© WTU

The 2020 DMZ Peace Festival was held successfully in both on- and off-line formats on October 7, 2020 in Seoul, Korea.

The 2020 DMZ (demilitarized zone) Peace Festival, the second of its kind, was jointly promoted by GCS International, a Seoul-based UN-affiliated NGO, and the Kukmin Ilbo daily newspaper.

The event, which took place at the Convention Hall of the Kukmin Ilbo with the attendance of less than 50 because of the DOVID-19 pandemic, was organized by the DMZ Peace Festival Organizing Committee.

Among supporters for the peace festival were the Korea Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, World Taekwondo, the Gyeong Gi-Do Taekwondo Association, the Oughtopian Peace Foundation, the GCS Korea Chapter, and the Korean Fair Play Committee.

©  Kukmin Ilbo President Byun Jae-woon (WTU)

The event, which was broadcast live through YouTube channel, drew dignitaries such as GCS International and World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue, Kukmin Ilbo President Byun Jae-woon, Kim Kyung-duk, president of the Gyeong Go-Do Taekwondo Association; Dr. Huh Jong, president of the GCS Korea Chapter; Lee Sun-ho, a board member of the GCS International; Dr. Seok-jae Kang, secretary general of GCS International; Byun Kwan-chul, president of World Taekwonship Federation and director general of the GCS Global Peace Corps. As a special guest, Master Jeong Soon-cheon of Canada attended the event as in his capacity as a member of the Public Relations Committee of the North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation.

Those who attended the event online were representatives from about 40 GCS national chapters, of which a dozen delivered their peace messages in real time via the Zoom system.

▲     © World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue (WTU)

Among them were Dr. Selma Li, president of the GCS Portland, USA Chapter, and her husband Mr. Rick Shin, secretary general of World Taekwondo Pan America; Ms. Edina Lents, president of the GCS Denmark Chapter and president of the Danish Taekwondo Federation, and her younger sister Ms. Lisa Lents, vice president of the GCS Denmark Chapter; Mr. Namdev Shirgaonker, president of the GCS India Chapter and president of India Taekwondo; Mr. Michel Idiaquez Baradat, president of the GCS Honduras Chapter and former Honduran Ambassador to Korea; and Mr. Eddy Suprapto, senior vice president of the Asia Journalists Association and managing director of Masagar News in Indonesia.

The other peace-message presenters included GCS national chapter presidents such as Mr. Raul Pinzon Salamanca from Colombia, Ms. Lianne Muller from Curacao, M. Elvin Landrau, president of the GCS Puerto Rico Chapter and the Puerto Rico Taekwondo Federation, and Mr. Prakash Shumsher Rana from Nepal. Mr. Lee Ki-soo, vice president of the GCS Sri Lanka Chapter joined the peace-message session. Ms. Maria De Veer from Aruba and Mr. Wilmar Alvarado Castillo from Costa Rica were supposed to deliver their peace messages, but failed because of technical matters.

© Taekwondo 9th DAN(Black belt)G.M. Kim Kyung-duk, president of the Gyeong Go-Do Taekwondo Association (WTU)

Also in attendance at the online peace-message session were Dr. Pornchai Monkhonvanit, president of Siam University in Thailand and president of the GCS Thailand Chapter, and Ms. Jeongyeon Moon, president of Cooperation Act, a non-profit organization initially run by high school and college students in the United States. Ms. Maria Borello, president of the GCS Guatemala Chapter and the Guatemalan Taekwondo Federation; Guatemalan Alex Silizar of MasTKD, Mr. Kim Hong-ki of Venezuela, Mr. Joseph Frenel Ostin from Haiti, Ms. Linda Pace from Australia, Iran’s Pooneh Nedai, Mexico’s Juan Manuel Lopez, Singapore’s Milan Kwee and Ivan Lim, Mongolia’s Huh In-young, Bhutan’s Yonten Tharchen, Jordan’s Loay Al Khateeb and Master Asef of the Azraq refugee camp, Master Kumar Roy, president of the GCS West Bengal, India Chapter, and Cambodia’s GCS Secretary General Chrin Sothea and Master Choi Yong-sok also joined the online session.

