New Year Greetings from the KSM Secretary-General Sangyoung Hong
작성자/Author
관리자
작성일/Date
2022-01-21 15:19
조회/Views
952
We extend greetings to you as we publish this 9th edition of our Peace & Sharing Newsletter.
Peace & Sharing is our English newsletter that we hope can connect us to all those around the world who share in our conviction that peace can be made through sharing. We want to help spread that conviction, and we hope that this (thus far irregularly distributed) newsletter can contribute to that. We released the first edition of Peace & Sharing in June 2019 so this year marks the fourth year of this endeavor.
Through Peace & Sharing we are communicating with many from around the world who are interested in and care about Korean Peninsula peace, inter-Korean relations and cooperative projects with North Korea. This includes representatives of the UN and other international organizations, working level staff from international NGOs, embassy staff in Korea, researchers, academics and members of the media.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you good health for the coming year.
In 2022 we are again facing difficult challenges to building peace through sharing on the Korean Peninsula. In December the Workers’ Party of Korea hosted a plenary meeting setting out their strategic direction for the coming year. The key part of the released statement was that regardless of continued international isolation, they will continue on their chosen path. They will stick to their strategy aimed at a so called ‘frontal breakthrough’ (정면돌파). Prospects for DPRK – US dialogue remain unknown and an arms race between South and North Korea is intensifying. The space in which peace through sharing can be made continues to shrink.
Despite this reality, the Korean Sharing Movement remains undaunted and will continue to endeavor to build peace through sharing. This is because there is no better way to move away from crisis and conflict and move towards peace and cooperation. Furthermore, due to COVID-19 related border closures, North Korea sanctions, and food shortages, the North Koreans are faced with much bigger difficulties. This is a time where we need more interest and concern from the international community.
I would like to thank you all for your cooperation and solidarity in 2021, it is greatly appreciated. We will continue to reach out to you in 2022 through Peace & Sharing and look to increase communication where possible. We look forward to your continued interest, assistance and partnership. Happy new year.
