▲ Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and unification advisory council members talk at the government complex on Aug. 7, 2026, in this photo provided by the ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)

SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) -- A unification advisory council said Friday North Korea's official name, the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK), has appeared in inter-Korean agreements for the past three decades and is nothing new, stepping in to help calm controversy over its use.

The council, made up of former unification ministers and experts on inter-Korean relations, made the point at a meeting with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young at the government complex.

They said the name, the DPRK, has appeared in more than 100 inter-Korean documents.

Lim Dong-won, who served as unification minister under President Kim Dae-jung, noted that the June 15 inter-Korean summit declaration in 2000 referred to the two Koreas by their official names -- the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the DPRK, respectively.

The historic agreement, signed by Kim and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, sought to improve ties, ease military tensions and build peace on the Korean Peninsula.

"People may think using 'Joson' is something entirely new, but that is not true," he said, referring to North Korea's Korean-language name for itself.

"We need to change how people think about this."

Jeong Se-hyun, who also served as unification minister for the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun governments, said more than 100 inter-Korean documents since 1991 have used the name.

"Why are people so afraid to verbally use it?" he asked.

Paik Nak-chung, an emeritus professor at Seoul National University, recalled former President Roh Tae-woo referred to North Korea as the DPRK in an address to the United Nations in 1988.

"It is a long-standing tradition. We are not proposing to call it some kind of nickname. Refusing to use it is almost like picking a fight," he said.

The unification minister also pointed to reporting guidelines drawn up in 1995 by three media groups -- the Journalist Association of Korea, the Korea Producers and Directors Association and the National Union of Media Workers -- that called for referring to the North as the DPRK.

"It is now up to the media whether to accept this or keep using the name as a political weapon," Chung said.

At a policy briefing earlier this week, the minister proposed calling the North by its official name as a way to show respect and build trust.

President Lee Jae Myung called for caution, saying the move could invite unnecessary political wrangling, and urged careful preparation. The ministry said it would not proceed with the plan on its own but would instead support bringing the issue to public debate.

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