The festival started with the opening remarks by Kukmin Ilbo President Byun and GCS International President Choue, followed by an awarding ceremony for the winners of world peace art contest jointly organized by Cooperation Act, a video showing of a joint taekwondo demonstration by World Taekwondo and the International Taekwondo Federation, and a 30-minute online peace-message presentation session.

"The DMZ Peace Festival aims to help enhance the awareness of world peace, thus helping create an amicable atmosphere for a unified Korea. In this regard, the 2020 DMZ Peace Festival has a special meaning in that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War," said GCS International President Dr. Choue.

He continued to say, “In times of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we should cooperate for the promotion of world peace as a global common society transcending differences in race, religion, ideology and nationality.” “I wish through this DMZ Peace Festival, peace messages should be further get across to the whole world beyond the Korean Peninsula.”

Kukmin Ilbo President Byun said in his opening remarks, “I wish to thank all the online peace-message presenters of GCS national chapters. The power of sport is great. Through the Korean national sport of taekwondo, the Kukmin Ilbo wants to keep sending the message of peace and hope to the world, together with GCS International.”

“I congratulate the DMZ Peace Festival Organizing Committee for your enormous contributions in making this a significant day to deliver the message that ‘Peace is More Precious than Triumph’ through worldwide broadcast of the 2020 DMZ Peace Festival,” said Dr. Selma Li, president of the GCS Portland, USA Chapter, in her real-time online peace message. Master Rick Shin also made a short peace message for the attendants.

Ms. Edina Lents, president of the GCS Denmark Chapter, said, “Those who have been victimized by war, by human abuse or any other kind on inhumanities, they desperately need our support and encouragement to believe that peace can be achieved one day.”

Ms. Lisa Lents of Denmark said, “We believe that peace is a state of mind that can be reached through action. That is why we think it is important for us to take actions toward promoting global peace despite cultural, religious, social and political differences. Let’s promote peace, goodwill and friendship through taekwondo. Let us together work for this cause, because when we are united, we are stronger.”

Mr. Eddy Suprapto of Indonesia, senior vice president of the Asia Journalists Association, said in his peace message that “Peace initiatives should be promoted through the people-to-people forum model. The cultural approach should be strengthened with music concerts, joint film making. Another idea is to boost common games by playing Korean reunification matches in South Korea and North Korea. Sports diplomacy should be encouraged. The new drive for reunification must make the two countries move away from conservative and old approaches and encourage positive soft diplomacy by emphasizing humanity and the benefits of united Koreans. I believe the dawn of a united Korea can be promoted fueled by peaceful journalism.”

Mr. Namdev Shirgaonker, president of the GCS India Chapter, said, “Sport is known to be the most unifying tool for peace in the world. It creates hope, heals wounds, mends fences, and helps rise above our differences. It is now more important than ever considering all that is going on around the world to be a part of something that helps us become valuable citizens of humanity.”

Mr. Michel Idiaquez Baradat, president of the GCS Honduras Chapter, said, “I would like to share with you an article by Dr. Surya Nath Prasad on the historic meeting held in our neighboring country, the Republic of Costa Rica, in 1981.” “A South Korean world-renowned peace thinker, Dr. Young Seek Choue, founder and chancellor of Kyung Hee University, the Republic of Korea and one of the initiator-founders of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), was the original and sole initiator and advocator of the UN International Day and Year of Peace (1986). Dr. Choue’s dream for world peace through education has become true in reality when his basic concepts of International Day and Year of Peace, which he presented in his keynote speech entitled ‘The Great Initiative: Peace is Morea Precious than Triumph at the IAUP’s Triennial Conference in San Jose, Costa Rica in July 1981. The draft resolution of the International Day and Year of Peace was unanimously adopted by 157 member countries of the United Nations on November 30, 1981.” He said, “Dr. Choue was honored with the Award of the UN Medal in 1984 from the secretary general of the United Nations for his contribution of proposing the UN International Day and Year of Peace. Dr. Choue was honored with the United Nations Award of Meritorious Services on peace at the 51st Commemorative Ceremony for the United Nations Day on October 24, 1996 at the UN Headquarters, New York, US in recognition of International Day and Year of Peace for the first time in the history of the UN.”

