Korea extends evaluation term for unification council official to 2028

South Korea extended the performance evaluation period for a senior official at the secretariat of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council to Sept. 30, 2028, from Sept. 30, 2026, according to a presidential decree published Tuesday.

The revision to the secretariat's organizational rules, approved at a Cabinet meeting and signed by President Lee Jae-myung, took effect on the day it was issued. The change applies to the deputy secretary, the post designated for evaluation within the secretariat, and extends the assessment window by two years based on results so far. The decree was issued as Presidential Decree No. 36716.

The advisory council is meant to serve as what Prime Minister Kim Min-seok described as the government's ear for public sovereignty. "It is an organization that performs the role of the people's sovereignty government's ear, listening first to the people's earnest wishes for peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula and reflecting them in policy," Kim said.

Administrative rules for the secretariat fall under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, whose minister, Yun Ho-jung, endorsed the revision alongside Prime Minister Han Sung-sook.