Seoul, Sep 20 (IANS): The executive vice chairperson of a government advisory council on unification strongly criticised a former chief of staff for ex-President Moon Jae-in on Friday for suggesting that South and North Korea remain separate nations.

Im Jong-seok on Thursday proposed that the two Koreas be accepted as distinct countries and advocated for the removal of the territorial clause in South Korea's Constitution. He suggested during a speech at a ceremony in Gwangju, marking the sixth anniversary of the Pyongyang Declaration, which was announced by Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after their summit talks in North Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.

Calling Im's proposal "unconstitutional," Kim Kwan-yong of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC) expressed strong regret.

Kim emphasized that the South Korean Constitution clearly states that "the Republic of Korea seeks reunification."

"Our path forward, following the spirit of the Constitution, is to establish a unified, free and democratic nation on the Korean Peninsula where the people are the true sovereign," Kim said in a statement released to the press.

Kim said the PUAC will spearhead efforts to expand freedom and human rights across the Korean Peninsula, in line with the so-called "Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine" announced by President Yoon Suk Yeol.

During his Liberation Day speech on August 15, Yoon presented a vision for the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas based on the principles of freedom.

Im's remarks have been seen as highly unprecedented, given his past involvement in a progressive student activist group that advocated for the unification of the two Koreas.