Reunifying North and South Korea
North America teams went head-to-head during the regional S!NERGY competition hosted online by Youth and Students for Peace (YSP) on Jan. 22. U.S. and Canada participants presented their ideas for “Bridging the Divide Between Nations and Communities” — the competition’s theme to address the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
The U.S. team, consisting of Madoka Tsuchiya and Kengo Kawa, previously won the national championship in December with their proposal to turn the Demilitarized Zone into a peace park to unite North and South Korea. They came in first place in the recent regional round as well.
“Our mission is to build a platform for righteous professors and youth to initiate the development of a global peace park in the DMZ as a solution for resolving the conflict on the Korean Peninsula,” Tsuchiya said. “This would open the door toward peace between both nations.”
The pair won $1,000 toward implementing their idea and said their proposal was inspired by True Parents, who first announced their vision of a peace park at the United Nations headquarters in New York City in 2000.
“I have recommended that the UN open its fifth office in Korea, specifically, in the Demilitarized Zone on the 38th parallel,” True Mother said. “This will bring the issue of Korean reunification to the attention of the world’s people as no other action can.”
Tsuchiya and Kawa said a peace park in the frozen conflict zone would effect change around the world. “Korea, as a nation deeply rooted in Christianity, was prepared by God to realize peace in the world,” said Kawa. “What we’ve seen happen in the world shows that the 38th parallel was truly the frontline battle between democracy and communism... And we see democratic nations losing to this ideology with the declining Christian culture that has emerged in South Korea and elsewhere.”
Guest judge Genie Kagawa, who has carried out various projects at the UN as UPF International’s director of the executive office, said numerous partnerships would be key to bringing about success. “Partnership is important with many organizations getting together [to support a peace park],” she said. “The idea to have partnerships between professors and students is also great because this really pins down the internal part of a value-centered approach, which will automatically be effective with changing society from within.”
However, Kagawa noted that pushing the idea of a peace park through the political sphere could prove more challenging. Guest judge Dr. Seung-ho Lee, president of The DMZ Forum, also agreed. An expert in environmental management and a former senior researcher and adjunct professor at New York University’s Graduate School of Public Service, Dr. Lee said the U.S. controls part of the DMZ and noted its “strong presence in the territory.”
“The U.S. government’s role is very important,” he said. “Reunifying Korea would also mean you have to influence or persuade U.S. politicians.”
But Antonio San Juan, a third guest judge and current political and media relations advisor in Canada, said reuniting the Korean Peninsula is unnecessary altogether. He cited a 2017 report in which most young South Koreans who were surveyed opposed the idea.
Still, Francois Lacroix, who came in second place and represented Canada, said Korean unification is imminent — much like the fall of the Berlin Wall that reunited Germany. “This is less about promoting reunification than it is about preparing for it,” he said, as he presented his idea of networking across college and university campuses in Canada.
“The United Church of Canada is very involved with Korean reunification and they have an online campaign supporting it,” said Lacroix. “I want to sponsor their experts to come to university campuses where I have contacts and become a link for broader outreach.”
The judges applauded the vision of both teams before submitting their vote alongside an online audience.
“Congratulations to both teams for their great ideas,” said YSP USA President Rev. Miilhan Stephans. “We have a special role to play with peace on the Korean Peninsula. This conflict is complex, but that’s why it’s so important that our young people think outside the box. That is the only way we can truly address these issues.”
Tsuchiya and Kawa will advance to the final global round of the S!NERGY competition in February.
You can watch the full regional S!NERGY competition here, and learn more about the event here.
