Unification Minister Chung Dong-young referred to North Korea as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" and described inter-Korean relations as "ROK-DPRK relations" in his opening address at a joint academic conference hosted by the Ministry of Unification and the Korea Institute for National Unification on the 25th.

Minister Chung Dong-young took the microphone and clearly called North Korea the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea." This was not a mere incident or diplomatic rhetoric.

It goes without saying that Article 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea defines our territory as the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands. In other words, the North Korean regime is an anti-state organization illegally occupying the northern half of our territory.

A minister, who receives public funds, has officially recognized an anti-state organization as a sovereign state. This formalization of a bizarre appellation goes beyond a superficial courtship of North Korea. It is a fatal declaration that the current administration has publicly admitted itself to be an 'anti-constitutional' force that denies the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.

The outdated romanticism of the old student movement, which tramples on the foundations of the constitution, ultimately treats national security as a toy. Today, the President cited that the Republic of Korea's military power ranks fifth in the world.

The naive idea that we can now overwhelm North Korea's conventional forces with our own strength, and therefore achieve 'true independent defense' by withdrawing US Forces Korea, is being voiced without filtration. It is the fantasy of petty individuals intoxicated by impressive numbers, unable to read the map of Northeast Asia.

Look around the Korean Peninsula by turning the globe. Next to us, Russia, the world's second-largest military power, and China, the third-largest, are showcasing their vast size and aiming for expansion. Above us is a collective that, while starving its people, has adamantly secured nuclear warheads. While our fifth-place ranking in conventional military strength is excellent, it is not a magical shield that guarantees survival in this brutal geopolitical jungle.

US Forces Korea is not simply a guard unit for the Demilitarized Zone to prevent a North Korean invasion. It is a breakwater preventing the expansion of continental powers and a asymmetric force that provides advanced intelligence assets and a nuclear umbrella that we cannot build in a short period, even if we pour in astronomical sums of money.

Although we constantly argue over defense cost-sharing, in reality, we are utilizing the world's strongest military as a security leverage at such a low cost. To suggest withdrawing US Forces because we have become fifth in conventional military strength is the pathetic bravado of someone who, after defeating a local alley bully, decides to jump into a world championship match without a helmet.

Intoxicated by the sweet illusion of self-reliance, we seek to expel our ally while enjoying peace hidden behind their back. We respectfully address the enemy's national name with honorifics, yet we ruthlessly trample on the constitution of the very country we stand on. Those who deny the constitution are sawing at the pillars of national security.

When national security is replaced with sentimentality at the level of an 1980s bulletin board, the price the nation must pay will not end with mere documentary confusion.

◆ Writer Park Ju-hyun

Composer, music director, columnist, and essayist. She actively expresses her opinions on political, current affairs, and social issues on Facebook, garnering widespread agreement. She published the essay collection 'Crossing the Stormy Sea'.