The NUAC Secretariat held a kick-off meeting at 10:30AM, January 2 at the conference hall of the Secretariat for the new year 2017, Jeongyu Year with all employees in attendance, wishing for national harmony, stability, integration, and unification and assuring willingness for peaceful unification.

“I show my appreciation to the employees of the Secretariat for actively supporting the unification activities of the council members. I encourage you to make more passionate efforts in the future, even as you have done well so far,” Executive Vice-chairperson Yoo Ho-yeol said in his welcome remarks at the kick-off meeting.

According to Executive Vice-chairperson Yoo, if the employees of the Secretariat uphold the determination of the council members and the willingness of the citizens to make efforts for creating the foundation for peaceful unification, NUAC, not just the 18th NUAC, will be evaluated highly right at the moment of unification. “NUAC should make more efforts in the preparations for unification,” he stressed.

• At the kick-off meeting, Secretary General Kwon Tae-oh expressed his gratitude to the employees of NUAC Secretariat and administrative officers of Provincial Assemblies and Municipal Chapters throughout the country for their devotion in developing NUAC and its secretariat and in carrying out reform tasks for the past year and asked them to make unified efforts to see the fruit of unification in the new year.
  
  “Last year, we realigned tasks that have been performed in conventional methods in an efficient manner and created an inspection team to ensure that the tasks will be carried out in a more objective and impartial manner and reinforce the basics. Based on the basics that we built last year, we will conduct diagnosis on the organization this year in order to improve the working environment and working conditions for administrative officers. We will also make bold modifications for any and all parts of the organization that require changes,” Secretary General Kwon said.
  
  Secretary General Kwon noted that this year, various tasks should be performed in a more efficient and teleological direction. “By boldly merging the projects that have been carried out with overlaps and divergence, we will reinforce successful projects while abolishing projects that were performed in a conventional manner,” he added.

Regarding this, he revealed his plan to expand and reform the “Citizen class for the era of unification” to open the 6- to 10-week course “Peaceful Unification Academy” in order to foster active workers in preparing for unification through concentrated expert lectures.

Along with the expert-centered policy suggestions implemented through the standing committees of the Central Committee, the efficiency of policy advice by council members working in the regions will be reinforced, and the website will be improved in order to revitalize constant suggestions and accept practical opinions.

Secretary General Kwon spoke highly of projects supporting North Korean defectors as implemented by the council members throughout the country. He suggested setting the third week of October as “NUAC week with North Korean defectors” in order to focus on projects supporting North Korean defectors throughout the country during this time for the promotion of practical outcomes as well as social awareness.

On the other hand, Secretary General Kwon thought it unfortunate that, while citizens recognize unification as the most important task that should be accomplished in our generation, they are skeptical about unification. “We will produce unification videos showing ‘Korea after unification’ to erase doubts about unification and to provide confidence that unification is necessary for the future,” he said.

Lastly, pointing out that 2017 is the year when the 18th NUAC is newly launched, Secretary General Kwon disclosed plans of newly appointing council members and promised that the appointment of executive council members will be performed according to the law and principles.

According to him, council members who had no activities or made insincere efforts as well as those who resigned on their own will not be reappointed in the 18th NUAC.

“In 2017, an atmosphere of devotion for unification campaigns will be created in our society based on stability and harmony. All of the employees should have a unified heart in order to hatch the egg of ‘unification’ and see a sweet fruit by taking initiative for unification tasks,” Secretary General Kwon said.