“Picturing a unified future with 15 national research institutes”
Unification Ministry holds an academic seminar with the National
Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences
(November 25)
On November 25, the Ministry of Unification and the National
Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences (NRC)
co-hosted an academic seminar on a “unified Korean Peninsula.”
The seminar came after the ministry signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the council to promote research on the
unified future. It featured an opening ceremony, a special talk
concert session with the youth, and three roundtable sessions focused
on the three core visions of the August 15 Unification Doctrine.
In his welcoming remarks, Minister of Unification Kim Yung Ho
emphasized that a “systematic ‘unification research ecosystem’ must be
established to cultivate our society’s capacity for ‘free
unification.’” He further highlighted that the South Korean government
will work towards the materialization and implementation of a
blueprint for the unified future through pan-governmental efforts,
support, and collaboration with the Unification Future Research Group.
Following the opening ceremony, a special session titled “Talk
Concert for a Unified Korea with Youths from South and North Korea”
was held. North Korean defector youths Kim Geumhyeok, Jeon Hyojin,
Kang Chunhyeok, and Kim Ilhyeok attended the session and shared
diverse perspectives on unification.
The subsequent three sessions included participation from 15
national research institutes affiliated with the NRC’s Unification
Future Research Group*. They discussed the unification visions and
strategies of the August 15 Unification Doctrine and related research tasks.
* Consists of 15 national research institutes, including the Korea
Institute for National Unification, the Korea Research Institute for
Human Settlements, the Korea Institute for International Economic
Policy, the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade, the
Korea Energy Economics Institute, the Korea Information Society
Development Institute, the Korea Development Institute, the Korean
Educational Development Institute, the Korea Transport Institute, the
Korea Rural Economic Institute, the Korea Legislation Research
Institute, the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, the
Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, the
Korea Maritime Institute, and the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute.
