The NUAC (National Unification Advisory Council) held a series of inauguration sessions in Southern Europe (August 12), the United Kingdom (August 15), and Northern Europe, Africa and the Middle East (August 19), and announced the launch of its overseas municipal chapters.

During the first stage of the session, letters of appointment were handed out, a video message from the Executive Vice-chairperson was played, and the activities of the 17th term were reported. In the second stage, director Gu Bon-tae delivered a speech on national unification, followed by a chorus of the ‘Song of Unification’.

The inaugural session held at 6:00pm, August 12, Cercle de I'Union Interallée in Paris was attended by over 70 council members and local Koreans living overseas including Vice-chairperson of the European Chapter Park Jong-beom and Secretary of the European Provincial Assembly Kim Bong-jae.

Park Hong-geun, the chief of the European Chapter, asked for the cooperation of council members to enable "the Southern European Chapter to strengthen its diplomatic capabilities by entering mainstream society and conducting further activities on the basis of which the peaceful unification of Korea could be realized."

His speech was followed by a congratulatory speech by South Korean Ambassador to France Mo Cheol-min, who said, "I would like to congratulate the NUAC on its inauguration of the Southern European Chapter, and hope that the council members will work together with the Korean communities in France."

Vice-chairperson of the European Chapter Park Jong-beom also gave a similar congratulatory speech, saying, "I would like to congratulate the Southern European Chapter's hosting of the 17th inauguration session, and hope that the council members will work hand in hand with the Korean communities in France."

The NUAC kicked off the official schedule with a celebration of the 70th Anniversary of Korea's Liberation at 5:00pm, August 15, 2015 at the Hilton Hotel, and then hosted the Inauguration Session of the UK Conference. The event was attended by over one hundred council members, leaders of the Korean communities in France, and employees of the South Korean Embassy. The celebration was held in the first session of the conference, followed by a lecture on unification.

During the celebration, a speech written by Ambassador Lim Seon-nam was read out by proxy, and senior member Ju Nak-gun gave three cheers for the liberation of Korea. Ju Nak-gun, who is over 80 years old, showed the other attendees how happy he was on the occasion by cheering in a loud, powerful voice despite his advanced age.

Lee Jong-gu said, "For the normalization of the Korean community, we shall carry out activities aimed at unifying the Korean communities in the U.K. in order to narrow the gap between different social classes and age groups. We'll also adopt initiatives to promote communication and, at the same time, raise awareness among the next generation of the importance of unification so they too can work towards the unification of Korea."

In response to these words, Ambassador Lim Seong-min gave a speech in which he said, "I urge all NUAC members to play an important role in spreading the sentiment that the unification of Korea is extremely important, and also in promoting communication and harmony among our Korean communities."

Vice-chairperson of the European Chapter Park Jong-beom also gave a congratulatory speech in which he said, "I would like to express my congratulations on the occasion of the 17th Inauguration Session of the UK Conference. I hope that the council members will take the initiative in promoting the harmonious consolidation and unification of the UK’s Korean communities.

The NUAC hosted the inaugural session and workshop held at the Dusseldorf Hotel at 5:00pm on August 17. The session was attended by over 100 people including Vice-chairperson of the European Chapter Park Jong-beom, Secretary of the European Provincial Assembly Kim Bong-jae, Consul General Gwon Se-yeong, NUAC members of each region, and representatives of the local Korean community.

Chief of the Chapter Choi Wol-ah said, "As the chief of the Chapter I feel a great sense of responsibility. I believe the active participation and interest of all NUAC members constitutes the true driving force behind the unification of Korea. I'm certain that the growth of the chapter and a better future after the unification of the Korean Peninsula will be assured by their active involvement and interest."

Consul General Gwon Se-yeong said, "I hope that you will try your best to inspire enthusiasm and lay solid foundations for the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula." When a young man at the session asked, "When will Korea be unified?" he answered with the words of the Buddhist priest Beopnyun: "The mental attitude and preparedness of each person is more important than ever."

Vice-chairperson of the European Chapter Park Jong-beom also delivered a congratulatory speech at the inaugural session. Park lavished high praise on the Korean miners and nurses who were sent to Germany, and ultimately served as a cornerstone for the modernization of Korea, before congratulating the 17th Inaugural Session of the Northern European Chapter in Germany. He also asked the council members to make efforts to harmonize and consolidate the local Korean communities. Lastly, he briefed the attendees on the 16th Vice-chairperson Park Deok, and concluded his speech by saying, "I sincerely hope that the council members will do their very best in their work so we can share the joy of moving one step closer to the unification of Korea."

The African and Middle Eastern Chapters jointly held their inaugural session at 5:00pm, August 19, 2015 at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya, followed by a workshop for each of the chapters the next day. The joint inaugural session was attended by some 90 people including the council members and representatives of the local Korean communities.

Chairperson of the Africa Chapter Hwang Jae-gil and Chairperson of the Middle Eastern Chapter Park Jeong-gil each gave a speech, in which they said, "We'll play our role to the fullest in all activities aimed at the peaceful unification of Korea and the consolidation of the Korean communities, by gathering opinions and laying secure foundations for Koreans living in Africa and the Middle East.

Yu Gi-jun, Korean Councilor on Foreign Relations, gave a congratulatory speech saying, "I hope that we Koreans share the same vision and can work together towards the unification of the country, in which our NUAC members should play a pivotal role."

In response to this, the Vice-chairperson of the European Chapter said, "By having the African and Middle Eastern Chapters jointly hold the 17th Inaugural Session we will set a good example of cooperation and communication. I wish for their cooperation and growth. I'm certain they'll serve as a good example for both the council members and the Korean communities in these regions.“

• Shin Eun-suk, Director of the Council Member Activities Bureau at the Secretariat of the NUAC, submitted a report on the direction of the NUAC’s activities after the 17th Inaugural Session, in which she stressed the importance of the "internationalization of unification preparedness" before "starting to prepare for Korean unification." In the report, she also stated that the main role of various chapters of the NUAC “is to build a consensus among Koreans living abroad on policies relating to the unification of Korea and North Korea, to earn the sympathy of other countries regarding the unification of Korea, and to strengthen the resolve of Koreans living abroad to realize the unification of Korea and muster their energy.” She added that she trusted the chapters to carry out activities suitable for their region to enhance the role of Korean communities in the unification of Korea.

Gu Bon-tae, Director of the Institute for Korean Integration into Society, gave a special lecture on the roadmap and vision for the unification of Korea by explaining the current relationship between North and South Korea and the peaceful unification of the two countries.

The inaugural session was concluded with a chorus of 'Our Hope'.