• The 34 years of NUAC has been a grand journey toward peaceful unification. Since NUAC was established in 1981, we have so far been realizing the mission of the constitution of the Republic of Korea faithfully. Nobody can deny that NUAC is the leading organization promoting the peaceful unification of Korea based on free democratic fundamental order as stipulated in Article 4 of the constitution.
  
  In 1969, the Board of National Unification (currently known as the Ministry of National Unification) was established, but it could neither perform realistic preparation for unification nor fulfill the function of leading the people for a long time. NUAC was established by revising the constitution in Oct. 1980 to make national unification a supreme task of Korean people in our society.

Since its establishment, NUAC has been advising the President on the unification policy and inter-Korean relations by collecting the living opinions of the people and leading the government in undertaking realistic unification preparations. Thanks to such efforts of NUAC, the Korean people came to recognize that unification preparation is not limited to the government, but that they should express their views on the unification and engage in related activities. Thus, a new era of unification movement with the people has been opened.

The Oct. 1987 amended constitution of the Republic of Korea renamed this organization “National Unification Advisory Council” and assigned it four distinct missions: advising the President on the unification policy; collecting people‘s opinions; drawing national consensus, and; combining the unification capabilities of the people. NUAC has been reborn as a leading organization of the Republic of Korea in unification preparations based on its leading role for the past 3 decades.

My Fellow Council Members

When human beings turn 30, they build up their foundation, set forth their ambitions, and devote themselves to making their dreams come true. NUAC should be reborn to create a decisive situation of national unification with the people based on its status as unification policy adviser and pan-national unification movement organization.

Since her inauguration, President Park Geun-hye has stressed building a peaceful unification foundation as one of the four key notes of state affairs; this has led to an eruption of interest in and the strong will toward national unification from all areas of our society. Furthermore, accelerating the establishment of unification environments at home and abroad by advocating the theory of unification bonanza spreads the recognition among the people that national unification will not happen in the distant future but anytime now.

The 16th NUAC has been trying to disseminate President Park’s theory of unification bonanza and vision to the people and spread the unification sympathy among them for the past two years. Likewise, NUAC has been helping North Korean refugees settle down successfully in South Korean society as one of NUAC‘s key policies, as per the request of the President to NUAC.

In a keynote address given last September at the UN General Assembly, President Park said, “I wish all countries of the world help destroy the only remaining wall of division on earth. North Korea and international societies should take the necessary measures for the recommendations of the UN Commission of Inquiry to be implemented, and related countries should provide the necessary support for North Korean refugees to be able to choose their destination freely.“

Since President Park appealed to the whole world for the unification of the Korean Peninsula, improvement of human rights in North Korea, and protection of North Korean refugees, NUAC has adopted the “Resolution on the Improvement of Human Rights in North Korea” unanimously at its joint meeting with the Executive Committee and Central Committee held in December.

Today when the unification preparation becomes a national topic among the people, NUAC should take upon the great challenge of opening the era of unification, keeping in mind the special sense of duty. In addition to the unification preparation, other tasks of NUAC will be supporting North Korean refugees in their successful settlement in our society, improving the human rights of North Korea, and inspiring correct recognition of history and national unification among the youth.

The council members are the ones who can realize the duty of NUAC as required by the era. You are the pioneers of national unification, having devoted yourselves to unification as members of NUAC. I am confident that the era of national unification, wherein 80 million Korean people can soar high in the world, will come soon after the wall of division collapses sooner or later, as long as NUAC members work actively in many parts of the world.

My Honorable Fellow NUAC Members

The 16th term of NUAC will end soon. All of your efforts for unification preparation along with President Park for the past two years will be recorded as NUAC history. I hope you pay keen attention continuously to the will of President Park for unification to be rooted firmly in the Korean Peninsula even after your term with NUAC ends.

Recently, nationwide preventive measures against MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) have been implemented to prevent further infection. I expect all NUAC members to be at the forefront, building preventive measures against it in hard times like this. Your role of distinguishing opinions from groundless rumors and ghost stories is also important.

Every moment of the past 70 years was a continuation of ordeals and challenges for us. I believe we were able to make the Republic of Korea into what it is today by overcoming such ordeals and challenges with confidence. Let us try to hand over to our future offspring a Unified Korea where the people are healthy and its national security is strong.

Thank you.

Hyun Kyung-dae, Executive Vice-chairperson of NUAC

5 June 2015