During the parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Science and ICT held at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) in Daejeon on the 24th, People Power Party lawmaker Park Chung-kwon is questioning. [Yonhap News]

People Power Party lawmaker Park Chung-kwon urged Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on the 26th to apologize to the public for referring to inter-Korean relations as 'Han-Jo relations' and for calling North Korea the 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea'.

Park, a defector from North Korea, held a press conference at the National Assembly that day and stated, "I strongly condemn Minister Chung's anti-democratic, unconstitutional, and anti-human rights actions."

The previous day, at the opening ceremony of a joint academic conference hosted by the Ministry of Unification and the Korea Institute for National Unification, Minister Chung said, "Responsible decisions towards the future are needed for both the South and the North, for the Republic of Korea and for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." He added, "I hope that through the establishment of new relations, whether it be inter-Korean relations or Korea-Chosun, meaning Han-Jo relations, we can create mutual benefits."

Park criticized this, stating, "Minister Chung is echoing North Korea's 'hostile two-state' line by using such expressions in an official setting."

Park also demanded an apology from Minister Chung for stating to Yonhap News that day, "It is the right direction for our country to not participate as a co-proposer in the UN Human Rights Council's 'North Korean Human Rights Resolution'."

Park said, "On the 16th anniversary of the Cheonan warship sinking, which is testified to have been orchestrated by Kim Jong-un, he made such claims. Instead of honoring the souls of our 46 soldiers who died due to the North Korean torpedo attack, he uttered a filial impiety remark that struck the hearts of the bereaved families."

He then addressed Minister Chung, saying, "It is indistinguishable whether you are a minister of the Republic of Korea or a spokesperson for North Korea. Immediately stop this dangerous rush that denies the Constitution and jeopardizes national security, and apologize profusely to the public."