Former President Moon Jae-in's former chief of staff, Im Jong-seok, caused controversy by suggesting that South Korea should abandon the goal of reunification with North Korea and instead accept the current division of the two Koreas. This stance received criticism from both liberal and conservative factions in South Korea. Tae Yong-ho, a member of the presidential advisory council on Korean reunification, criticized Im for effectively endorsing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's "two-state policy" with his remarks. Tae argued that giving up on reunification would essentially recognize North Korea as an independent country and could lead to a lack of influence on addressing human rights violations in the North. Im's comments also faced opposition from some of his former colleagues in the Moon administration. Park Jie-won, who served as Moon's spy chief, expressed disagreement with Im's stance, stating that denying reunification was not appropriate for a political leader of South Korea. The Democratic Party of Korea's Supreme Council clarified that Im's statements were his personal opinions. The controversy arose during an event commemorating the sixth anniversary of the 2018 Pyongyang Declaration, a pact aimed at reducing military tensions between the two Koreas. However, the pact unraveled following subsequent events, such as North Korea's military satellite launch and South Korea's resumption of border surveillance activities. Moon emphasized the need for a new approach to peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula, warning of the potential for military confrontation and criticizing the current administration's lack of initiative in addressing these challenges.