NUAC holds meeting of 19th overseas assemblies 

The NUAC held the meeting of the 19th overseas regional assemblies on October 29 and 30 at the Grand Walker Hill Hotel in Seoul in an online and offline format. The 19th Overseas Assembly meetings were held on four occasions, covering 3,600 members from the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Japan/Asia-Pacific and China.

The 19th Overseas Assembly meetings were held both online and offline, in a departure from the past in which assembly members were invited home, due to the spread of COVID-19. It was the first time that regional conferences of the NUAC were held online and offline. The event headquarters was set up in Korea, which was connected via video conferencing with overseas chapters and branches. Those who did not assemble at overseas bases participated in the meeting by getting on the videoconferencing system.

The first part of the meetings had the reading of a message from President Moon Jae-in who chairs the NUAC. In the message, Moon said that nuclear-free Korean Peninsula is a core value and vision and that the road to it should be taken by any means. The declaration of the end of the war will be an important milestone on the road, Moon said, asking council members to come together on the road toward a “life and safety community” and “the declaration of the end of the war.”

The president’s address was followed by a keynote speech (video) by Executive Vice-chair Jeong Se Hyun. Jeong emphasized that the declaration of the end of the war is necessary for bringing North Korea to denuclearization negotiations with the U.S. The process of concluding a peace treaty on the Korean Peninsula through the declaration of the end of the war and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will be carried out simultaneously on a two-track basis, he said. 

Secretary General Lee Seung Hwan made a business report (video) under the theme of "The Achievements and Tasks of the First Year of the 19th NUAC." The secretary general reported on the council’s activities and presented the following as its future tasks: △provide more applicable and timely advice, △foster consensus on and support for peaceful unification in daily lives, △strengthen the role of women and young members, △actively promote grassroots peace public diplomacy activities, △continue activities to support hosting the 2032 Seoul-Pyongyang Joint Olympics, △promote peace and economy in the border area by developing the DMZ international peace zone, △facilitate reactivation of the Korean Peninsula Peace Process through a campaign for declaring the end of the war, and △using COVID-19 to tackle the strain in inter-Korean relations. 

Next came a report from each regional assembly. Each of the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Japan/Asia-Pacific and China assemblies reported mainly on projects they have implemented since the start of the 19th NUAC. As offline programs faced difficulties due to COVID-19, various online activities, including discussions and lectures, were carried out in various parts of the world. The fact that the NUAC’s overseas organizations laid the foundation for peace public diplomacy through quarantine support to the local communities was cited as an achievement of the 19th NUAC.

After the report, Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho made a policy presentation (video) under the theme of "The Situation on the Korean Peninsula and How to Promote Inter-Korean Relations." Suh said that in promoting inter-Korean relations, the government will have three horse blocks -- △revival of inter-Korean dialogue, △resumption of humanitarian exchanges and cooperation, and △implementation of inter-Korean agreements – and gradually improve sustainable inter-Korean relations and open an era of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula.

<Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho / Kim Joon Hyung, Commissioner of Korea National Diplomatic Academy> 

Kim Joon Hyung, commissioner of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, made a presentation on the policy of the Foreign Ministry. He said that the key to the peace process on the Korean Peninsula is that South Korea lead the efforts to have North Korea and the U.S. make peace and the confrontation between the U.S. and China does not escalate on the Korean Peninsula. He asked the council members to pursue diversification of diplomacy and take the lead in people’s diplomacy. 

Next came a session for council members’ policy proposals. Each regional assembly proposed practical policies tailored to the region. The Americas Assembly proposed policies on ways to △carry out peace public diplomacy for the declaration of the end of the war on the Korean Peninsula, △enhance support for peace among overseas young Koreans, and △strengthen the capacity of young and women members and bolster their activities. The Europe/Middle East/Africa Assembly proposed △policies on how to foster support for peace on the Korean Peninsula from the region, △promote online activities of overseas local chapters, △restart the peace process on the Korean Peninsula and restore trust in inter-Korean relations.

The Japan/Asia-Pacific Assembly proposed policies on △the role of a NUAC for bringing up the next generation of Korean residents in Japan, △the role of the NUAC for the harmony of Korean-Japanese communities, △ways to foster public opinion on peace on the Korean Peninsula, and △ways to foster consensus on peace among overseas young Koreans. Lastly, the China Assembly proposed △policies on how to bolster activities of overseas youth committee members, △how to beef up overseas activities of the NUAC, and △public diplomacy activities for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

As the last order of the overseas assembly meetings, the participants adopted a resolution on the declaration of the end of the war on the Korean Peninsula. In the resolution, the overseas NUAC members demonstrated their determination to publicize a new Korean Peninsula on which war vanished and make it a locomotive for regional peace and global economic revival.