[News Briefing]
When quoting this interview, please credit the program name 'SBS News Briefing.' Copyright belongs to SBS.
■ Broadcast: SBS News Briefing, Mon–Fri (14:00–15:20)
■ Host: Anchor Joo Young-jin
■ Guest: Kim Joon-hyung, Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party
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● Interview with Kim Joon-hyung, Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party
"On the issue of a merger between the Democratic Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party, we have always been blindsided by the Democratic Party"
"Rebuilding Korea Party will make fighting inequality a major agenda"
"Trump has clearly opened the stage... Bringing the 'North Korea issue' back as a major agenda"
"U.S. likely had no prior communication with North Korea... Appears to be a one-sided courtship"
"North Korea has not completely rejected it, but demands a clear demonstration of policy and course changes"
"U.S. position is to put denuclearization on the back burner... South Korean government has a similar view"
"South Korea has nothing to give North Korea... North Korea and the U.S. will open the door to start"
"Once North Korea-U.S. talks open, South Korea will also step in... We should refrain from talking about being bypassed until the door opens"
"North Korea also refers to us as 'Republic of Korea'... Hope this does not escalate into an ideological conflict"
"U.S. will struggle even more when faced with the issue of 'recognizing North Korea's nuclear status'... North Korea wants talks only after policy direction is resolved"
"U.S. gets no domestic political gain from meeting North Korea's conditions... It will not be easy"
"Calling it a diplomatic disaster is excessive criticism... Criticism should come from the National Assembly, while the government must remain pragmatic"
"Facing the toughest environment regarding the U.S. compared to any previous administration... Holding out well is also moving forward"
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Kim Joon-hyung, Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, joins us. Welcome.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: Hello.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Since it was mentioned earlier, what are your thoughts, as Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, on the acquittal of former lawmaker Noh Woong-rae?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: I am not fully aware of the details.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: You are not sure? Do you see it as having been proven to be a fabricated indictment by a politicized prosecution?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: In any case, it seems there was an excessive investigation and such intent, but since I do not know what actually happened in detail, I will withhold judgment.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Understood. That kind of answer is actually the most accurate one—rather than stating party lines without fully knowing. Understood. And while you are here, I believe Representative Kim Min-seok from the Democratic Party formed a task force with an eye toward merging with the Rebuilding Korea Party, and I saw news today that the Rebuilding Korea Party responded with displeasure.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: Because there is precedent.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: A precedent.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: In fact, regarding the merger issue, we were blindsided. It was never formally proposed to us, nor did they look at our reaction; it all took place internally within the Democratic Party. Supporters of the Democratic Party criticized us, and we were essentially just sitting there taking the hit. Our current stance is: restore trust first, settle everything internally within the Democratic Party, and then make a formal request. But if they set it up already, they will come at us again saying, 'We made one, so why hasn't the Rebuilding Korea Party made one? You are uncooperative.'
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: From the perspective of the Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, the talk from the Democratic Party about lowering the threshold for forming a parliamentary negotiation bloc from 20 seats to 10 seats might also feel somewhat unpleasant.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: I do not think that is something feasible. It is not feasible, yet it is framed as if doing one thing gets you another. And it is frankly unpleasant that our party is repeatedly brought up for use in the Democratic Party's internal national conventions or political maneuvering.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: For this regular session of the National Assembly, from the perspective of the Rebuilding Korea Party—which is not a negotiation bloc—it will be an important arena to show your presence and demonstrate to the public what you are doing for them. What are your party's basic principles and strategy for this regular session?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: Everyone asks that, including journalists. They say during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, you played a major role in the impeachment of the administration and in prosecution reform, but now that this phase is settling, what will you do next? I get that question the most. I believe that from now on, it is about political reform and reform for people's livelihoods.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Political reform and livelihood reform.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: Watching the last local elections, I realized this acutely. On the issue of political reform, these two parties are identical twins. Neither wants to change the structure. And regarding livelihood reform, while our overall situation may be doing well, inequality keeps arising on one side, so we intend to make fighting inequality our next major agenda.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Political reform, livelihood reform, and tackling inequality as key agendas. Do you have specific legislative tasks in mind?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: Things like the Serious Crimes Prosecution Service with the Democratic Party—judicial reform is not completely finished yet. We have crossed a critical juncture. We have always led the way, and unlike a merger, we will form solidarity with the Democratic Party wherever necessary. When I became floor leader, we were becoming too much of an automatic door, so we decided we would not automatically stop filibusters launched by the People Power Party every single time. In fact, we did that for the first time recently. So we will demonstrate our presence.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: The Democratic Party should not simply assume the Rebuilding Korea Party is unconditionally on their side; depending on the issue, you may take a different path from the Democratic Party.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: That is correct.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: That is how I understand it. When we frequently invited you to 'Joo Young-jin's News Briefing' in the past, we often brought you on as an expert on foreign policy, the United States, and Korean Peninsula affairs.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: I did not imagine I would be in this position either.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: You entered politics and became floor leader, but recently we haven't had the chance to cover this topic, so since you are here today, let me ask. President Trump keeps telling Chairman Kim Jong Un to meet within this year, mentioning that North Korea reportedly has 57 nuclear weapons. Why do you think he says these things? Our journalists made a big fuss, wondering if he intends to meet while recognizing North Korea as a nuclear state. How do you view this?