"National Unification for the Happiness of 75 Million People"
I wish to convey my heartfelt gratitude to all the members of the National Unification Advisory Council.It is a great honor for me to devote myself to achieving the unification of our fatherland on behalf of the Chairperson of the Council, President Park Geun-hye, along with the members of the 16th Council.
Dear Council members at home and abroad --
The 16th National Unification Advisory Council was organized following the launch of the Park Geun-hye Administration. The two-year term of the Council commenced as of July 1, 2013.
The Council is a constitutional agency, encompassing the ideology, region, class, generation, and political party of Korea and Koreans both at home and abroad.
The National Unification Advisory Council performs the following functions in accordance with the spirit of Article 4 of the Constitution, i.e., "The Republic of Korea shall seek unification and formulate and carry out a policy of peaceful unification based on the principles of freedom and democracy": △ Collect public opinion on national unification from home and abroad; △ Draw national consensus for national unification; △ Combine pan-national will and capability for national unification, and; △ Consultation and recommendation regarding the President's policy of national unification.
Dear Council members at home and abroad --
The Korean Peninsula Trust-Building Process as proposed by the Chairperson of the Council, President Park Geun-hye, gives shape to the spirit of peaceful unification based on the principles of freedom and democracy. Therefore, the 16th National Unification Advisory Council should share understanding on the policy toward North Korea as suggested by President Park, who was elected last December, and disseminate such at home and abroad.
The Korean Peninsula Trust-Building Process means the South-North relations will evolve and develop "from little trust to large trust" and "from little unification to large unification." The philosophy of the process starts from the recognition that the building of trust by and between the two Koreas should be made first for peace to take root in the Korean Peninsula, proceeding to the unification of economy and finally political unification.
There should be no greed involved by finalizing the South-North issues with a single summit talk as what was attempted earlier. Now, we go through a process to correct distorted relations between the two Koreas and grow mutual "trust.” Such trust should be similar to entrusting our face and neck to a barber at a barbershop while we nap comfortably. After such mutual trust is built, real exchange, cooperation, and peace structure can be discussed between South and North.
Dear members --
With the launch of Park Geun-hye's administration and the 16th National Unification Advisory Council, the political situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula gives rise to the possibility of encountering a decisive situation of South and North during the term of President Park and the 16th Council.
First of all, President Park is more determined than any other previous president of Korea to achieve peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula. President Park is the first president of Korea to specify as one of the four keynotes of government administration. President Park expressed her strong will to secure the breakthrough of peaceful unification during her presidential term when she held summit talks with the USA and China as soon as her presidential term started, proposing her grand design of peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula to the heads of the two super powers.
President Park adopted a joint declaration with President Obama in commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Korea-US alliance when she had summit talks with the US President last May. The two summits reconfirmed that the Korea-US alliance is the core axle in maintaining peace and prosperity in the Asia and Pacific regions, and that the two countries will cope with any armed provocation from North Korea adamantly based on the US’s firm support for the Korean Peninsula Trust-Building Process proposed by President Park. They affirmed that the.
The summit talks between the US and China were held last June after the talks between Korea and US, with President Obama and President Xi Jinping making it absolutely clear that North Korea should be denuclearized, and that they cannot accept North Korea as a country possessing nuclear weapons. The nuclear weapons developed by North Korea by sacrificing the people's livelihood are rendered useless.
When President Park had summit talks with President Xi Jinping last June, they agreed on the principle of peaceful unification of the two Koreas as well as the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In particular, President Xi actively supported the Korean Peninsula Trust-Building Process proposed by President Park, implying that he understood the unification of the two Koreas to be led by South Korea.
Dear members --
The future of the Korean Peninsula and external design of South-North relations were planned through the summits talks between Korea and US and between Korea and China. In particular, the support of China for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and its peaceful unification has backed Pyeongyang into a corner. The 20th ASEAN Region Forum (ARF), held immediately after the Korea-China summit talks, adopted the ARF Chairperson's statement, i.e., "North Korea should comply with the relevant resolution of the UN Security Council and the 9.19 Joint Statement." It clearly describes the current situation of North Korea. Likewise, the statement following the six-party talks dated Sept. 19, 2005 stipulates that all nuclear weapons and current nuclear programs of North Korea should be abandoned. North Korea is completely isolated from international societies, and the only choice left to Pyeongyang is to respond to the Korean Peninsula Trust-Building Process proposed by President Park for the denuclearization of the Peninsula and unification.
