When we talk about peace, it’s often seen as a distant goal, a diplomatic agreement, or a national treaty. However, for the people who are participating in the One Korea Global Campaign, a global movement dedicated to peace and reunification in the Korean Peninsula, peace is much more intimate and is a way of thinking, relating, and living.

Global Peace Foundation spoke with young participants across continents and countries who engaged with the One Korea Global Campaign’s activities—from marches to dialogues and cultural exchanges. We discovered that peace is not merely a topic of discussion. It’s something they live, struggle with, and aspire to every day. It’s the effort to listen, to stay curious in the face of difference, and to hold space for pain that isn’t your own.

Dr. Edwin Feulner (center) at the 2024 Korean Dream Grand March for Korea United at the DMZ in South Korea.

Naomi, who traveled from the U.S. for the Korean Dream Grand March for Korea United 2024 held at the DMZ, was struck by the real stories of North Korean escapees. Their courage made the idea of peace immediate and deeply human. “Peace means being understood and feeling comfortable to express who I am and being around people who care about me,” she said. “It’s an ongoing process. It’s not easy. I think I make mistakes a lot with how to understand people and pushing my own on how I think people should want to feel or understand, instead of actually just listening, and I think it’s really important to just listen.”

In her, we saw a truth reflected across many voices involved in the campaign: peace starts with the most basic of things: how we listen, respect, and care.

For Naomi, peace isn’t a theory, but a simple daily discipline. She reflected on how difficult it can be to truly understand someone else, especially when we’re conditioned to react or argue. But it’s precisely in those moments that peace becomes a choice, not just a state.

Brazil volunteers gather support for the One Korea Global Campaign.

That same insight came from Sanoat from Tajikistan, who came to Korea to study sustainable development. For her, peace is not found in political negotiations, but in the basic dignity of daily life. “Peace means a peaceful house, food to eat, and a peaceful mind and body, where I am not threatened for my life,” she shared.

Sanoat, like many others in the One Korea Campaign, resonated deeply with the idea of One Family Under God, a central message of the Korean Dream promoted through the campaign’s outreach. “No matter the background, just being kind and respectful to each other and spreading love can do more than we imagine,” she said.

For her, peace isn’t abstract; it’s physical, emotional, and spiritual safety. And it begins with small acts of love, respect, and care.

Wonmoon, a half-Korean, half-Japanese youth born in the U.S., echoed this sense of peace as community and service. During the pandemic, she did her own peacebuilding project called “Peace Creator,” where she and the project’s participants talked about peace and made videos based on what peace means personally in everyday life. In her project, she also talked about creating peace with people and contributing to peace on the Korean peninsula.

“When we think about peace, it could be very vague, but I think peace is in our daily life; like hanging out with friends, spending time with family, and really caring about others, like loving your community.”

Wonmoon saw peace not as an abstract ideal but as the moments we create through caring for each other. As an active advocate for the Korean Dream, she hopes it will revive the ancient spirit of Hongik Ingan, i.e., living for the benefit of all humanity, and inspire others to carry this spirit forward, something she feels is fading out in the current modern Korean society.

Risa Perea from the United States is an advocate for the One Korea Global Campaign.

Risa, a member of the Korean Dream Crew from the U.S., found peace through connection and cultural understanding. Living in Korea, she made a point of learning about Korean culture and history. When she asked her Korean friends about Han, a uniquely Korean concept of resilient endurance, she discovered how deeply values like perseverance and internal reflection shape everyday life.

For Risa, peace is a state where people can be their fullest selves, creative, generous, and free. She recalled a summit where experts discussed Germany’s reunification and how, even decades later, healing took ongoing work.

Risa adds, “Peace isn’t just the absence of violence or conflict, but I think it’s a state where people can come to their full potential. They can feel free to be able to be creative, to be giving, and reach a higher state than what they currently are.”

Risa believes Korean reunification is not only a regional hope but a global inspiration, showing how divided communities can dream of healing and unity. She adds, “Reunification can be a model.” As a citizen of the United States, Risa says she takes the issue as part of her “duty and identity” to be able to promote peace and freedom.

These conversations from the One Korea Global Campaign remind us that peace is deeply personal and never solitary. It begins with listening, empathy, and kindness and grows when shared across cultures, borders, and generations.

As these young voices from the One Korea Global Campaign remind us, peace is in everyday lives. Their journeys inspire us to reflect: peace is less a distant event to wait for and more a daily choice to practice; in how we listen, how we care, and how we believe in a future united by understanding. For the One Korea Global Campaign, peace is not just about politics or history; it’s about the small, daily acts that connect us as human beings. Whether it’s choosing to listen without judgment, reaching out to a neighbor, or embracing the shared hopes of those divided by borders, peace begins with each of us.

As we reflect on the stories and voices of these young changemakers, we are reminded that the dream of a unified Korea is also a universal dream, a vision for a world where compassion overcomes division and understanding replaces fear.

Let us carry forward their example by practicing peace in our own communities, by honoring the dignity of every person, and by believing in a future where no one is left unheard or unloved. Because peace is personal, and it is possible, starting today. Just as the One Korea Global Campaign inspires us to believe and act.