Kathmandu, Nepal—The Nepal chapters of UPF and the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) organized a special program in the country’s capital, Kathmandu, on May 10, 2018, to welcome the historic Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula, signed at the Inter-Korean Summit on April 27. The Summit took place between Moon Jae-in, president of South Korea, and Kim Jong-un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, on the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area.
Among the 102 participants at the event were former prime minister of Nepal, H.E. Madhav Kumar Nepal; minister for law, justice, and parliamentary affairs of Nepal, Hon. Sher Bahadur Tamang; members of the Federal Parliament of Nepal; four former ministers of government; seven former lawmakers; seven ambassadors; representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Federal Parliament Secretariat of Nepal; and professors.
In his remarks, former Prime Minister Nepal recalled his visits to North Korea in 1993 and 2017. During his first visit, Mr. Nepal met with then North Korean President Kim Il-sung, and during his recent visit, he met with the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, Mr. Kim Yong-nam, as well as the vice chairman of the Workers Party of Korea, Mr. Ri Su-yong. Both Mr. Kim and Mr. Ri were part of North Korean delegation at the Inter-Korean Summit.
Former Prime Minister Nepal also recognized the contributions made by the founders of UPF, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, towards the reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and welcomed the declaration of the Inter-Korean Summit.
The chairman of the IAPP-Asia Pacific and former minister of peace and reconstruction of Nepal, Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, said the meeting unanimously welcomes the outcome of the historic Inter-Korean Summit and supports the realization of the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Hon. Dhakal also spoke about the various efforts made by IAPP towards realizing peace on the peninsula.
The ambassador of North Korea to Nepal, Mr. Kim Yong Hak, expressed his happiness for the success of the Summit meeting and thanked the international community for their support of it. Ambassador Kim conveyed optimism that the Panmunjom Declaration would be implemented by both Koreas. Dr. Seuk Il Jing from South Korea said that Nepal and a united Korea will soon work together for peace and prosperity.
Mrs. Shova Gyawali, director of Nepal Republic Media, expressed appreciation to former Prime Minister Nepal and the organizers of the program for taking initiative to reduce tensions and promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Mr. Santosh Paudel, vice chair of UPF-Nepal, welcomed the guests, and Ms. Milan Kumari Rajbanshi, secretary of the IAPP-Nepal, gave a vote of thanks. Mr. Binod Dangi, secretary general of UPF-Nepal, presented a flower bouquet to the chief guest, former Prime Minister Nepal.
