Peace Summit 2023 Kicks Off Korea Events

Several major events are underway in Korea this week under the leadership of True Mother, including Peace Summit 2023: Toward A World Culture of Peace; Think Tank 2022 sessions; dedication ceremonies for the Cheon Won Gung, HJ Botanical Garden, and HJ Cruise and Marina; and the HJ Cheonbo Great Works program, as well as True Mother’s 80th birthday celebration and the 2023 Hyojeong Cosmic Blessing Festival.
Global leaders are currently in Seoul for the peace summit — organized by the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) at the Jamsil Lotte Hotel from May 2 through 6 — to discuss modern challenges to global well-being and ways to advance a world culture of peace.

“We stand at a critical juncture in history, with rising threats to peace emerging across the globe,” stated Dr. Thomas G. Walsh, chairman of UPF International, in a recent press release for the event. “Our awareness of this unstable context underscores the importance of our work during Peace Summit 2023.”
Delegations from more than 150 countries, including government, business, and faith leaders, have joined cross-industry experts and academics to examine prospects for greater regional cooperation and increased efforts toward peacebuilding. Think Tank 2022, a key project of UPF, focuses on bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula, East Asia, and the Indo-Pacific Rim Region — a principal goal of True Parents, UPF’s co-founders, to bring about lasting peace in other parts of the world.
These different events, live-streamed from Korea and accessible simultaneously in time zones around the world and in multiple languages, emphasize the importance of actively engaging global leaders and everyday citizens. A highlight of this year’s peace summit is the inauguration of a new initiative called the International Elders Roundtable. This global project is designed to capture the wisdom and experience of elders to establish peace and stability in the society and nation.

“Youth and adults have vision and enthusiasm, but elders provide a path by their experience and knowledge,” said H.E. Maithripala Sirisena, former president of Sri Lanka, who was at planning meetings for the elders initiative. “Hence, for there to be eternal peace and prosperity, there must be cooperation between elders, adults, and youth in our society.”
Other upcoming highlights are the peace summit’s Sunhak Peace Prize, as well as the dedication ceremonies of the new HJ Botanical Garden, HJ Cruise and Marina, and the Cheon Won Gung building — a huge multimedia exhibit hall and temple intended to be “a homeland for the world and hometown of the heart for all people,” True Father said in 1997.

The week’s events will culminate with the 2023 Hyojeong Cosmic Blessing, a victory celebration, and the International Association of Youth and Students for Peace (IAYSP) Assembly.

You can watch all the live-streamed events in Korea here.