The Youth Members’ Conference was held last Oct. 10~12 by the National Unification Advisory Council (Executive Vice-chairperson: Hyun Kyung-dae, Secretary General: Park Chan-bong) at Sheraton Hotel in Washington D.C.

Organized to strengthen the unification capabilities of the youth members of the Council as the main figures of a unified Korea and expand communication and exchange among them, the youth members’ conference was participated in by 17 municipal chapters in the USA and Canada. The Vice-chairperson of the Council of North America and heads of the municipal chapters were also invited.

The youth members who participated introduced themselves on the first day of the conference. After the orientation, Colonel William Weber, a Korean War veteran, gave a special lecture about his experience in the war. "Preparation for the unification of the Korean Peninsula is impossible without good understanding of the military reality confronting North Korea. Proper attitude and wisdom are required to prepare for the unification of the two Koreas,” he said.

Another special lecture was given by Virginia State Rep. Mark Kim of the House of Representatives. "Korean immigrants in America have become part of US history, and it's time for them to play their roles in this society. We should consider what we ought to do for the peace of the Korean Peninsula,” he stressed.

During the friendliest dinner, Korean traditional music was performed by Soricheong. "I hope the 2013 North American Youth Members’ Conference in Washington D.C. will be a good opportunity for communication networks among the next-generation persons of talent,” said Hwang Won-kyun, head of the Washington D.C. Municipal Chapter in his congratulatory speech. Edward Chou, Jr., Virginia State Secretary of the Office of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, introduced the activities of the Asian American soldiers who fought for the country and asked the Youth Members of the council to lead the shaping of American history actively.

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  Performance by Soricheong (Korean traditional music)

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  Congratulatory Address by Hwang Won-kyun, Head of the Washington D.C. Municipal Chapter

"The remarkable growth of South Korea and development of democracy in the country have been a good example for all Asian countries, and more positive activities of Korean Americans are required to achieve the unification of the Korean Peninsula based on solid Korea-US alliance," said Charles Wrangle, member of the US House of Representatives.

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  Rep. Charles Wrangle

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  Congratulatory Speech by Rep. Charles Wrangle

Fifteen Korean War veterans who served in the 142nd and 100th Regiments were invited to the dinner and presented with gifts and plaques of appreciation by the Secretariat Office of the Council.

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  Presenting the Plaque of Appreciation to the Korean War Veterans of the 100th Regiment

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  Presenting the Plaque of Appreciation to the Korean War Veterans of the 142nd Regiment

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The 2013 Youth members’ Conference started with the opening speech of Hwang Won-kyun, Head of the Washington D.C. Municipal Chapter, regarding the roles of next-generation leaders. Consul General Kang Do-ho of the Korean Embassy to the USA lauded the passion of the attendants for the unification of the Korean Peninsula and asked them to cooperate in building the foundation of national unification through the stable practice of the Korean Peninsula Trust-Building Process. "Youth members of the Council are not the next generation of peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula but are the leading generation; we hope you will participate in the movement more actively instead of allowing yourselves to be hindered by the barrier of the older generation," said Kim Ki-cheol, Vice-chairperson of the Council of North America.

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  Opening Speech by Hwang Won-kyun, Head of the Washington D.C. Municipal Chapter

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  Congratulator Speech by Consul General Kang Do-ho

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  Congratulatory Speech by Kim Ki-cheol, Vice-chairperson of the Council of North America

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  Lecture by Shin Eun-sook, Director of the Unification Policy Advisory Bureau

  Shin Eun-sook, Director of the Unification Policy Advisory Bureau, gave a special lecture before the Conference started. “Building the foundation of peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula as one of the four major government policies of the Park Geun-hye administration can be realized only through the strengthened capability of our society and support of international societies. The NUAC and the roles of Council members as civilian diplomats are more important than ever,” she said. According to her, a bond of social sympathy could be developed by close cooperation for national unification between the young generations at home and abroad particularly in America. She also emphasized the importance of harmony and communication between them.

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  Marius Oswald, Political Attaché of the German Embassy to the USA

  Panelists attending the Youth Members’ Conference gave lectures. The first speaker was Mr. Marius Oswald, Political Attaché of the German Embassy to the USA. He explained the lessons learned on the occasion of the unification of Germany. "What we can learn from the unification of Germany is that important changes are not made overnight; we should remember that the unification of a divided country is a long-term project lasting for a generation. In this regard, I wish young Korean members of the Council will study the case of Germany thoroughly to prepare themselves for the unification of two Koreas,” he said.

After the series of lectures by unification experts, the Consul General hosted a luncheon for the members. This was followed by group discussions in the afternoon. The topic given to group #1 was "Establishing Trust between South and North Korea during the Process of Unification.” For group #2, it was "Development of Future-Oriented Relationship between Korea and USA,” and for group #3, "Enhancement of the Unification Consciousness of the Next Generation and Grafting the Korean Wave with the Unification." Finally, "Exchange between the Young Members of North America and Revitalizing Their Activities” was assigned to group #4. The group discussion continued for 90 minutes, with opinions suggested actively.

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Han Ye-na, member of the Vancouver Municipal Chapter, Yoon Deok-hyun from Chicago, Lee Yeong-shin from San Francisco, Kim Hyung-seon from Houston, Kim Jin-wook from Denver, and Yang Yoon-jeong from Washington D.C. introduced the respective business plans of their municipal chapters and actual cases of activities they performed so far.

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Attendants watched a video titled "National Anthem, Breathing with the Republic of Korea." Dr. Sumiteri then gave a keynote address on the Korea-US Alliance and North Korean Issues. "The Korea and US governments should ideally promote the unification of the Korean Peninsula by developing a long-term approach. We need to find a proper way to spread the information and situation of external societies to North Korea and exercise pressure on Pyongyang in the areas of human rights consistently and parallel with such pressure. The potential power of a unified Korea needs to be verified, and a strategy for developing such power needs is required,” he said. He also stressed the need for us to recognize the benefits from the unification for the generations to come.

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  Watching Video

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  Lecture by Dr. Sumiteri

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After the lecture, young members of the Council enjoyed the cultural performance of Chip Han and Dave Yoon before the dinner hosted by the Vice-chairperson of the Council of North America on the second day of the conference.

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  Performance by Chip Han

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  Performance by Dave Yoon

On the third day of the conference, each group presented what it discussed. Park Jun-seok from Toronto introduced the discussion of group #1; Hwang Woo-seong from Boston presented for group #2, Jeon Si-yeong from Hawaii for group #3, and Han Ye-na from Vancouver for group #4.

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  Presenting the results of group discussion

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After the presentation by each group, the conference was reviewed overall. "Each and every member of the next generation of the Council is an important asset of the Republic of Korea; let's foster the environment for national unification not with a drop of rain but with the downpour of rain,” said Kim Mi-hye, head of the Denver Municipal Chapter. Kim Seong-hyuk, head of the Boston Municipal Chapter, was deeply impressed by the young members attending the Conference and their remarkable capabilities. “We need an organization to manage them properly at the level of the Council of North America,” he stressed

As a final event of the Conference, the awarding ceremony for the Essay Contest for National Unification was held. A total of 10 essays were considered, and the Best Essay Award was given to Kim Yun-sook, a member of the Seattle Municipal Chapter. She read her work to the attendants, who were impressed by the essay.

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  Reading the winning essay on unification

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  Awarding the Best Essay on National Unification

Before the close of the 3-day-long conference, Members of the Washington D.C. Municipal Chapter led the singing of Our Wish with all the attendants to wrap up the Conference.

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  Singing along to Our Wish

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  Commemorative Photo