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기사입력 : 2024.09.07 21:32
The 74th anniversary of the Incheon Landing Operation will be commemorated from June 6 to 12 in Incheon, with an expanded focus beyond the historical significance of the landing itself. As part of the celebrations, the Ministry of Unification and Incheon Metropolitan City hosted the 2024 Unification Culture Event—Incheon Tonghanabom (통하나봄)—on September 7 in front of Incheon City Hall. Tonghanabom signifies "seeing a united future through unification."
The event featured a diverse range of performances, exhibitions, and interactive activities aimed at engaging the public. A standout attraction was the "Wish for Unification through Clay Art," where participants shaped their visions of unification into symbolic clay creations. Other interactive experiences included workshops on North Korean society, hosted by the National Institute for Unification Education, as well as a collaborative mural painting space open to everyone.
At the event's opening ceremony, the Minister of Unification, Kim Youngho, and the Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City, Yoo Jeongbok, expressed their commitment to fostering a spirit of unification grounded in freedom and peace. Minister Kim emphasized the importance of recognizing the value of freedom in the unification process, referencing President Yoon Suk Yeol's August 15 Unification Doctrine, which envisions a Korea united in freedom, peace, and prosperity.
"The freedom we enjoy today was possible because of the sacrifices and dedication of many people to protect it," Minister Kim said. He further underscored the need to "expand the freedom we enjoy across the Korean Peninsula by inheriting the noble spirit of freedom protection shown in the Incheon Landing Operation by our predecessors, the U.S. military, and the U.N. forces.”
Mayor Yoo, in his congratulatory speech, reaffirmed Incheon’s role as an international peace city. "Incheon City will play a leading role in free, peaceful unification through various unification policies, projects for North Korean defectors, and projects to form a sense of civic unification," Yoo said.
Chairman Kim Heejung, who leads the Overseas Council under the National Unification Council, emphasized the importance of private-sector initiatives in supporting these visions. "The 8.15 Doctrine reaffirms the identity of the Republic of Korea and outlines the path toward unification, rooted in freedom as specified in the Constitution," she stated, highlighting the need for grassroots movements to strengthen the nation's identity and commitment to peaceful unification.
The diverse programs planned for the Incheon event aim to inspire both domestic and international participants to envision a unified Korea. The goal is to bridge the gap between the current reality of division and the aspirational future of a peaceful, unified Korean Peninsula.
This year’s commemoration of the Incheon Landing Operation seeks not only to honor a pivotal moment in Korean history but also to foster a broader, forward-looking narrative. With its emphasis on peace, harmony, and unification, Incheon is positioning itself as a leading city for global festivals centered around these ideals. As Mayor Yoo remarked, "I hope this will be a place where we express our shared determination to achieve a free and democratic order—ultimately, the unification of Korea based on these principles."
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