Held on Korea’s National Foundation Day, the 2026 Korean Dream Hangang Festival framed unification as a national aspiration rooted in Korea’s identity and its potential contribution to the wider world.
In his report for UPI, Hyojoon Jeon captures how that vision came to life along the Han River through music, public participation, and a renewed call for citizens to take ownership of Korea’s future.
The following is an excerpt from his article:
Hyun Jin Preston Moon, founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation, said unification should mean more than the political integration of North and South Korea.
Moon emphasized that the Korean Dream should not belong only to governments or unification activists, but to the Korean people themselves.
A unified Korea, Moon said, should embody the spirit of Hongik Ingan by contributing to the wider world, opening a new future for North Koreans and renewing South Korean society.
He urged South Koreans to become owners of what he calls the “Korean Dream.”
Choong-hwan Kim, co-chairman of Action for Korea United and chairman of the festival, said South Korea had achieved democratization, industrialization and globalization, producing what became known as the “Miracle on the Han River.” The country’s next historic task, he said, should be peaceful reunification.
