Originally posted on January 30, 2014. Updated on January 25, 2019.

GPF-Korean volunteers visit the elderly. A large percentage of elderly in Korea live in poverty.

In 2014, The Guardian published an article on the rising number of elderly in Korea who are living in poverty. The writer visited Lee Yeong-sun, an 82-year-old Korean War veteran and his wife, who suffers from dementia.  The two live in a condemned apartment in Seoul with cracked windows and boarded doors. Elderly like Lee born before the Korean War, do not qualify for current pension programs. Lee struggles to live off of what he gets from a veteran’s group and a government welfare fund.

Lee told the Guardian that his only wish was to stay alive longer than his wife so he can take care of her. According to Lee, his children offer no help; one doesn’t even answer his calls. He and his wife are one of thousands of Korea’s elderly population who find themselves struggling to survive on an outdated pension system and a social structure that is crumbling as its foundation of extended family ties rapidly frays apart.

Over the last half-century, the education and economic growth in Korea has been astronomical. The silvering generation had much to do with this success. They built the infrastructure for Korea’s miraculous rise into the developed world and poured their life savings into their children’s education. However, the increased fixation on educational achievement and financial prosperity has eroded traditional values. The Guardian quotes a retiree living in Seoul, “The family has crumbled, that is why we are dying alone.”

This has resulted in a myriad of social problems. According to official statistics in December 2018, there was a shocking 45% increase in the past five years in crimes committed by senior citizens age 65 and over in Korea. Serious crimes including murder, arson, rape and robbery rose 70%, from about a thousand cases in 2013 to more than 1,800 in 2017.

The Guardian showed that a poll reported the percent of children who feel they are responsible to take care of their parents has dropped from 90% to 37% in the last 15 years. The rate of suicide in the elderly of Korea has, according to the Guardian, “trebled since 2000.” This is despite awareness campaigns, counseling services and support. Such statistics illustrate what Lee Sun-young, a senior center administrator interviewed by the Guardian observed, “People don’t have the psychological space to care for other people.”

The extended family model is the foundation of traditional Korean values.  Folk stories like ShimChung, a daughter who gives her life up to give sight to her blind father, taught filial piety as a central value of traditional Korean society. But, the wave of younger Koreans moving into the cities, have weakened family ties. Nuclear families have become standard. The phenomenon of the growing poverty in the silver generation is but one outcome.

Dr. Hyun Jin P. Moon decries this trend. “The extended family model is a model that takes care of our basic human needs with love, with heart,” he said. In casting aside Korea’s traditional extended family system, Korea as a whole loses its greatest asset.

GPF-Korea programs like Global Poomashi are cultivating global awareness and volunteerism in young Koreans.

Global Peace Foundation (GPF) is working to renew the culture of modern Korean society by emphasizing how the extended family had always been a Korean treasure throughout centuries. In Korea, GPF engages citizens in providing meals and essential services to sustain the growing silver population. Their efforts are more than an offering of necessities, but a way to challenge the current trends of Korean society. With One Family Under God as the vision, GPF Korea is inculcating volunteerism and global consciousness through local and overseas service. Young and old, are leading a movement to move Korea away from its “cut-throat” and “ruthless competition” for the best test scores, schools, jobs, and back to its ancient calling to live for humanity.

From February 26 to March 1, GPF will host the 2019 Global Peace Convention under the theme “One Dream, One Korea, One World: Korean Dream: Vision for a Unified Korea.” March 1, 2019 will mark 100 years since the 1919 March First Movement for Korean independence, remembering a time when citizens peacefully ignited the dream to become a free and united Korea.

Today, this vision lives on in the Korean Dream, a civil society-led effort to revitalize the founding ideals of the Korean nation, expressed as Hongik Ingan, the dream to bring benefit to all humankind. This vision can not only heal the social breakdown crushing modern society, but bring hope to all the world, starting with a renewal of the Korean extended family model. In this, Korea can lead the way.

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We called it the Unification Tree. A simple paper tree that started the day with branches empty, but began to “sprout” leaves as passersby jotted down their thoughts and hopes for Korean Unification.

One leaf had “Our hope for unification” the title of an old song that lamented the prolonged division of our people. Another had “for our nation,” expressing the shared heritage of the Korean people as one nation.

One leaf in particular sprouted a realization in my mind. Most of the leaves were written in Hangul or English, this one stood out because it was written in Japanese. I remember the couple that had stopped by to post this leaf; she was Korean and he was Japanese.

We were told that the tree was for people to express their thoughts on the issue of unification, however, he wanted to write something about improving relations between Japan and Korea.

I had to pause. How was Japan-Korean relations related to the issue of reunification? Did Japanese have a stake in the fate of the Korean peninsula?

I looked at their faces, awkwardly grinning as my thoughts processed. Finally I consented, and he wrote his wish for the unification of Japanese and Koreans.

In hindsight, this leaf represented much more than just the unification Japan and Korea.

Of course, there is the obvious conclusion – Korean Unification is a concern of not just the Korean people, but of many people who care about the nation, but also have a stake in the stability of Northeast Asia – Russia, China, Japan, the United States….

