“Today’s highly relevant forum examines the import of recent developments globally and the prospects for significant breakthroughs toward peaceful reunification through a focus on the end goal of a free and unified Korea, utilizing the innovative and comprehensive Korean Dream framework.” Mr. James Flynn, international president of the Global Peace Foundation, succinctly opened the latest International Forum on One Korea.

International President of GPF James P. Flynn.

Leaders representing Action for Korea United, the Ministry of Unification of the ROK, and the National Assembly of the ROK gave welcoming remarks at the International Forum on One Korea, “Korean Dream: Vision and Pathway towards a Free and Unified Korea,” that convened in Seoul on September 27. Some 500 participants, including 180 leaders from over 30 countries joined the historic forum in person and online where experts in policy, North Korean escapees, civil society leaders, and other visionaries for a united Korea highlighted the Korean Dream, a vision for peaceful Korean-led reunification of the peninsula that will secure human rights for the North Korean people and promote security and economic prosperity in the region.

One year ago, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met at Camp David in a trilateral alliance to “support a unified Korean peninsula that is free and at peace.” In a momentous address on August 15, 2024, President Yoon commemorated the nation’s Liberation Day with a “unification doctrine” that emphasized freedom and human rights as fundamental values necessary for a unified and peaceful nation. His stance sharply contrasts with that of Kim Jong-un, who now views the two Koreas as separate “belligerent” states and believes reunification is impossible.

The suffering of the North Korean people at the hands of the Kim regime has become a growing priority to resolve for the region and the international community.

“Human rights are not secondary to the goal of unification but are the fundamental foundation for unification,” stated Ms. Seo-hyun Lee, a North Korean escapee and member of the Global Leaders Council of the McCain Institute. “True peace and sustainable unification cannot be achieved without resolving the suffering of the North Korean people.”

Dr. Hao Su, emeritus professor at the Renmin University of China, provided insights into the cause of the division and conflict between North and South Korea. He stated that the countries’ differing political systems, which have created two opposing entities from one culturally unified nation, emerged out of the Cold War. These contrasting ideologies distorted the shared civilizational identity developed over centuries. Dr. Su stated that to achieve peaceful reunification it is essential to move beyond the politicization of civilization, fostering cultural understanding and a renewed focus on shared values within the international community. He added, “North Korea’s recent policy changes will not affect China’s perception, nor will it change China’s stance of supporting the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.”

Throughout the years of negotiations—including the 4 Party Talks, the Agreed Framework, the Sunshine Policy, the Engagement Policy, and the 6 Party Talks—millions of North Koreans have suffered unimaginable horrors, many losing their lives. Dr. Suzanne Scholte, the chair of the North Korea Freedom Coalition and president of the Defense Forum Foundation, underscored the shortcomings of policies while stating that it was the failure to make human rights the central focus that has led to continued suffering on the peninsula. She urgently declared that reunification must happen by May 2027 saying, “We feel this great sense of urgency because of the escalating threats of Kim Jong Un, the increasingly draconian measures he is taking to try to maintain power, and the recent executions of DPRK officials, women who were repatriated by China and teenagers who listened to South Korean content.” She further stated, “We must communicate to the people in power in Pyongyang they have friends and allies in Korea and America who have only one desire for them: to share with them the benefits of a free people, to give them a life of hope instead of despair.”

Ambassador Robert Joseph, a senior scholar for the National Institute for Public Policy and former undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, reinforced Dr. Scholte’s stance on a human rights-first approach. “For thirty years, our North Korea policy has sacrificed human rights for the sake of addressing nuclear weapons,” said Amb. Joseph. “Both the North Korean nuclear and missile programs have thrived. Sidelining human rights to appease the North Korean regime is not the answer, but a fundamental flaw in policy. Our task is to turn this record of failure into success.” He outlined three major strategic propositions:

1. A fundamental shift in policy toward North Korea is essential to meet the United States’ (and other foreign nations) national security requirements.
2. The Kim regime’s greatest vulnerability is from within, from the alienation of its own people who suffer under totalitarian repression.
3. Our strategy, in collaboration with allies, particularly South Korea, necessitates the integration of all statecraft tools, including diplomacy, economic sanctions, financial measures, strong defense, and information and intelligence efforts to empower the North Korean people and counter the regime’s actions internationally.

