The NUAC (National Unification Advisory Council) held the 17th inaugural session of municipal chapters in Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago and Toronto, from July 28 (Washington) to August 7 (Toronto).

The first program of the session included introductory video, delivery of letter of appointment, oath of the council members, general meeting (July 1), video message from the Chairperson, report of the direction of the activities of the NUAC, appointment of council members and report of project plans. The second program included a lecture on the unification of Korea by Vice-chairperson Hyun Kyung-dae and a chorus of the 'Song of Unification'.

The Washington Chapter (head of the Chapter: Hwang Won-gyun) held its inaugural session at 6:00pm, July 28, 2015 at the Sheraton Tysons Hotel with the participation of some 210 people including Hyun Kyung-dae, Executive Vice-chairperson, Ahn Ho-yeong, South Korean Ambassador to the U.S., Kim Ki-chol, Vice-chairperson of the American Chapter, council members of the Washington Chapter and local Koreans. The session was an opportunity for them to renew their resolve for the unity of the Korean communities and the peaceful unification of their nation.

Some of the members of the Saenuri Party including Kim Mu-seong, Na Gyeong-won, Kim Jeong-hun, Yang Chang-yeong, Kang Seok-ho, Kim hak-yong and Shim Yun-jo also atttended the session to congratulate them.

Hwang Won-gyun, who was appointed as the 17th head of the Washington Chapter, gave an opening address in which he promised that he and other council members will make multilateral efforts to achieve the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula while maintaining a close relationship and communication with American politicians, scholars and other leaders of the mainstream society.

Ahn Ho-yeong, South Korean Ambassador to the U.S., congratulated the inauguration of the 17th Washington Chapter, and stressed the importance of putting the Dresden Declaration into action and forming a consensus in the international society for the unification of Korea. He also promised to support the NUAC's activities for the unification of Korea.

The Philadelphia Chapter (head of the Chapter: Jang Gwon-il) held its inaugural session at 6:00pm, July 30, 2015 at the Hilton Hotel located on the city line of Philadelphia with the participation of some 130 people including Executive Vice-chairperson Hyun Kyung-dae, Kim Hyeong-gil, Vice Consul General to New York, Kim Ki-chol, Vice-chairperson of the U.S. Chapter, David Oh, member of the city council of Philadelphia, council members of the Philadelphia Chapter and local Koreans.

Hwang Won-gyun, who was appointed as the 17th head of the Washington Chapter, gave an opening address in which he said he was given a second chance to serve as the head of the chapter once again thanks to the love and interest of the Korean community. He promised that during his tenure, he will try harder to form a consensus among next-generation Koreans on love for their country and the unification of Korea.

Kim Hyeong-gil, South Korean Consul General to New York, congratulated the inauguration of the 17th Washington Chapter, and stressed the importance of forming a consensus in the international society on the unification of Korea. He also promised to support the NUAC's activities for the unification of Korea.

The New York Chapter (head of the Chapter: Jeong Jae-geon) held its inaugural session at 6:00pm on July 31, 2015 at the banquet hall of New York University with the participation of over 250 people including Executive Vice-chairperson Hyun Kyung-dae, Kim Gi-hwan, South Korean Consul General to New York, Kim Ki-chol, Vice-chairperson of the U.S. Chapter, council members of the New York Chapter and local Koreans.

Jeong Jae-geon, who was appointed as the 17th head of the Washington Chapter, gave an opening address in which he said he will take initiative in brining unity to the Korean community and build a basis for the unification of Korea and announced the new start of the 17th New York Chapter under the slogans 'Open New York' and 'Achieve Peaceful Unification'.

Kim Gi-hwan, South Korean Consul General to New York, gave a congratulatory speech in which he said that Korea cannot be unified with the power of the Korean government alone and that he believes the NUAC will make great contributions to building a basis for unified Korea since it's been playing a pivotal role in forming a consensus in the Korean community on the peaceful unification of Korea.

The Boston Chapter (head of the Chapter: Han Seon-woo) held its 17th inaugural session at 6:00pm on August 3, 2015 at the Sheraton Hotel in Framingham with the participation of some 90 people including Executive Vice-chairperson Hyun Kyung-dae, Eom Seong-jun, South Korean Consul General to Boston, Kim Ki-chol, Vice-chairperson of the U.S. Chapter, Kim Gyeong-won, Chairperson of the Boston Korean Community, council members of the Boston Chapter and Koreans living in Boston.

Han Seon-woo, who was appointed as the 17th head of the Boston Chapter, gave an opening address saying, "No one forced you to become a NUAC member. You chose to volunteer, before being reviewed to be appointed. For that, you should be proud of serving as a council member. I really want you to serve your country and the Korean community to the best of your ability.