Mr. Raul Pinzon Salamanca, president of the GCS Colombia Chapter said in his peace message that “My country was in a guerrilla war for almost 60 years, leaving more than 300,000 dead. 5 million displaced, thousands of kidnapped and terrorist acts. Despite all the violence, in 2016, the National Government and the guerrillas signed a peace treaty. It has not been an easy process, but the final objective has been achieved: the weapons were silenced.” “If Colombia could reach peace, with such a long and painful conflict, I am sure that our brother Korea, despite all the difficulties, will find the opportunity to embrace peace. Faith and hope Korea.”

Ms. Lianne Muller, president of the GCS Curacao Chapter, said “Regretfully a pandemic has made it impossible for us to come together physically to show our support for the DMZ peace movement. But we are all still joined in spirit and through this virtual meeting we have come together with one common goal: world peace. We will continue striving to fulfill our social responsibility to mankind through taekwondo, thereby also honoring the GCS slogan ‘Peace is More Precious than Triumph.”

Mr. Elvin Landrau, president of the GCS Puerto Rico Chapter, said in his peace message that “As we stand in an era of uncertainty, one thing is certain: Taekwondo knows no boundaries because peace is more precious than triumph.”

Mr. Prakash Shumsher Rana, president of the GCS Nepal Chapter, said “WE GCS Nepal Chapter and GCS International has always been striving and spreading the message of peace and prosperity within the World Taekwondo family and out as well.” “With the very message of peace, Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of GCS International, inaugurated a peace statue on August 3, 2019 at Swoyambhunath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, the location which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage site. We very much welcome you all to pay a visit and take a memory of peace from the site as well.”

The 2020 DMZ Peace Festival closed with a group photo with attendees holding the GCS slogan (Peace is More Precious than Triumph) banner in front.

'2020 DMZ평화대축제'가 2020년 10월 7일 대한민국 서울에서 성공적으로 개최되었다.

난 해에 이어 두 번 째로 열리는 이번 DMZ평화대축제는 국민일보와 서울에 본부를 둔 UN경제사회이사회 특별자문 NGO단체인 밝은사회클럽 국제본부(GCS International)가 공동 주최했다.

코로나19로 인해 제한된 인원이 참석한 가운데 국민일보 빌딩 12층 컨벤션홀에서 본 행사가 열렸으나 Zoom 방식의 화상회의를 병행하여 40여 개 GCS 회원국 대표들이 실시간 참가하여 평화 메시지를 전하면서 행사의 열기를 높였다.

본 행사 후원사로는 문화체육관광부, 국회교육위원회, 국회외교통일위원회, 세계태권도연맹, 경기도태권도협회, 밝은사회국제클럽 한국본부, 국제밝은사회재단, 한국페어플레이위원회 등이 참가했다.

유튜브(YouTube)로도 실시간 전 세계에 송출된 2020 DMZ평화대축제에는 조정원 GCS International 및 세계태권도연맹 총재, 변재운 국민일보 사장, 김경덕 경기도태권도협회장, 허종 밝은사회국제클럽 한국본부 총재, 이선호 GCS International 이사, 강석재 GCS International 사무총장, 변관철 세계태권십연맹(태어로즈) 총장 겸 GCS글로벌평화봉사단 단장, 고승욱 국민일보 편집국장 등이 주요 내빈으로 참석했다. 또한 캐나다 정순천 국제태권도연맹(ITF) 홍보위원이 특별 초대되었다.

GCS International 소속 40여 개 국가본부 대표들이 Zoom 방식으로 본 행사에 참여하여 실시간 평화 메시지를 전했다. 주요 발표자로는 GCS미국포틀랜드지역본부 총재인 셀마 리(Dr. Selma Li)와 WT팬암지역 사무총장인 릭신(Mr. Rick Shin), GCS덴마크국가본부 총재이자 덴마크태권도협회장 에디나 렌츠(Ms. Edina Lents), GCS덴마트국가본부 부총재인 리사 렌츠(Ms. Lisa Lents)r; GCS인도국가본부 총재이자 인도태권도협회장 남데프 시르가온커(Mr. Namdev Shirgaonker), GCS온두라스국가본부 총재이자 전 온두라스 한국대사를 역임한 미셀 이디아케스 바라닷(Mr. Michel Idiaquez Baradat) 그리고 아시아기자협회 수석 부회장이자 인도네시아 마사가르 뉴스(Masagar News) 편집국장인 에디 수프랍토(Mr. Eddy Suprapto) 등이 참가했다.

