President Ahn Junhee: "Fostering Patriotism and Strengthening Interest and Commitment to Unification"
[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The Korean National Unification Women’s Association (President An Jun-hee) held a “Patriotic and Unification Poetry Recitation and Peace Tour with Citizens.”
This event was organized to commemorate the Month of Patriots and Veterans by reciting poems on patriotism and unification, inheriting the patriotic spirit of the fallen heroes, raising awareness of peace and unification, and actively practicing love for the country.
The 7th Patriotic and Unification Poetry Recitation, held on the morning of June 19 at Eoullim Tteuranchae in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, was attended by guests including Han Geum-seok, former chairman of the Gangwon Provincial Council; Park Nam-jin, vice chairman of the Cheorwon County Council; Jang Yong, vice chairman of the DMZ Peace and Unification Movement Headquarters; as well as members of the Korean National Unification Women’s Association from Seoul, Gyeonggi, Chungnam, and Gangwon regions, and about 40 citizens.
The event began at 10 a.m. with the “Founding Ceremony of the Cheorwon County Branch of the Korean National Unification Women’s Association,” followed by the poetry recitation hosted by Lim Young-hee, secretary general of the Cheorwon branch. Unlike previous years, the event was held not in the city but in Cheorwon, a border area adjacent to North Korea, making its significance greater as nine participants recited patriotic and unification poems, uniting all attendees in one heart to strengthen their will to love the country and work toward unification.
The poetry recitation featured the following participants: ▲Kim Yong-bong (Love for the Country: Seoul) ▲Kim Myung-sook (Embracing DMZ Ecological Peace: Cheorwon) ▲Lee Geum-soon (Unification, Our Wish is Unification: Seoul) ▲Myung Geum-ja (The River That Does Not Return: Chungnam) ▲Kim Kyung-soon (Green Peace Under That Sky: Seoul) ▲Yoon Hye-kyung (To Paju: Seoul) ▲Lee Young-hee (Times of the Wind: Seoul) ▲Lim Young-hee (It Is Just the Beginning: Cheorwon) ▲Eom Kyung-hye (When Will I Go Again, My Longed-for Hometown: Paju). Each conveyed heartfelt emotions filled with hopes for patriotism and unification through their individual cries.
Following the morning poetry recitation, the Korean National Unification Women’s Association visited Baengmagoji, the Labor Party Headquarters, and the DMZ Ecological Peace Park in the Cheorwon area from 1 p.m., where they listened to explanations from professional guides about the historical significance and value of these sites, deeply empathizing with the importance and necessity of peace and unification between North and South Korea. They also distributed masks prepared by the central association to local citizens to prevent COVID-19, appealing for interest and participation in unification.
Defectors Masun-hee and Eom Kyung-hye, looking toward North Korea from the Cheorwon DMZ Peace Trail, expressed their sorrow, saying, “It is so heartbreaking that our hometown is right in front of us, but we cannot go.” They voiced their wish that “peaceful unification will be achieved soon so that we can freely travel to our hometown and meet relatives, and nothing more would be desired.”
President An Jun-hee said, “Despite the COVID-19 situation, I thank everyone who participated in this event with a heart longing for love of the country and unification.” She added, “I especially deeply appreciate the efforts of Kang Woon-ja, president of the Cheorwon County branch, and the executives who worked hard for this poetry recitation and peace tour.”
She continued, “Inter-Korean exchanges are currently suspended, and there is no optimistic prospect yet. The prolonged division has caused the desire for unification to fade, which is regrettable. The government, unification organizations, all sectors, and citizens must find their roles and take action for unification from their respective positions.”
Kang Woon-ja, president of the Cheorwon County branch, said, “I am very pleased to hold this meaningful event in Cheorwon,” and expressed her determination, “Along with centralization, the Cheorwon County branch will do its best to play a significant role in peace and unification.”
The Korean National Unification Women’s Association is a purely civilian unification organization established in 1989 with the purpose of uniting women’s will for unification, providing national education and publicity on the necessity of unification, and contributing to achieving the long-cherished national task of unification, excluding political interests. Currently, it has 17 city and provincial councils nationwide, over 90 city, county, and district branches, and 19 overseas councils. It conducts various projects and activities to restore Korean ethnic homogeneity and prepare for unification, including the National Unification Speech Contest, Patriotic and Unification Poetry Recitations, North Korea Awareness Debates, Security Site Visits, and Unification Forums.
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