Gwangju Namgu Residents Embroider Peace and Unification Candlelight Vigil

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Forty-two residents of Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, have transformed into citizen unification instructors, taking on the role of laying the groundwork for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the revitalization of inter-Korean exchanges.

This marks a new opportunity to sow the seeds of unification in the Nam-gu community, a fruit of citizen education toward peace and unification that has been a key focus since the 7th local government administration.

According to Nam-gu (District Mayor Kim Byung-nae) on the 20th, the completion ceremony for the 1st Nam-gu Peace Docent Training Course was recently held in the large conference room on the 8th floor of the district office.

Forty-two residents received certificates of completion. They sweated through about 90 days starting from April 26, completing basic education on inter-Korean relations necessary for citizen unification instructor activities, as well as intensive training programs conducted by specialized educational institutions.

In particular, they actively engaged in activities to ensure they were well-prepared as guides for peace and unification, including field visits to the Gwangju Unification Hall?the only unification education institution and experiential learning center in the Honam region?and acquiring a humanities-based perspective on inter-Korean relations.

At the completion ceremony, they pledged to approach the new history toward peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula?a dream we have all shared but have yet to achieve?with an extraordinary attitude.

The first steps taken by these citizen unification instructors are directed toward the local community.

This is because they judged that restoring the long-disrupted inter-Korean relations and moving toward a peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula requires building a solid foundation, such as forming a consensus among community members.

First, to create a unification consensus at the most basic level and in the easiest way, they plan to penetrate into local children's centers, youth groups, and various resident gatherings within the district.

Citizen unification instructor Park Hye-kyung said, “It’s not just the roads between the North and South that have been blocked, but our hearts have also been closed and blocked for too long. As a unification instructor, I will work hard to light candles of peace and unification throughout the Nam-gu community.”

In response, Mayor Kim said, “As far as I know, Nam-gu is the first local government in the country to train residents as unification instructors. Your activities will become a national standard, so I earnestly ask you to take pride and become messengers of peace and unification.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.