또한 GCS국가본부 총재 자격으로 콜롬비아의 라울 핀손 살라만카(Mr. Raul Pinzon Salamanca) 큐라소의 리안 밀러(Ms. Lianne Muller) 그리고 네팔의 프라케시 슘셔 라나(Mr. Prakash Shumsher Rana) 총재가 그리고 GCS스리랑카국가본부 부총재인 이기수(Mr. Lee Ki-soo) 사범이 온라인으로 참가하고 평화 메시지를 전했다.

평화 메시지 발표자 이외에도 아루바, 코스타리카, 말레이시아, 태국, 과테말라, 베네수엘라, 호주, 부탄, 요르단, 캄보디아, 몽골, 이란, 이라크, 아이티, 멕시코, 독일, 카메룬, 벨기에, 루마니아 그리고 한국 등 GCS 국가본부 대표들이 화상으로 참가했다.

오전 11시부터 1시간 20분간 진행한 2020DMZ평화대축제 행사는 국민일보 변재운 사장과 GCS International 조정원 총재의 개회사로 시작하여 세계평화 기원 그림공모전 시상식, 세계태권도연맹과 국제태권도연맹 시범 동영상 상영 그리고 GCS 국가본부 대표들 평화 메시지 전달 순으로 진행되었다. 행사의 마지막은 참석 귀빈과 수상자 모두 ‘평화는 개선보다 귀하다’는 GCS 슬로건이 쓰여 있는 배너를 앞에 두고 단체사진 촬영으로 장식했다.

조정원 총재는 인사말에서 “DMZ평화대축제를 통해 일반인의 세계평화에 대한 인식을 높이고 이를 통해 남북한 통일 기류 확대 지원을 주요 목적으로 하고 있다.이런 점에서 한국전쟁 발발 70주년을 맞는 올해 평화대축제 행사는 그 의미가 크다고 생각한다”고 말했다.

“전 세계가 코로나 사태로 힘들고 어려운 상황이지만 이런 때 일수록 개인 및 국가간 분열과 대립, 인종, 종교, 이념, 국적을 초월하여 전 세계가 하나의 공동체 사회라는 인식하에 서로 협력하고 세계평화 증진에 힘을 써야한다”고 말했다. 조 총재는 “‘유엔세계평화의 날’ 제정 40주년을 맞는 2021에는 GCS International과 국민일보가 함께 더 큰 행사를 개최하자”고 말했다. 9월 21일 ‘유엔 세계평화의 날’은 GCS운동 창시자이자 조정원 총재의 선친이신 조영식 박사가 1981년 코스타리카 산호세에서 열린 제6차 세계대학총장회의에서 공식 제안하여 그 해 가을 유엔총회에서 만장일치로 통과 제정되었다.

변재운 국민일보 사장은 개회사에서 “코로나19로 인해 여러 차례 행사가 연기 되었음에도 2020 DMZ평화대축제에 참가해 주신 조정원 GCS International 총재님과 온라인 화상으로 이번 행사에서 평화와 희망의 메시지를 전달해 줄 전 세계 40여 개국 GCS 국가본부 대표들과 태권도 전도사분들에게 감사를 드린다”고 말했다.

이어서 변 사장은 “1970년대 적대적 관계였던 미국과 중국이 손을 잡게 만든 것은 자그마한 탁구공이었습니다. 1971년 4월 미국 탁구선수단이 중국을 방문하면서 역사적인 핑퐁외교가 시작됐습니다. 이듬해 닉슨 당시 미국 대통령이 중국을 방문하게 고 1979년 1월 1일 수교에 이르게 됐습니다. 이처럼 스포츠의 힘은 위대합니다. 그리고 그 출발점은 미미하지만 엄청난 결과를 만들어온 것이 스포츠입니다.” “국민일보는 GCS International과 함께 올해 조그마한 몸짓으로 평화와 희망의 메시지를 만들어 가려고 합니다. 6.25 전쟁 70주년인 올해 평화와 희망의 메시지를 여러분과 공유할 수 있는 소중한 시간이 되길 희망합니다.”

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World Taekwondo United News(WTU-news. 세계태권도연합뉴스)