We the members of the 17th chapter will work together to bring unity and growth to the Korean community, form a consensus on the unification of Korea and focus on developing our next generation so they can play the main role in the unification of Korea in the future."

Eom Seong-jun, South Korean Consul General to Boston gave a congratulatory address by saying, "With only 40 council members, the Boston Chapter may be small but strong and capable. I'm sure it's fully capable of drawing the energy of the 50,000 Koreans living in New England towards realizing the unification of Korea. I wish the newly inaugurated Boston Chapter will play a leading role in forming a consensus among the Korean community on the unification of Korea."

The Chicago Chapter (head of the Chapter: Lee Mun-gyu) held its 17th inaugural session at 6:00pm on August 5, 2015 at the Wyndham Hotel Hotel in Glenview with the participation of some 190 people including Executive Vice-chairperson Hyun Kyung-dae, Kim Sang-il, South Korean Consul General to Chicago, Tony Kim, Vice-chairperson of the Chicago Korean Community, council members of the Chicago Chapter and Koreans living in Chicago.

Lee Mun-gyu, who was appointed as the 17th head of the Chicago Chapter, gave an opening address, in which he said, "In celebrating the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation and division, we should launch the 'root' campaign in the Korean community for the unification of Korea. The road to unification is not far from us. The road to the unification of Korea will open up if we keep expanding the base and untie the knot one at a time.

We'll also focus on training our next generation council members and helping North Korean refugees in Chicago.

In his congratulatory address, Kim Sang-gil, South Korean Consul General to Chicago said, "I congratulate the inauguration of the 17th Chicago Chapter. I want the chapter to take the lead in forming a consensus and reaching an agreement in the local Korean community on the unification of Korea.

The Toronto Chapter (head of the Chapter: Choi Jin-hak) held its 17th inaugural session at 6:00pm on August 7, 2015 at the Toronto Korean Community Center. The session, which was joined by the Montreal and Ottawa Chapters that recently became a chapter, was participated by some 170 people including Executive Vice-chairperson Hyun Kyung-dae, Kang Jeong-sik, South Korean Consul General to Toronto, council members of the Toronto Chapter and Koreans living in Toronto. The session was dedicated to bringing unity to the Korean community and realizing the peaceful unification of Korea.

Choi Jin-hak, who was appointed as the 17th head of the Toronto Chapter, gave an opening address, in which he said, "Koreans living abroad will play a big role in the unification of Korea. Let's form a consensus on the unification of Korea." After his address, he sounded a boat horn to announce the beginning of the 17th Toronto Chapter.

Kang Jeong-sik, South Korean Consul General to Toronto, gave a congratulatory address by saying that he congratulates the inauguration of the 17th Toronto Chapter and wants the NUAC members to carry out more activities towards the unification of Korea, as he reminded them NUAC members have been playing an important role in spreading the unification policy of South Korea and building the foundation for the unification of Korea in the mainstream society of many countries.

※ At the 17th inaugural session, the council members gave a solemn oath to conform to the law and play their role to the fullest to achieve the unification of Korea, which has been one of the biggest dreams of Koreans for decades.

※ Also to help the council members in foreign countries better understand their role and activities, Dong Seung-cheol, Director of Foreign Regions, submitted reports on "The Role and Function of the NUAC", "The Goals of the Activities and Objectives of the 17th NUAC" and "Important Projects in the Second Half of 2015".

※ Kim Ki-chol, Vice-chairperson of the Americas Chapter and Park Ho-seong, Secretary of the Americas Chapter, also attended the session to support and encourage the inaugural session of the Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston Chapters.

Kim gave words of encouragement to the attendees of the inaugural session. He said that since some of the most influential people of the local community were appointed as a NUAC member, they should prepare for the unification of Korea to the best of their ability. He added that serving to achieve the unification of Korea will be worthwhile.

※ The second program of the inaugural session included a lecture by Executive Vice-chairperson Hyun Kyung-dae on topics such as "The Importance of Alliance between South Korea and the U.S. and the Unification of Korea" and "The Role of the NUAC Members and Koreans Living Abroad in the Unification of Korea."

In his lecture, he stressed the importance of maintaining strong alliance between South Korea and the U.S. for the unification of Korea, and urged the NUAC members and Koreans abroad to play the role of a civil diplomat by forming a consensus in the international society and their support for the unification of Korea. He also asked the NUAC members to play a leading role in bringing unity and harmony to the Korean communities.

He further said, "We should be the ones who achieve the unification. To do this, we need our people to have the desire and passion. We can achieve the long-held dream of 80 million Koreans. I ask the Korean communities to join us." He went on to stress the importance of having the resolve to achieve the unification of Korea.

※ In the last part of the inaugural session, all the attendees held hands together and sang the 'Song of Unification' to show their will to achieve the peaceful unification of Korea.