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: Trump has clearly opened the stage. What we must pay close attention to is that Trump has sporadically courted North Korea like this in between.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Yes, he has.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: But right now, because there is no room for improvement in other areas—particularly Iran, the Middle East, or the Russia-Ukraine war—Trump has pulled the North Korea issue back to center stage. Bringing it back as a major agenda like in his first term is encouraging and notable. But I do not believe there was prior communication with North Korea, nor do I believe North Korea responded positively. I don't see it that way.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: In common terms, President Trump is just talking.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: It is just talk, and it is a one-sided courtship right now. There is an interesting rumor in diplomatic circles. Because North Korea showed no reaction—this might just be a rumor—they reportedly shoved a personal letter into the pocket of the North Korean Mission to the UN, and North Korea threw it away without even reading it. I think that is entirely plausible.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: From the U.S. government.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: That is how one-sided the courtship is right now.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: For President Trump, there are the midterm elections in November. This is so critical that there were even reports of him thinking about ways to avoid holding elections.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: That is correct.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: So President Trump is desperate while Kim Jong Un is relaxed. Isn't this difference distinct from his first term?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: It has completely changed compared to 2018. Back then, North Korea was somewhat the party that wanted it more, but now North Korea's strategic value and standing have risen significantly. Furthermore, unlike back then, their nuclear force is near completion, so they are in no rush. North Korea's response is not a complete rejection, but rather: make a proper proposal. Don't just toss out remarks casually like that. Kim Yo Jong seems to be saying, while not completely shutting the door, that personal rapport alone cannot promise a change in course; show us a clear change in policy and direction.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: What should be taken more seriously and weightily here is that during the first term, around 2018, when they met, the dialogue was predicated on North Korea's denuclearization—discussing how we could help them and support their economic development.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: That is correct.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Now the situation has completely flipped, with North Korea saying don't even mention denuclearization, we will be proudly recognized as a nuclear weapons state, and without that prerequisite, we won't even consider meeting. Isn't that the current situation?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: What is regrettable is that 2018 was truly the best opportunity. When Choe Son Hui said after the failure in Hanoi, 'You will never have such a good opportunity again,' it still rings in my ears. In reality, North Korea thinks that way, which is precisely why Trump mentioned 57 nuclear weapons. What did he say earlier? 'If it had been me instead of Biden...'
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: 'It wouldn't have come to this.'
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: 'It wouldn't have been like this, but since they already have 57, denuclearization is out of the question, isn't it? Shouldn't we reduce the threat through other means now?' This is Trump's argument, but even within the U.S. and South Korea, a realist perspective is emerging: we cannot go to war with or attack North Korea, so will North Korea ever give them up? Then we should move toward arms control and threat reduction, putting denuclearization on the back burner. Our government holds a similar view on this point.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Really? Our government holds a similar view right now?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: Not that we are abandoning denuclearization, but because denuclearization is currently near impossible, putting it on the back burner is our president's policy direction.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Two questions come to mind. Looking at Kim Yo Jong's statement, did she say we are 'pitiful'? Saying they feel sorry looking at the South. Trump abruptly ordered a reduction in South Korea-U.S. joint military drills, which actually happened, and North Korea says they won't deal with us at all. Things seem to be moving quite urgently between North Korea and the U.S., whether they actually meet or not, but there is realistic concern that our government doesn't have much room to act.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: That is why we inevitably have to talk about 2018 again. Back then, when neither side was talking, we played a mediating role and set up the stage. But the situation now has completely changed: we have little to offer North Korea, and North Korea officially and publicly declared from 2024 that it would completely cut off ties with South Korea. The only channel that can open the door right now is North Korea and the U.S. Even though our pride is hurt and we have to endure Kim Yo Jong's harsh words, once talks open between North Korea and the U.S., the U.S. cannot proceed without South Korea's participation because they don't know North Korea as well as we do, and agreements will inevitably involve South Korea. Therefore, until the door opens, we should refrain from talking too much about being bypassed, and I believe our president also personally offered a positive assessment last time with that intention.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: That maintains the stance where President Trump acts as the peacemaker and President Lee Jae-myung acts as the pacemaker. But even a pacemaker needs to run alongside.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: Sometimes you run faster to set the pace, but right now, I think it is time to watch from behind.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: So we continue to speak positively about North Korea, no matter how harshly they criticize us. When Unification Minister Chung Dong-young suggested that we should refer to them by their full official name, 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea,' many citizens who hold negative views toward North Korea criticized it.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: But North Korea refers to us as 'Daehanminguk' (Republic of Korea). Normally they would call us 'Hanguk,' but 'Dae' means 'Great.' In fact, if we called them 'Daejoseon' (Great Joseon), it would cause an uproar. But there is no need to make it an issue of 'North Korea is not allowed, Joseon is allowed'; we should just use them naturally. In the international community, North Joseon, Joseon, or DPRK is correct. When we use it, we can say North Korea or the Northern side—I just hope this does not turn into an ideological conflict.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Just speak comfortably according to the context.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: That is what I do.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: When reporting from North Korea back then, they definitely insisted on using 'Northern side' and 'Southern side.'
