Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Global Peace Foundation head urges Korea to revive unification dream for Gen Z
Global Peace Foundation Founder and Chairman Hyun Jin Preston Moon gives the keynote address for the Korean Dream Hangang Grand Festival at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul, Aug. 15. Courtesy of Global Peace Foundation
By Jhoo Dong-chan
'Unification is going to be your salvation'
The song “Our Wish” was regarded as a sort of “national anthem” by some members of the public for decades. Sung by Cho Young-nam, an influential pop artist, it was used in the ending credits of KBS’ reality show “Searching for Separated Families” in 1983.
With its lyrics, “Our wish is unification, our dream is also our wish for unity,” the song symbolized the desire of Koreans to see the unification of the two countries.
That sentiment has drastically shifted, especially among younger generations, since the economic gap between North and South Korea started widening, particularly in the 1990s.
According to a 2024 survey collected by the Korea Institute for National Unification, only 52.9 percent of respondents stated that unification is necessary. It was the lowest figure in 10 years, demonstrating an overall decline in public support for unification.
The government-funded think tank also reported in the survey that people born after 1991 are the least supportive of unification.
Global Peace Foundation Founder and Chairman Hyun Jin Preston Moon expressed his concern over Gen Z’s mounting indifference towards the two Koreas’ unification during a preliminary roundtable conference event for the Korean Dream Hangang Grand Festival that took place on Liberation Day.
“I don’t know why young Korean people aren’t excited about this,” Moon said during the roundtable conference at Fairmont Ambassador hotel in Seoul, Aug. 15.
“Because if you look at the job market here in Korea, there’s really not that much prospect. Imagine if unification happens, then the land is free. And if you have talents and if you are willing to take a risk, start your own business there. You will have tremendous opportunity if you are entrepreneurial.”
Exaggerated fear
To Korea’s younger generations, who are caught in the crossfire of unemployment and inflation, catchphrases such as “unification bonanza” may sound tone-deaf, since they understand they will be the ones to pay the bill if the two Koreas unify in the future.
The son of the Unification Church’s founder claimed their fear has been exaggerated since most of the calculations for unification expenses are outdated.
“They all came from a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) study that was done shortly after German unification. That was more than 30 years ago,” he said.
“They looked at the German model to extrapolate all the things that they did there and estimated what the cost would be. And the assumption was that South Korea is going to pay for everything.”
Moon said all of these assumptions are flawed.
“We have the hindsight of 30 years of experience as well as all the mistakes made in German unification, and we have no intent of repeating the same mistake,” Moon said. “(The study) actually pushed this nonsense. That study has no relevance to what communication can be.”
He then claimed the expense could be much less than they had anticipated.
“The international financial community can also chime in. Because the cost of unification will actually be also be funded by private sources, meaning international finance. (Think about) the U.S. who spends billions of dollars basically just maintaining their bases here in South Korea as well as building the military infrastructure basically for the security of this region because of North Korea,” Moon added.
“These costs that American taxpayers have already been paying for, even though maybe not all of it, but a lot of it can be then diverted for investment and also development of the two Koreas. So the possibility or the assumption that the South Korean people, especially young people would be paying for all the expenses is ludicrous. It’s stupid. It’s not gonna happen that way.”
Moon also suggested that unification could bring about a change in Korea’s economic growth model.
“Of course, you need exports, but you also need robust domestic economy. Unification is actually the way to immediately fix it. Because you can have an influx of additional 25 million Koreans who speak the language and have the same culture,” Moon claimed.
Former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan gives the welcoming remarks for the Korean Dream Hangang Grand Festival at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul, Aug. 15. He also chairs the organizing committee for the event. Courtesy of Global Peace Foundation
Most consequential US president
He then called for a change in Korean media’s general viewpoint as well.
“U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration are actually bringing about conservatism around the world. (Trump) is probably the most consequential president. Now, the American public no longer reads the New York Times, the LA Times, the Washington Post, and they no longer watch CNN, they no longer watch MSNBC,” he argued.
“That’s why Fox News is the most successful cable channel in the U.S. today. That’s why mostly these YouTube channels, bloggers now are more influential than any media entity while Americans are completely suspicious about mainstream media. Korea’s media completely adopts everything from mainstream media. So when you get all the information here about America, you get completely wrong.”
Moon also praised Trump’s economic policies as not only successfully representing the Republican Party’s traditional support base like big businesses and Wall Street, but also speaking to issues that concern "main street America."
“There is a tremendous swing to the Republican Party from the Democratic. It’s significant what he has achieved during the first six months of his second term,” he said. “Being completely objective, he is the most consequential president of the U.S. in my lifetime. He’s on that level.”
He highlighted his proposal for the government’s future North Korea policy.
“I say you need to get rid of the Ministry of Unification. You need an independent non-governmental body that’s an advisory for any administration, whether right or left,” he suggested.
“I also encourage them to adopt the GPF’s Korean Dream vision. The Korea Dream should be included in compulsory education curriculum for young people so you can dispel all the stupidity that exists among the young people. And once the young people move, all the politicians will follow.”
According to the GPF, the Korean Dream refers to the organization’s vision for peaceful unification. Unlike past efforts focusing mostly on methodology of how to unify, the vision aims to draw a picture of how a unified Korean Peninsula can bring hope for all humanity.
Citizens wave national flags while watching a performance during the Korean Dream Hangang Grand Festival at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul, Aug. 15. Courtesy of Global Peace Foundation
Korean Dream Hangang Grand Festival
Moon reiterated the importance of the GPF’s Korean Dream vision during the Korean Dream Hangang Grand Festival held on Liberation Day evening at Ttukseom Hangang Park.
Celebrating the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, the event was chaired by former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, with co-chairs Chung Woo-taik and Lee Jong-kul, under the theme of “Beyond the Miracle of Han River: Toward National Unity and Korean Unification.”
The GPF said the event attracted more than 30,000 citizens.
Ahead of the festival, the event committee’s “Together We Can” fundraising campaign drew 1,697 participants, raising more than 654 million won ($470,500), highlighting broad public support.
Moon defined unification as Korea’s historic mission, rooted in the founding principle of “hongik ingan” during his keynote address for the festival in front of the crowd. He once again proposed adopting the Korean Dream as a unifying vision, reforming the Ministry of Unification into a bipartisan civic advisory body and educating youth on unification values.
"Hongik ingan" refers to a principle of broadly benefiting humanity, a phrase that first appears in the Samgukyusa, a late 13th century history of the Three Kingdoms period.
The festival’s highlight was a 1,200-drone show depicting Korean symbols — from the national flag and peninsula to independence heroes — funded entirely by citizen donations.
The evening concluded with performances and a grand fireworks display.
Citizens watch a 1,200-drone show during the Korean Dream Hangang Grand Festival at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul, Aug. 15. Courtesy of Global Peace Foundation