Yoon told the Minister of Unification on July 22, “Unification based on the free and democratic basic order stipulated in Article 4 of the Constitution means the unification process in which all citizens of the South and the North are the main pillars. To this end, the North Korean Human Rights Foundation should be launched as soon as possible.” Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said to reporters on July 29, "There are two options: whether to repatriate to North Korea in violation of the Constitution and laws, or whether to punish them according to the South Korean judicial system. "There is only one option," he replied, "The latter is of course the option for the Republic of Korea, a country governed by the democratic rule of law."
Article 3 of the Constitution does not recognize North Korea as a state, 'The territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean Peninsula and its annexed islands.' 'Peace policy' is applied to defectors from North Korea.
On the other hand, in an instruction to the Minister of Unification on July 22, President Yoon said, "Unification based on the basic liberal and democratic order specified in Article 4 of the Constitution is not to be with South Korea and South Korea.
It means the process of unification in which all the people of North Korea are the main axis.” and deleted the ‘peaceful unification policy’, which is the core of Article 4 of the Constitution. Date>
President Yoon expanded the transition from 'a bright economic future for North Koreans', a strategy to break the socialist economy, to 'North Korean people', including North Korean security, in response to the Trump administration's pressure to increase arms. Refer to <Defeating the socialist economy with ‘free democracy for the North Korean people’ in the inter-Korean system confrontation dated July 24, 2022>