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Northeast Asia Peace Initiative
Hungary’s Long Relationship with Korea Discussed
Written by György Kozma, secretary general, UPF-Hungary
Saturday, January 29, 2022
Budapest, Hungary—Ambassadors for Peace were among the guests at a cultural event that reflected on the relationship of Hungary and Korea.
The event, titled “For the Peaceful Unification of Korea,” took place at the UPF Peace Embassy on January 29, 2022—the anniversary of Hungary establishing diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea in 1989, although the relationship between the two nations goes back to the 19th century.
Ahn Eak-tai, the composer of the South Korean national anthem, studied in Hungary for four years between 1938 and 1941, and his teacher was the well-known Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály. The national anthems of both nations exalt God as the protector of their country. Upon this foundation we explained how important it is to put God at the center if we want to create true peace.
With these thoughts we held a Peace Water Ceremony, in which representatives of different religions each empty a container of water into a larger container. The representatives were Dr. Ádám Orosz (Zen Buddhism), Rev. György Kulin (Protestant Christianity), and Ahmet Sliman (Islam). An Ambassador for Peace who had been invited to represent Judaism could not attend because of illness. The three faith representatives were joined in the Peace Water Ceremony by Marek Skrodzki of UPF.
After the water ceremony, guitarist Dr. Ferenc Bernáth, a recipient of the Artisjus és Pro Cultura Minoritatum Hungariae prize, gave an amazing performance.
He was followed by a young pianist who was born in the Transcarpathia area of Ukraine (which is populated by many Hungarians). He performed “River Flows in You,” composed by the Korean pianist and composer Yiruma.
Dr. Árpád Gógl, the Hungarian minister of health from 1998 to 2000, had been invited to be the main speaker, but could not attend the meeting because of illness. In 2011 Dr. Gógl received one of the highest awards from the president of South Korea for strengthening the relationship of the two countries. He also has attended an important UPF event in Korea.
Instead, the audience heard a talk about the efforts of the UPF founders, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, to support Korean reunification, including their historic 1991 visit to North Korea, where they met President Kim Il Sung. Following Reverend Moon’s passing in 2012, Dr. Hak Ja Moon has been working tirelessly to mobilize world leaders to fulfill the dream of a reunified Korea. UPF initiatives that she has established—including the Rally of Hope series, the Think Tank 2022 Forums, and the World Summit—are focusing on Korean reunification.
After this lecture Dr. Mónika Tóth, an Ambassador for Peace, performed a Korean traditional dance.
Another famous artist who had been invited to give a talk as well as to perform did not appear because of illness. She has performed in North Korea in the presence of Kim Il Sung.
At the last minute, we asked the Protestant representative, Rev. György Kulin, to share a few thoughts, and his words were inspirational.
At the end of the program, all the participants—including the Ambassadors for Peace and the faith representatives—signed a birthday card that had been prepared for Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, together with a resolution to offer our prayers, devotion and support for a reunified Korea.
The event was broadcast via Zoom. Right after the event an emeritus professor of Korean language and literature, Gábor Osváth, who has translated several books from Korean, sent a congratulatory message. He said that he felt all the participants indeed were dedicated to supporting Korean reunification.
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