Students Draft Inter-Korean Resolution

Students Draft Inter-Korean Resolution. May. 09, 2006 04:18. by Myoung-Gun Lee ditto@donga.com gun43@donga.com.

At Hyundai Cultural Hall in Mt. Geumgang, college student representatives from the two Koreas are going to have a conference for the first time for two days starting this Wednesday. Regarding this, there is a debate over whether we should allow them to visit North Korea and what kinds of content should be included in a joint resolution after this event.

A total of 370 students from South Korea, including those belonging to the Korean Federation of University Student Councils (KFUSC), and 120 students from North Korea are scheduled to attend this conference. Even though 500 college students (400 from South Korea and 100 from North Korea) had a meeting last year, it is the first time since the national division that student representatives gather together for having a conference.

From South Korea, 10 student organizations will participate in this event, including the KFUSC, the Student Committee of the Democratic Labor Party, Korean University Press United, and College Students United for the 21st Century. On the other hand, from North Korea, the Chosun Student Committee will participate.

Participants have agreed to adopt a joint resolution after discussions on political trends in the Korean peninsula through three thematic sections, such as peace, independence, and national united spirit.

According to a one-page draft of the joint resolution, which appears on the homepage of the KFUSC, three provisions are addressed as follows: We will realize promises resonated in the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration; To make a peaceful world, we will devote spirit and courage of our youth to initiate peaceful world movements; and We will work hard to achieve a national united spirit, a critical step to approach national unification.

“The youth should play a spearheading role in carrying out the movement to achieve a unified national spirit under the slogan of “Koreans tackle Koreans’ tasks.” It is a duty of young people,” the draft stressed. “We will also work hard to strengthen our movement that is set to attack any move for nuclear war threatening Korean people’s lives by colluding with outside invaders.”

Coming back home after this conference, students plan to launch a campaign for the designation of June 15 as a national anniversary, called “The Day for Korean People”

In regard to this, Seo Jin-yeong, a professor of Political Science and International Relations at Korea University, said, “Because this draft contains many elements that are consistent with the position of North Korea such as the strong emphasis on Koreans’ role, inclination toward anti-war & anti-nuclear threat, and comments against those who are hostile to the June 15 declaration, this position is hardly accepted in political circles.”

Meanwhile, a source from the Unification Ministry said, “Even though we haven’t decided on whether or not to permit their departure to the North, we are having a meeting with student representatives in regard to the contents of the resolution draft,” adding, “In principle, we don’t allow the members of organizations which have done something beneficial to the North to visit North Korea. However, when they apply as a member of different organizations, we permit them to do so.”

However, Hwang Yu-seok, chairman of the national unification committee of the KFUSC, revealed that students attend the conference as members of KFUSC by saying on the homepage, “I am very thankful that I am attending this conference as a chairman of national unification committee of the KFUSC.”