The National Unification Advisory Council (Chairperson: President of Korea) held its 16th General Assembly on August 28 at the gymnastic gymnasium of Olympic Park in Seoul, Korea. A total of 12,000 Council members in Korea and from abroad attended the conference, which was also participated in by President Park to strengthen the will for establishing the foundation of peaceful unification of Korea. Hwang Woo-yeo, Chairperson of the Supreme Council of the ruling party, Ryu Gil-jae, Minister of Unification, and Huh Nam-sik, Mayor of Busan Metropolis, were among the attendants to share the action plans of the National Unification Advisory Council and strengthen the will toward national unification. The entreaty and request of President Park to the attendants and people with regard to national unification were met with applause and cheers from all the attendants. The General Assembly proceeded with the reporting of the organization and activities of the 16th Council, oath by the Council members, and address by the Chairperson. The 16th Council consists of 19,937 members in all -- 16,662 in Korea and 3,275 from abroad.

• President Park emphasized "Principle and Trust" and "People's Support" to open the new era of the Korean peninsula, adding that the development of "small seeds of unification" in the fields of economy and culture between the two Koreas can bring about the "grand unification" of the entire peninsula. She asked the members of the National Unification Advisory Council to stand in the middle of national integration and gather the people's voice with regard to national unity and recommend members' opinion and advice to the government.
  
  (※ See text of the presidential address. )

• Hyun Kyung-dae, Executive Vice-chairperson, proposed the path that the 16th Council should take, adding that, under the goal of "Establishing the Foundation of Peaceful Unification," the Council shall △ make the function of consultation and recommendation more practical, △ expand the bond of empathy for unification, △ reinforce the activities of grand integration of the people, △ expand empathy for unification among the young people, and △ strengthen the supporting basis of international societies.

Meanwhile, performances were given by Good Friends, percussion players, Extreme Taekwondo Show, and Lim Tae-kyung, crossover tenor.

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The 16th General Assembly was concluded with the "Performance of Pledging Practice in One Mind" and singing of "Our Wish is Unification" all together, resonating the longing for the happy era of national unification.

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