The Jeonnam Chapter of the Democratic Peaceful Unification Advisory Council Hosts the 'National Youth Peaceful Unification Rap Contest' in Mokpo

A Total of 14 Teams Participate, Kim Young-chae Wins Grand Prize... Expanding Youth Consensus on Peaceful Unification

[Mokpo=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Jeong Seunghyun] The 5th National Youth Peaceful Unification Rap Contest held on the 22nd in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, concluded successfully.

The event was hosted by the Jeonnam Regional Council of the National Unification Advisory Council, an advisory body directly under the President, and organized by the Jeonnam Youth Committee of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council regional meeting.

According to officials from the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council regional meeting on the 24th, this contest was prepared to express the theme of unification as a cultural value using rap, a form of hip-hop, by youths aged 14 to 25, and to foster positive awareness and consensus on unification among the younger generation.

Park Jinwan, Chair of the Jeonnam Youth Committee of the National Unification Advisory Council, said in his opening remarks, “The Peaceful Unification Rap Contest, now in its 5th year, is the only event of its kind nationwide. It is meaningful in promoting smooth access to and understanding of peaceful unification issues through rap, which is easily accessible to youths, and in encouraging continuous interest from advisory members.” He added, “I hope the spread of consensus on peaceful unification among youths and the heartfelt wishes for peace gathered here will lead to the establishment of peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

Following this, Jo Okhee, Chair of Jeonnam Provincial Assembly, said in her congratulatory speech, “All 14 participating teams who created many happy memories today are winners, and we will prepare diligently from now on to expand the number of awardees next year and make this the best contest.” She pledged, “I hope the role of youths will grow further for sustainable peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula, and we will strive to create more substantial and better events.”

Notably, this contest attracted many participants in the online video preliminaries with themes such as peace, unification, future, and the new Korean Peninsula we create. Among 64 teams in the preliminary judging, 14 teams nationwide advanced to the finals and competed offline.

For fair judging, JYP rap trainer Sul Jaei, rapper Yoboi from High School Rapper 4, and Park Jinwan, Chair of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council regional youth committee, directly observed the contest. They evaluated suitability, creativity, stage manners, and awarded six categories including the Chairperson’s Grand Prize.

The President’s Award, the Chairperson’s Award of the National Unification Advisory Council, was given as follows: Grand Prize to Youngchae (Kim Youngchae), Excellence Award to Child-Run (Kim Sumin, Lim Jimin), Merit Award to Purple (Park Seungjun), Popularity Award to Hong Junwoo, Performance Award to Hashtagyu (Kwon Taegyu), and Encouragement Award to Kim Mujin.

Kim Youngchae, who won the Grand Prize, said, “While writing lyrics about unification, I wondered why unification is necessary, and then realized it’s not about why it should be done, but that it’s right because we were originally one.” He added, “All participating teams performed excellently. Everyone worked hard, and I feel lucky to have received a great reward, so I am happy and grateful.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Jeong Seunghyun gabrielw@asiae.co.kr

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