Kim Ji-soo joined The Korea Times in 2006, and worked on such desks as culture and politics and is currently a member of the Editorial Board. Previous workplaces include The Korea Herald and the Korea JoongAng Daily.
Civic, grassroots efforts for Korean unification steadfast
Participants at the 2025 Capitol Forum, "The 80 years of Korean Liberation — Achieving Free and Peaceful Unified Korea through the U.S.-ROK Alliance," held at the Congressional Auditorium and Atrium in Washington, D.C. pose, Saturday. Photo by Kim Ji-soo
By Kim Ji-soo
Feeding the flames for unification of Korea through citizens' efforts
WASHINGTON — If not for the political crisis following the Dec. 3 martial law declaration, and the upcoming June 3 presidential election, the 80th anniversary of Korea's Liberation would have received much more attention than it is this year.
A forum took place here attended by experts and active citizens from the Korean-American community to discuss and share their efforts to achieve the free and peaceful unification of Korea, and the crucial role the South Korea-U.S. alliance has served in efforts to date.
Juxtaposed against the grave uncertainty over the U.S. and China’s rivalry and the growing ties between North Korea and Russia, the Saturday Capitol Forum was notable in its steadfast commitment to grassroots work for human rights in North Korea. Perhaps it was the sturdy and straight-back posture of participants who apparently were of the first- and second-generation Korean immigrants who built new lives in the United States but kept the motherland in their hearts. Or rather it was the spirit within this Korean diaspora combined with the nature of grassroots efforts that sustain the hopeful striving.
The forum was co-hosted by the Alliance for Korea United-Washington D.C., led by its president Kim Yu-sook, the Global Peace Foundation, groups and organizations actively engaged in civic efforts for unification.
“If you think about it, Korean liberation may be considered as the starting point of the division of the two Koreas,” said Seo In-teck, co-chair of Action for Korea United. “After 80 years now, both South Korea and North Korea face a tipping point for a renewed push for unification.”
Seo, and Morse Tan, former ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice at the U.S. State Department during President Donald Trump’s first administration, were the keynote speakers at the forum held in the Congressional Auditorium & Atrium.
Morse Tan, former ambassador-at-large for Global Criminal Justice in the U.S. State Department, delivers his keynote speech at the 2025 Capitol Forum, held Saturday, in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of organizers
Both saw an opportunity rather than a crisis in the current domestic and global political and economic situation for finding new momentum toward human rights and a free, peaceful unification of Korea.
Tan stressed that the global volatility and expanding conflicts, will invariably compel societies and countries to see that a world with values is a better place. Against this background, the unification of Korea must travel on that difficult path, he added.
The former ambassador-at-large, whose job was to seek justice for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity around the world, noted the situation in Korea may well be the worst.
“North Korea must be liberated from gross injustices and mass atrocities of which they are guilty, and this is a major reason why there must be unification of the two Koreas,” said Tan.
Tan said unification would address and solve an array of issues regarding human rights in North Korea.
“It would be able to address human rights and justice issues, it could address a lot of the military issues and it could address economic and humanitarian issues; there are many things to be solved with unification,” he added.
Yet this unification should be of a Korea that adopts free markets, that is a democracy and one that would allow Korea to be a stable and reliant ally for the U.S. in this critical area, Tan said. And the ROK-U.S. alliance should be the crucial centerpiece in the future work toward this unification.
Retired Col. David Maxwell, vice president for Center for Asia Pacific Strategy and senior fellow at Global Peace Foundation, speaks at the 2025 Capitol Forum held Saturday, in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of organizers
Retired Col. David Maxwell, vice president at the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy and senior fellow at the Global Peace Foundation, said that there should be no misunderstanding about Trump’s aggressive "America First" policies. “It is America first (policy), but allies always," he said, speaking on the sidelines before the forum began.
Asked about concerns in Seoul over the possibility that Washington may request South Korea to increase its burden-sharing in hosting some 28,000 U.S. soldiers in its bilateral military alliance, Maxwell said that he is hoping the Trump administration will recognize that Korea is a key to U.S. success against China in competition.
"The other thing is that we have to stop looking at alliances individually because the security problems are all interrelated," he added.
Maxwell stressed that efforts for peaceful unification must go on, even more so.
"It is unification first then denuclearization. The path to unification is through human rights,” said Maxwell.
Suzanne Scholte, chair of the Defense Forum Foundation and North Korea Freedom Coalition, speaks at the 2025 Capitol Forum held Saturday in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of organizers
Suzanne Scholte, chair of the Defense Forum Foundation and the North Korea Freedom Coalition, said work with North Korean defectors and sending true information into the North is not concerned with who serves in the White House.
Seo Inteck, co-chair of Alliance for Korea United, delivers a keynote speech at the Capitol Forum in Washington, D.C., May 3. Photo by Kim Ji-soo
"We are very much involved with radio broadcasting every morning and every evening — Free North Korea Radio — but we also deliver leaflets into North Korea. But it's all privately funded, so we are blessed," said Scholte, speaking on the sidelines of the forum.
When asked about media programs like Radio Free Asia and Voice of America that have been impacted by recent Trump administration budget cuts, Scholte suggested effective programs will eventually return as officials recognize effective programs are required to spread true information and promote human rights. "That is my understanding," she said.
Seo, who rallied the audience in Korean, said, "It was meaningful to share the vision of the 'Korean Dream', or peaceful unification of Korea through human rights, with the Korean American members here working for human rights and for a peaceful unified Korea."
The "Korean Dream" espoused by the Global Peace Foundation seeks to create a unified Korea based on the historical Korean concept of "hongik ingan," broadly meaning "for the benefit of all humankind."
It could be translated in general terms as working for a better world with values, which in the case of the divided Koreas means peaceful unification through addressing human rights. Several Korean Dream events are slated for this year, on the 80th anniversary of liberation, with the upcoming Han River Festa in South Korea, Aug. 15.
Acknowledging the younger generation's disconnect from the divisive history between the two Koreas and the need for peaceful unification, Seo said that Action for Korea, the Global Peace Foundation and like-minded civic groups are reaching out to the younger generation, by illustrating the security and economic advantages it holds for the future.
“Contrary to perception, the younger generation, Gen Z, remain more open to engaging in grassroots-level efforts to unify the two Koreas with freedom and peace,” Seo said.