Seoul, Korea—UPF-Korea concluded its peace forum series in 2021 with the 10th Peace Forum for a Heavenly Unified Korea on December 30 at the Hyo Jeong Cultural Center in South Korea.
The program began with an art performance and recitation of a poem that expressed everyone’s hope for a unified Korea. This was followed by welcoming remarks given by Dr. Young-ho Yun, director-general of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) International Headquarters, who shared the vision of the peace forums and introduced a strategy to achieve a unified Korea.
Dr. Yun said that the peace forums provide an important service by educating the Korean citizenry about the current situation on the peninsula. “I believe that confidence and conviction come from being well informed. If we work together, if we are united, if we put our hearts together, I am convinced we will succeed.”
Afterwards, Dr. Thomas Walsh, chairman of UPF International, pledged to give his best towards the realization of a unified Korea.
Congratulatory remarks from international experts from around the world who are aspiring for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula were presented. These included: Amb. Christopher Hill, a longtime U.S. diplomat who served as ambassador to Korea and has been nominated by the White House to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Serbia; Dr. Alexandre Mansourov, an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.; Amb. Joseph DeTrani, former special envoy for the six-party talks on North Korea; Dr. Alexander Vorontsov, director of the Department for Korean and Mongolian Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia; and Hon. Nevers Mumba, former vice president of Zambia.
Dr. Sung-bae Jin, chairman of the Hyo Jeong Academic Foundation, and Mr. Jung Ro Yun, chairman of the Korean Peace Ambassador Council, spoke about the importance of developing the theory of a “Heavenly Unified Korea and World Peace,” based on Unification Thought.
In addition to the congratulatory messages from local and international dignitaries, the secretary general of the Think Tank 2022 Policy Research Institute and the president of the Elder Brothers and Sisters Association said that the peace forums which brings together leaders from all over the world are a real success and play an important role in achieving Korean reunification.
North Korean defector and former deputy of the National Assembly of South Korea Hon. Myong Chol Cho expressed his hope that the principles taught at and vision of the peace forums will become the foundation for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. The forum closed with a beautiful artistic performance.
The peace forums will carry on in 2022 continuing the quest for regional and world peace.