More than a gathering around an idea, the 2026 Korean Dream Hangang Festival turned the Han River into a public space for citizens to experience the hope of reunification together.

Families, young people, performers, and civic groups filled Ttukseom Hangang Park with music, cultural activities, and shared expressions of hope, culminating in the “Light of Unification” fireworks over the river. The festival brought reunification into a setting where ordinary citizens could see, hear, and take part in the vision themselves.

Sports Chosun’s Min Chang-ki captures the scale, energy, and public spirit of the gathering.

The following is an excerpt from the article:

Some 30,000 citizens came together as one while reflecting on the meaning of unification.

 

The 2026 Korean Dream Hangang Festival, themed “Beyond the Miracle on the Han River, Toward Peace and Unification,” was held on the 3rd at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul. 

 

The event was attended by 140 experts on the Korean Peninsula from 22 countries who had participated in the International Forum on One Korea, other leaders from various sectors in Korea and abroad, and more than 30,000 citizens.

 

In his keynote address, Hyun Jin Preston Moon emphasized, “Unification is not a task for the government alone; it is a historic mission that all citizens must realize with a sense of ownership.” He added, “A unified Korea should become a country where the people of North and South Korea live together and that contributes to peace and prosperity around the world.”

Read the full article on Sports Chosun