2014 Asia Europe Youth Conference Held under the Theme National Unification Our Wish and the Future of the Korean Peninsula
Attendees in the 2014 Asia Europe Youth Conference
The 2014 Asia Europe Youth Conference was held on March 12 ~ 14 at Sheraton Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
A total of 95 council members from 4 provincial assemblies of 16 countries including Japan, China, ASEAN, and EU attended the event to discuss Unification Our Wish and the Future of the Korean Peninsula. The conference kicked off with discussion with invited unification experts, followed by group discussion and case presentation.
Opening Speech by Jeon Jong-Gyu
In his opening speech, Jeon Jong-Gyu, chairman of the Vietnam Provincial Assembly, noted that Vietnam achieved national unification unlike us, although the unification was not fully satisfactory. Holding the conference in HCMC of Vietnam is meaningful. Unification will be an opportunity for the great development of Korean people both in the South and the North. All of us should become one by unifying public opinion toward unification. I hope the experiences in the unification movement of the youth council members can be enriched on the occasion of the conference, he said.
Address of Consul General Oh Jae-Hack
The Korean consul general to HCMC of Vietnam attended the Youth Conference for two days, showing special interest in the event.
Following President Park's official visit last September, holding this conference in HCMC is very meaningful to the Korean communities in here. We hope the HCMC conference can provide a good opportunity for building a realistic vision of unification through in-depth discussion, he said.
Park Chan-bong delivering his keynote speech
In his keynote speech, NUAC Secretary General Park emphasized the need for the participation of the young generation in the unification movement and importance of the roles of overseas Koreans. The bonanza of national unification is veering away from the existing paradigm; it is a change of approach to unification, not just waiting for it but an activity of positively agonizing over how to solve and promote it, he stressed. (※ link to the corresponding pages)
Discussion with unification experts
Prof. Park Ihn-hwi of Ewha Womans Univ., and Park Hyung-jung, senior researcher of the Korea Institute for National Unification, served as panelists for Unification of Korean Peninsula and Status of International Situation in Northeast Asia and Vision of Unification and Subjects of Preparing for Unification, respectively.
The attendees exchanged their views on the unification bonanza, launching of the Unification Preparation Committee, consensus on the inter-Korean policy in the political circles, and approach to the nuclear issue of North Korea.
Prof. An Jeong-heon, Vietnam National University HCMC
The conference invited a special guest, Prof. An Jeong-heon of Vietnam National University HCMC, who is also working for the NUAC Vietnam Municipal Chapter as council member. He gave a lecture on Indication of the Integrating Course of a Unified Vietnam to the Inter-Korean Policy of Korea.
Six municipal chapters in Vietnam presented cases of unification movement activities by young council members and established their mission and future activities for the movement.
HCMC Conference
Presenters of Cases of Unification Movements of the Youth of Municipal Chapters in Vietnam
The 90 council members were divided into 4 groups to discuss the ff.: ? Method of building trust between the South and the North in the course of unification; ? Enhancing Peace in Northeast Asia; ? Promoting Participation in the Unification Movement by the Youth, and; ? Exchange between youth council members overseas.
Group Discussion
Activities to Spread Empathy with Unification and Cooperation between Korea and Vietnam and Unification Lecture in Hanoi
Following the Youth Conference, a unification lecture on the Future of Unified Korea and Roles of Overseas Koreans was held by the Hanoi Provincial Assembly on March 17 at Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel. A total of 230 people attended the lecture, including Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Jeon Dae-ju, President of the Korean Association of Vietnam, Go Sang-gu, other local VIPs, and young generation.
Unification Lecture of the Hanoi Provincial Assembly
Opening Speech by Kim Jeong-in, head of the Hanoi Provincial Assembly
Congratulatory Address by Ambassador Jeon Dae-ju
The national unification of Korea is a light guiding the new growth and prosperity of not only the Korean people but also the entire Northeast Asia, and it will be a double jackpot for all the countries and people in the region. Unification requires the desire and capabilities of all Korean people, and the foundation of peaceful unification should be laid in our daily life, Ambassador Jeon said in his congratulatory speech.
Secretary General Park Chan-bong Giving a Unification Lecture
According to NUAC Secretary General Park, NUAC aims at establishing the era of unification wherein the 80 million people in South and North Korea can be happy. We should exercise our capabilities for unification, recognizing that the subjects of unification are 80 million people including those of the Republic of Korea, overseas Koreans, and compatriots of North Korea. The roles of Koreans living in Vietnam are special since Vietnam achieved unification. In this regard, Korean communities in this country should be consolidated firmly as one, he stressed.
Meeting of the leaders of Korean communities in Hanoi to collect their opinions on unification
Park Chan-bong, Secretary General of NUAC, visits the president of Hanoi Univ.
The Inter-Korean policy of our government was explained on the occasion of the meeting with the leaders of Korean communities in Hanoi and visit to Hanoi Univ., and the importance of increasing cooperation between Vietnam and Korea in the area of national unification was reaffirmed.