Former Prime Minister of Mongolia, H.E. Rinchinnyam Amarjargal.

The former Prime Minister of Mongolia, H.E. Rinchinnyam Amarjargal, emphasized the role of the international community, stating that tackling the complex issue of Korean reunification will require collaboration and innovation like the solutions proposed by leaders and experts present at the forum. He encouraged that a united Korea would bring prosperity to the people, giving freedom and new opportunities that would economically benefit the entire region.

Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute, made two key points on the economics of reunification. Firstly, while the economic reconstruction of North Korea would be immense, the project can pay for itself with a high return on investment. Secondly, South Korea and the global community are now wealthier and more productive than ever, making them better equipped to mobilize the significant capital and expertise needed for a successful reunification of Korea.

Keynote Speaker Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon, founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation, declared 2024 as a prominent inflection point in Korean history, pointing to the strength of the Korean people when they tap into their shared identity and thousands of years of shared history rooted in the ideal of Hongik Ingan, living for the benefit of mankind.

Dr. Hyun Jin P. Moon, founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.

“I go back to Korean history to remind the Korean people of who we are, what our providential mandate and destiny is. And that if we can rekindle that innate DNA within every single one of us, rooted in the Hongik Ingan ideal—that was the genesis of our history, our national character, our culture, our language, our national identity—then we can bring all the disparate factions of Korea together.”

Dr. Moon identified vision and spirituality as the primary foundation for a reunified Korea. “Foundational and fundamental to any grassroots movement is a vision,” explained Dr. Moon. “It’s a vision, a dream that can capture the imagination of every Korean to the point where they want to become the owner of that dream.”

As One Family under God, humankind shares a common origin and a clear basis for human rights. “Without the idea of God’s sovereignty, there are no human rights. There are no freedoms.”

Concurrent sessions throughout the forum featured further in-depth discussions on how a free and unified Korea will become a permanent solution to the nuclear and security crisis on the Korean peninsula and a path to lasting peace in the Northeast Asia region. Esteemed panelists examined the supporting role the international community plays in achieving a peacefully unified Korea, strategies for promoting human rights, and economic opportunities a united Korea will provide in key sectors such as infrastructure, technology, and natural resources.

In his remarks, panelist Col. David Maxwell, a senior fellow at Global Peace Foundation and vice president for the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, advocated for a comprehensive information campaign saying, “We must show the North Korean people that their suffering is not inevitable—it is the result of Kim Jong-un’s failed policies. By shining a light on the atrocities committed by the regime and offering a vision of a better future, we can inspire the people of North Korea to demand change from within.”

North Korean escapee Mr. Hyun-seung Lee is a lead program strategist for North Korea Initiatives at the Global Peace Foundation. On the panel “Economic Case for a Free and Unified Korea,” he shared his outline for a unified Korea’s financial system after reunification. His framework included the key stages of setting up a basic financial system, educating the population, and bringing a new unified Korea into the global economy.

The International Forum on One Korea was organized in conjunction with the 2024 Korean Dream Grand March for Korea United 2024, a massive celebration of Korea’s National Foundation Day on September 28, following the forum near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at Imjingak Peace Park. The festival mobilized civil society activists and leaders from the Korean peninsula and the global Korean diaspora in Seoul and other cities leading to a global campaign of 10 million activists supporting unification in 2025.

The International Forum on One Korea was convened by the Global Peace Foundation, Action for Korea United, and One Korea Foundation in partnership with the AKU Professors Association, Alliance for Korea United USA, Blue Banner, Global Peace Institute, and with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Unification.