Media promotes Peace initiatives in Korea

Seoul, South Korea

June 5, 2018

On the afternoon of May 23, hundreds of people and journalists from 44 media agencies flocked to Incheon International Airport in South Korea.

“It was certainly a unique sight, since this is not for a Korean pop star. This is a press conference where I have come to see and report that there are a group of people working for peace in association with political and religious leaders and civil society groups around the world,” Wonho Seo, visiting journalist of The Seoul Newspaper said.

With the goal of cessation of war and development of peace, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) Chairman Man Hee Lee and delegations visited Ukraine, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Romania to advocate for international cooperation for peace, focusing on the support from leaders and citizens of Europe for peaceful reunification of Korea.

Peaceful world for the future

“When each one of us walks in the path towards peace, peace will be accomplished in the global community. More than anything else, a peaceful world without war would be the greatest legacy to hand down to our children. We ourselves should transcend nationality, race and religion, so that we can create a world of peace. It is our collective task to make peace together,” Mr Lee said.

Matters of the Korean Peninsula have been moving from confrontation to talk in recent times. Adding to the warm breeze of easing tensions from the inter-Korean Summit, the expectations of the Korean people for peace and stability has been increasing as there are more and more talks between countries involved in the Korean issues.

The role of Europe

One of the factors affecting the stability of Korea is the role of Europe.

Sweden and Norway, which HWPL visited for peacebuilding, are nations that have played a role in the settlement of peace in Korea since the Korean War.

Organised by the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) affiliated with HWPL, the ‘Positive Change for Tomorrow’ was held at the Nobel Museum on May 15.

This event was organised to recall the history of peaceful exchanges between Korea and Sweden regarding the Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital dispatched during the 1950s Korean War, and the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) in 2018, also to urge the youths of the two countries to cooperate for the realization of world peace and the practice of humanity.

Professor Carl-Henrik Heldin, Chairman of the Nobel Museum in Stockholm said, “Sweden, Korea, and further–the vision of IPYG working for peace, are synonymous with the spirit of Nobel. I hope that this event will be a great opportunity to bring peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

Healing the wounds

On May 16th, the “Peace and Reconciliation Conference” on the theme of international partnership for global peace and human rights was held in Oslo, Norway.

During the event, the human rights issues regarding North Korean defectors were introduced, which led to the discussion of peacebuilding for Korean reunification, and the significance of a peace network with participation of European youth.

As a special speaker of the event, Min-sun Kim, North Korean defector and head of Peaceful Unification of Support Organisation, said that HWPL can “serve a key role in mediating in peace processes between the two Koreas” and asked participants for “cooperation in healing the wounds of the Korean Peninsula.”

“The unification of the Korean Peninsula will move one step forward when all the international society pays attention to Korea together. I hope we make world peace hand in hand,” she said.

Mariana, Chairwoman of Internationalista, a youth organisation in Oslo university, in her presentation of the action plan for Norwegian youth in support for peace in Korea, said, “Youth have the power to change the world. I hope that a world of peace without the walls of religion or ethnicity can be the reality. When we have courage, everything is possible.”

Photo Caption: