Youth from 34 countries launch One Korea alliance in Seoul
· UPIAug. 14 (UPI) -- About 200 young people representing 34 countries gathered in Seoul on Wednesday to launch an international network supporting peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula, hours after North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea.
At the 2026 One Korea Youth Forum, South Koreans, North Korean defectors, ethnic Koreans from the former Soviet Union and young people from overseas formally launched Youth Solidarity for One Korea.
Youth groups including the Korean Dream Crew, the youth group of the Korean Association of Koryo-saram, MuiPansapan and Studec International read the One Korea Youth Declaration, pledging to build an international youth network for peace and reunification based on the Korean ideal of Hongik Ingan, broadly meaning benefiting all humanity, and the values of liberal democracy.
Namsik Yoo, director of youth programs at Alliance for Korea United USA, said young people respond more strongly to hope than cynicism and will organize, create and act when given a vision they can understand, believe in and lead.
Yoo said Korean reunification should not be viewed as something distant or impossible but as "a future young people can imagine and create themselves."
Young-soon Jung, president of the Korean Association of Koryo-saram, said the division of the Korean Peninsula was not merely a political issue but "a family history that continues today." She said One Korea could begin when young people from different backgrounds listen to and understand one another's histories.
During a Peace Innovation Challenge, 20 youth teams proposed projects tied to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. The top award went to a plan to turn the Demilitarized Zone into a national park after reunification and seek UNESCO World Heritage status.
The forum was hosted by Global Peace Foundation Korea, a nonprofit foundation registered with South Korea's Unification Ministry. It was jointly organized by GPY Korea, Korean Dream Crew, MuiPansapan, the youth group of the Korean Association of Koryo-saram, Alliance for Korea United USA and Studec International, with Global Goals Youth and Loglo participating as partner organizations.
The forum concluded with participants carrying flags from their countries alongside the South Korean flag and declaring, "We Stand for One Korea."