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C. Hill: Address to Rally of Hope III
Written by Christopher Hill, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea (2004-2005), United States
Sunday, November 22, 2020
Address to Rally of Hope III
November 22, 2020
First of all, let me say what a great honor it is for me to stand before this very distinguished audience, consisting of so many famous people from so many different walks of life, to talk about the origins, the beginning really, of the Korean War some 70 years ago.
I would especially like to thank UPF, and I would like to thank especially Dr. Moon for her tireless efforts in raising our consciousness about this and talking about these issues.
The Korean War is one of the most bitterly fought issues of the 20th century, one of the worst wars that happened in that Century of War, and it is one whose ill-effects continue to be felt in dividing brothers from sisters, wives from husbands, and children from parents.
It has really been one of the true tragedies of the 20th century, and in a very real sense, part of the unfinished business of that 20th century.
UPF has done so much to raise consciousness to deal with this issue, to try to make sure the rest of the world understands it and understands the meaning of it, not just for Korean people, but also for people the world over.
The Korean War of course engaged not only the people of Korea. Americans were very much involved as we came to the aid of our allies, the Republic of Korea.
It happened because of something that was more broadly felt, and that was a division of the entire world between a Communist World and a non-Communist World. The Korean people were really victimized by that division, and that victimization continues until today.
But it is also, I think, to lay out the fact that the United States, the Republic of Korea, and so many of its friends and allies will not accept the idea of any kind of conflict that would somehow falsely bring the Korean people together, but would rather address the issues, the root causes really, of where, of how this happened, and of how this must end.
I think bringing people together in events such as this Rally of Hope will have a real effect in terms of making people understand that this war could indeed happen anywhere where there is misunderstanding and mistrust; it could happen anywhere where there are people, sometimes, well there is no other word for it, people who are evil—who attack people who are not evil, who have a goodness of heart and a goodness of spirit.
So I do hope as we look forward through this meeting and many others that we can continue to move forward in our understanding of what needs to be done, how we can overcome this division, how we can make a world that is safe for all of us, and a world that lowers its temperature, and a world that is able to deal with some of these really, really difficult problems.
To be sure, diplomacy has to play an important role, but I think every person has a role to play in trying to bridge divisions. Not just diplomats such as myself, not just politicians, not just economists, but all kinds of people need to come together as this group suggests and see what we can all do in our own different ways to deal with these very difficult issues.
So, thank you very much. It has been a great honor to address you, to be a part of this.
I want to especially once again thank Dr. Moon for her absolutely tireless efforts over the years. She knows better than many of us know the tragedy of this war.
So, thank you very much and I hope this will be a remarkably successful meeting and it will lead to other successful meetings and ultimately lead to the unification of this very precious Peninsula.
Thank you very much.
Amb. Christopher Hill served as United States Ambassador to South Korea from 2004 to 2005.
To go to the Dialogue and Alliance: Toward a Unified World of Peace, click here.