Tae Yong-ho, the secretary general of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, speaks during a press conference held at his office in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council

The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC) will invite members of its Municipal Chapter in America to Seoul to reach a global consensus on South Korea’s new unification policy.

President Yoon Suk Yeol introduced the 8.15 Unification Doctrine during his Liberation Day speech and pledged to make 2024 the “founding year for advancing toward a unified Korea based on freedom, peace and prosperity.”

About 740 members of the PUAC’s Municipal Chapter in America will visit Seoul from Monday to Thursday to share the government’s vision and spread discourse on the new unification doctrine.

The PUAC will hold a separate event attended by members of its municipal chapters in Japan, China, Asia-Pacific as well as Europe, Middle East and Africa in December.

Kim Kwan-yong, executive vice-chairperson of the PUAC, said the new unification discourse should reflect the changed circumstances of the times and embody constitutional values.

“The PUAC is tasked with putting unification policy into action based on strong theory. We face challenges, including internal division in the decision-making process, but we all share the thought that unification is our future,” Kim said in a press conference held in Seoul on Wednesday. “We aim to gather thoughts of 22,000 council members from all around the world and reflect their opinions in implementing the policy.”

The PUAC launched a mentoring program to support successful settlement of North Korean defectors. It will provide tailored mentoring experience to North Korean defectors in various sectors ranging from livestock to entertainment industries.

Tae Yong-ho, the secretary general of the PUAC, said he will also focus on promoting unification activities that encourage participation of younger generations.

Acknowledging that a declining number of South Koreans support the idea of reunification with North Korea, Tae said the PUAC will invest its energy to persuade them of its necessity.

“I’m aware that South Koreans, especially young adults, worry about the burden of unification cost. In fact, an economic research institute in North Korea said the difference in economic performance between the South and the North was about 120 to 1. The North Korean regime used this economic gap to tell its residents that if unification occurs, they will become slaves of the South Korean capital,” Tae said.

“However, North Korea is bordered by China and Russia to the north, which could bring many economic gains to the Korean Peninsula. North Korea can provide a workforce for the manufacturing sector that is experiencing a labor shortage due to a declining birth rate. We will try to inform people about the advantages of unification from both economic and public welfare point of view and how much it can improve the lives of North Korean residents.”