The NUAC Religion and Welfare Standing Committee (Chief: Lee Su-gu) and the NUAC Youth Standing Committee (Chief: Do Hee-yoon) held a joint workshop on April 20 and 21 at Hantan River Spa Hotel with about 30 members of the Standing Committee in attendance.

This workshop was held in the context of North Korea's provocation by nuclear weapons and missiles to enhance the efficiency of policy proposal through mutual sharing of related current issues and to promote communication and harmony among the members of the Standing Committee by touring historical and security sites. The workshop on this day began with welcome remarks from NUAC Religion and Welfare Standing Committee Chief Lee Su-gu, NUAC Youth Standing Committee Chief Do Hee-yoon, and Hyun Tae-sub, head of the Cheorwon Municipal Chapter, followed by an explanation by Central Committee Secretary Kim Jeong-bong of the status quo, Chief Lee Su-gu's special lecture, report by DMZ Peaceful Unification Movement Headquarters Secretary General Im Yeong-hee on Cheorwon-gun's status quo, and so on.

"Currently, Korea is suffering from severe economic recession; in order to overcome this, we need to move on to the 4.0 ICT era. Achieving reunification in the process will arise as an imminent issue," Chief Lee Su-gu said in his welcome remarks.

According to Chief Do Hee-yoon, until recently, the banner in front of KBS was “Young men of the Republic of Korea, as successors of the Sun, let's have military spirit, patriotic spirit, and public spirit.” He also stressed the importance of the young generation's attention and role with regard to reunification. "Doesn't this message imply that members of the young generation of the Republic of Korea are the ones who should lead the reunification process?" he asked.

On the other hand, Hyun Tae-sub, head of the Cheorwon Municipal Chapter, expressed sincere thanks to members of the Religion and Welfare Standing Committee and Youth Standing Committee visiting Cheorwon-gun. "Prior to the Korean War, Cheorwon was a region under the control of North Korea. It is not yet fully recaptured, and it is a sad site of division where, after the shutdown of Gaeseong Industrial Complex, propaganda broadcast from both North and South continues. I call on the Council Members to work hard as a whole so that the reunification of North and South can be fulfilled during the term of President Park Geun-hye," he said.

In the succeeding explanation on the current situation, Central Committee Secretary Kim Jeong-bong analyzed the current situation arising from North Korea's recent experimentation on nuclear weapons and missiles in a very thorough manner and from various viewpoints, drawing positive response and attention from committee members attending the conference. He also emphasized the need for realistic and rational judgment of the current status. "Knowing about the military matters of North and South is a prerequisite for understanding other issues related to North Korea. The determined attitude of the Park Geun-hye administration puts de facto pressure on North Korea, and consistently pushing for sanctions on North Korea is vital for enhancing the effectiveness of the sanctions," Secretary Kim Jeong-bong added.

During his special lecture, Lee Su-gu, chief of the Religion and Welfare Standing Committee, suggested the effects and necessity of reunification and emphasized the need to start thinking about the problems that would arise when North and South get integrated and their solutions. Chief Lee explained that, based on realistic data and documents from agencies related to reunification, the spread of negative awareness of excessive burden of reunification expenses should be checked, and the benefits of reunification should be actively promoted. "It is important to reach public consensus on the reunification methods and financing by fostering citizens' sense of reunification," he added.

Lastly, DMZ Peaceful Unification Movement Headquarters Secretary General Im Yeong-hee, during his report on Cheorwon-gun’s current status, noted that, until now, they have carried out lots of businesses such as restoration of Gyeongwon Line and setup of DMZ World Peace Park, DMZ Walking Business, and Peaceful Unification Wishing Rites. "In the future, we will try our best with the Cheorwon-gun Office, Cheorwon Municipal Chapter, and members of the Religion and Welfare Standing Committee and Youth Standing Committee to maximize the synergy effect of reunification movements," he vowed.

In addition, the Standing Committee members who attended this joint workshop on this day visited the Peace & Unity Center (April 20) to pray together for freedom of religion in the North and freedom and reconciliation of our ethnicity. They also visited the Cheorwon Peace Observatory,·Woljeongni Station, and·Korean Workers’ Party Headquarters (April 21) to feel and see in person the pain and reality of division and the 5th Infantry Division (April 21) to encourage military personnel who are responsible day and night for national defense at the time of imposing sanctions on North Korea.