북한 or 조선? South Korea debates what to call North Korea

How South Korea refers to North Korea could have implications for its constitutional position. Photograph: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

On a mild spring morning in central Seoul this week, a room of academics and lawyers gathered to debate a question: what should South Korea call North Korea?

The task sounds deceptively simple but the answer is far from straightforward, and has provided fodder for columnists in recent years. The answer could even have repercussions for South Korea’s constitutional position.