South Korea is seeking unification with North Korea by none other than peaceful means, the head of a presidential panel on unification said Thursday, stressing that unification by absorption could spell catastrophe.

Chung Chong-wook, vice chairman of Seoul's Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation, made the point during a Heritage Foundation discussion in Washington, emphasizing that there is "no other rational alternative" to peaceful unification.

"Unification by absorption will create a situation for South Korea and for even for the United States, of which we have no control," Chung said. "Control is not the only issue. The more important issue is the possibility of catastrophe in North Korea, catastrophe in the sense that there could be extreme forms of violence."

The committee is working under the assumption of unification is going to be peaceful, he said.

For Koreans, unification is "not a rational choice" but a "national aspiration and, in a way, national destination," Chung stressed.

"One thing that this government and President Park Geun-hye has done is to restore this national aspiration for unification which ... has been diminishing," he said.

Park has made strong pitches for unification since early last year, saying it would be a "bonanza" for the two Koreas as well as a blessing for neighboring countries. North Korea has denounced the drive as an attempt to absorb it. (Yonhap)