Dear members --
We have reason to believe that the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula is not an impossible dream in accordance with freedom and democracy. Nonetheless, there is still a decisive obstacle standing before us as we proceed with the unification of our fatherland – the South-South conflict. People's energy cannot be concentrated on peaceful unification unless such internal conflict is resolved. The most serious problem we should overcome now is resolving such conflict and achieving "National Unity.” The trust process is not only necessary between South and North but also important for the internal community of the Republic of Korea.
As the Chairperson of the National Unification Advisory Council, President Park emphasized, when she presented the letter of designation to the executive members last June 20, that the unified support of the people is the fundamental driving force of the government in promoting a consistent, efficient policy for the North, and that is why the roles of the Council are really important. She added, "I hope all of the members of the Council exert their best efforts, guided by the firm belief that the future of 70 million people of South and North Korea depends on the activities of the National Unification Advisory Council.”
Dear members --
"National Unity" can only be achieved not by mere words but by service, sacrifice, participation, and devotion. In particular, the Council, which gathers together all leaders of various classes, should lead national unity through the spirit of Noblesse Oblige. We should answer “Yes" to the question, "Is our society righteous?” That way, pro-North Korea groups cannot infiltrate our society.
Dear members --
We should realize and understand ourselves and North Korea correctly to achieve peaceful unification according to the principles of freedom and democracy. The National Unification Advisory Council should establish the grounds for national unification based on the superiority of the liberal democracy of the Republic of Korea and basic order of liberal democracy through keen criticism of the following subordinate or self-abuse view of history: "South Korea is responsible for the division of Korea into two, and the North Korean regime has legitimacy. The South Korean government should not have been born. The Republic of Korea is a colony of the USA, but North Korea is an independent country." In particular, we should pay attention to the fact that 69% of high school students in South Korea misunderstand that the Korean War broke out due to the South’s invasion of the North. Correcting the wrong historical awareness of the youth and their wrong understanding of North Korea is an essential element in achieving peaceful unification by the basic order of freedom and democracy. Our role is to let our young generation take pride in our enhanced global image, including the fact that Korea is an example of miraculous industrialization and democratization and one of the world’s top 10 economic powers and top 9 international trading powers.
Dear members --
More than 20,000 North Korean defectors are staying with us in South Korea, but some of them cannot settle down in our society properly but are wandering among us. Some of them even returned to North Korea, but we assume that such was due to the manipulation of North Korea.
Shame on us to talk about national unification when we cannot take proper care of the 20,000 defectors who risked their lives! In particular, the rate of the defectors' children abandoning school education midway is 11 times more than that of South Korean students. Children of defectors should learn about the capitalism and market economy of South Korea to play a role in the reconstruction of the North Korean economy when national unification is achieved.
I believe that the National Unification Advisory Council should pay attention to supporting the defectors and their children considering the preparations for peaceful unification. We should help them realize the superiority of liberal democracy through their successful settlement in South Korean society and persuade North Korean residents that Korean Peninsula should be unified by liberal democracy.
Dear members --
Goldman Sachs, a securities company leading international financing markets, announced its reports on the Unification of Korea around the end of 2009 and predicted that, when the human resources and abundant natural resources of North Korea are combined with the technology and capital of South Korea, a unified Korea can outperform France, Germany, and Japan within 3 ~ 4 decades. It means that a unified Korea could be a G-3 nation after the USA and China. The Korean Peninsula Trust-Building Process as proposed by President Park involves creating a "Happy Korean Peninsula" by implementing the philosophy of "Happiness of the People" all over the peninsula. The policy seeks to guarantee that people can travel freely anywhere they want to go, develop the advantages of both South and North, and share human and natural resources to make the unified Korea a top-class nation in the world.
A "Happy Korean Peninsula" will make great contributions to the peace and prosperity of Northeast Asia and world peace as well. Its absolute prerequisite is unification according to the principles of freedom and democracy.
Dear members --
The mission of the 16th National Unification Advisory Council and its members is clear. Let us bequeath to our offspring the pride of laying the small foundation for the unification of South and North.
"Unification giving happiness to 75 million people" is not a far-fetched dream.
I wish all the members of the Council health and happiness.
Thank you.
Hyun Kyung-dae/Executive Vice-chairperson
National Unification Advisory Council
