NUAC executed a Memorandum of Understanding with VANK(Voluntary Agency Network of Korea), a cyber diplomatic delegation, on May 8 at the Secretariat office to foster honorary college student ambassadors for national unification. The two organizations set their joint goal of fostering 10,000 college students and youth to be honorary ambassadors for national unification through the cooperative program.

As an organization that consolidates the unification abilities of the people, NUACbelieves that the activities of the youth in preparation for national unification areessential. In this regard, NUAC decided to establish close ties with VANK, which has played a remarkable role in the public diplomacy of Korea including its activities in the Internetto defend Dokdo Island in the territorial dispute with Japanto enhance their awareness of national unification in realistic ways.

NUAC has been studying how to improve awareness of national unification among the young generation of Korea to implement “realistic and detailed preparation for unification” by building the foundation for achieving national unification on the occasion of the Dresden Declaration, one of the four keynotes of the administration of state affairs. Executing the MOU with VANK is expected to expand the national unification-related activities of the youth and college students -- whichhave been limited to unification education to date -- to the civilian diplomatic field.

Park Chan-bong, Secretary General of NUAC, prayed at the signing ceremony for the souls of the students who lost their lives at the Sewol ferry disaster. "We are keenly aware of our solemn responsibilities to achieve a unified country during our generation, wherein the safety of individual persons is guaranteed and national security is firmly established to make a powerful and rich country," he said.

Park vowed that NUAC will make its best efforts to foster the future generation of national unification under the circumstances. The MOU with VANK will be the first step toward accomplishing such goal, he added.

"VANK decided to promote national unification as its most important policy this year, and it has been planning the relevant programs for the youth and college students. The collaboration with NUAC can be of great help in operating the programs. We will try to spread the awareness of national unification to them with bright and vivid subjects, avoiding difficult and hard ones," said Park Gi-tae, director of VANK.

NUAC plans to select honorary ambassadors for national unification among the youth and college students starting June and organize a panel discussion on national unification for college students.