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: They made sure we used those terms back then, telling us beforehand not to use other expressions.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Listening to you, another question arises: we do not yet know whether the U.S. will actually recognize North Korea's nuclear possession as reality and enter talks acknowledging them as a nuclear state. But if that happens, the goal was originally the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Because of that, South Korea gave up nuclear weapons, does not possess them, is prohibited from possessing them, and would face sanctions if we did. If this happens, isn't it likely that arguments from the opposition and elsewhere demanding that we should possess nuclear weapons will gradually spread further?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: That is right.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: One could think that way, couldn't they?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: That is why I believe Kim Yo Jong has another intention: they went through this in 2018 and 2019. No matter how good the personal rapport is between the two leaders, once it reaches working-level negotiators, the U.S. will struggle when facing the obstacle of having to recognize North Korea's nuclear status. What Kim Yo Jong is saying is: resolve this before coming. In other words, show in advance that personal rapport translates into policy changes, and present the terms for formal talks with North Korea. That is what it means. But even for Trump, taking an approach that recognizes North Korea's nuclear status inside the U.S., or completely halting and canceling military drills as North Korea wants, or thirdly, lifting sanctions—doing all three will face U.S. domestic pushback claiming he is completely capitulating to North Korea. It would be bowing down to North Korea much like the situation with Iran, offering no domestic political gain, so it will not be easy. That is why I stand in the middle regarding both sides. While this is an extraordinary event and momentum, it won't be easy.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Recalling President Trump's big claims when taking office for his second term, he repeatedly said things like, 'The war in Ukraine will end quickly; I have talked everything through with Putin.' In the end, that turned out not to be true. The war continues to this day. And regarding the conflict with Iran, he spoke as if something could be achieved in a very short time, even agreeing to end hostilities before fighting resumed. Under these circumstances, suddenly bringing up the North Korea issue—isn't it reasonable to doubt whether the Trump administration's initiatives are failing to achieve tangible results?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: That is correct. That is why I call Trump a 'grasshopper.' When things stall or lose attention in one area, he hops to another issue. As you noted, he moved from Russia-Ukraine to the Middle East, and from the Middle East to North Korea. In fact, because things weren't resolving in the Middle East, he met our president at the G7 and brought up Kim Jong Un for the first time. What he told our president was that he would now give North Korea a serious try; that was what they talked about for an hour and a half. And then he posted a photo from the Singapore summit, followed by the latest post.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Indeed. Our government really needs to manage things well when dealing with President Trump.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: And how would North Korea feel? They have the trauma of 2019, so they cannot come forward trusting such words completely.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Right, of course. The role of the Lee Jae-myung administration becomes even more crucial.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: It is crucial. That is why in the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, people always say: bipartisanship in diplomacy.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Exactly.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: But because this matter was carried out without even their own Department of Defense knowing, labeling it a diplomatic disaster for our government is excessive criticism. Rather, the National Assembly should voice protests toward the U.S. while the government takes a pragmatic approach. That is how it should be handled.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: In your view, has the Lee Jae-myung administration established hotlines with figures who understand the thinking of the Trump administration?
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: To be frank, the progressive side naturally has fewer channels to the U.S. because alliance channels are inevitably built along pro-U.S. networks.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: That's true.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: While that is a weakness, I believe we are facing the toughest environment regarding the U.S. compared to any previous administration—starting from trade pressure, wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer, and joint pressure from figures in Korea ranging from Michelle Park to Brunson. Allies around the world are receiving the same treatment, and holding out well is also moving forward. That is what I think. Today, Fred Fleitz, a prominent MAGA figure who served as Chief of Staff of the National Security Council during the first term, evaluated South Korea very highly. I usually don't favor him, but he wrote an op-ed today stating that South Korea contributes significantly compared to other allies, is increasing its defense budget, and is raising its burden-sharing contributions for U.S. troops, suggesting that Trump should meet our president first before meeting North Korea.
[Anchor Joo Young-jin]: Understood. That was our interview with Kim Joon-hyung, Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party. Thank you for your insights today.
[Kim Joon-hyung / Floor Leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party]: Thank you.
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