But there was a deeper realization that that leaf opened in my consciousness – that the effects of Korean unification would impact not just the Korean people, or even Northeast Asia, it would be setting a model, a precedent for the world. If we could get this unification thing right, there were so many divisions that needed to be overcome – the animosity between Japan and Korea being one of them.

The approach presented in the Korean Dream, by Dr. Moon made more sense, too. For people who have been divided for so long, and by so much pain, a common vision, a common heritage that precedes that division, would probably be the only way for them to move beyond those barriers.

In the end, I was glad I consented to allow the Japanese man’s hopes for his nation and the nation of his significant other to join the other leaves on the unification tree.

It expanded my understanding of “unification” and also how much Korean unification could do for the world.

~This piece is based off of a testimony of a youth volunteer who participated in a summer leadership exchange program in Korea promoting Korean reunification.

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Sometimes it takes someone from outside to show us new perspectives on how to live at home.

Mr. Yu is a wealthy investor who cleans the streets of Bahrain every morning.

Bahrain is a small island country situated near the western shores of the Persian Gulf, located over seven thousand miles from the Korean peninsula. There a humble middle-aged Korean man walks the streets each morning as the sun rises, picking up trash.

His reason? Simply because he loves the place he lives. Garbage bothers him. It is a nuisance, creating an unhealthy environment, so he picks it up. He calls himself “the Boss of Cleaning” you would never guess he also happens to be a successful millionaire investor, who has been living in and beautifying the Arab island nation for over a decade.

Forty years ago the Arab Nations were the third most popular destination for Koreans looking for work in the areas of construction and infrastructure, with over a million emigrants. Recent numbers of Koreans living in the area has dropped significantly, but they are still present in all of the Middle Eastern countries.

In the video interview of the “Boss of Clean”, one can see the impact one person can have on others. The simple actions of picking up garbage inspired a young camera crew to catch Mr. Yu in action. The fact that he was not native to Bahrain caused deep self-reflection on the way they lived their own lives. They praised him as an example of “simplicity, modesty and a beautiful presence” and warmly thanked him for being a true role model for the youth.

No matter who we are or where we live, if each one of us really cared about our own neighborhood and took a few minutes to help where it is needed, the world we are living in would indeed be that much cleaner, brighter and happier for everyone.

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A recent forum hosted by the Center for International and Strategic Studies and the Global Peace Foundation highlighted South Korea’s growing role in global humanitarian development. In less than 50 years, South Korea has transitioned from a aid-receiving nation to and aid-providing nation. It’s exceptional story of economic development has been considered a new model for many emerging nations.

Below is the report posted on the Global Peace Foundation.

Posted on March 18, 2015

South Korea’s growing international development experience will hold important lessons in any future scenario of unification with North Korea, Ambassador Young-mok Kim, president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), told a Washington D.C. forum on March11.

 Amb. Kim said that the experience in assisting less-developed countries with health, education, and infrastructure projects provided lessons that would prove invaluable in assisting the economically backward North in the future. Per capita GDP in South Korea is 30-40 times greater than that in the North.

He said that KOICA’s work in former communist countries such as Laos and Cambodia could prove especially helpful as they showed North Korea a model for transition. Amb. Kim was speaking at a forum, “The United States, South Korea and Civil Society Cooperation in Global Humanitarian Development,” jointly sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Global Peace Foundation. KOICA is now active in over 100 countries.

“This may be the first time Korea has introduced its work for global development in Washington,” D.C., Amb. Kim said.  He described Korea’s dynamic transition from an aid recipient with a per capita GDP in 1953 of $73 to an official donor country. In the fifty years after 1945 Korea received $12 billion in international aid, 44 percent of which came from the U.S.

“Many developing nations consider Korea an exemplary model for development. They are attracted by its focus on grassroots rural community development.”

KOICA volunteers have worked together around the world with the Peace Corps.

KOICA has close working arrangements with the U.S. Peace Corps (above) as well as with USAID and UN agencies to support projects in 130 countries.

But Korea also learned to help itself, not only through a growing industrial sector in the 1970s but also through the Saemaul Undong or “New Village Movement.” This encouraged enterprise and self-reliance in rural communities. It balanced development there with the advances in the urban industrial sector and helped to limit income inequality.

The Korean experience of growth is one that many developing nations are now anxious to learn from. “Many developing nations consider Korea an exemplary model for development,” Amb. Kim said. “Over 30 countries are planning to adopt Saemaul Undong,” he continued. They are attracted by its focus on grassroots rural community development.

Jon Brause, director of the World Food Program’s (WFP) D.C. office, added that Korea’s unique development experience, which includes a strong civil society element, is being recognized by other countries. “Korea gives nations the confidence to say ‘We can do it too.’” WFP has partnered with KOICA for 51 years. They are currently cooperating to implement Saemaul Undong in several African countries.

Amb. Kim stressed the importance of public and private partnerships for KOICA and for successful development work in general. Although KOICA does not work directly in North Korea it cooperates closely with a number of UN agencies that are active there and helps facilitate their work. KOICA also has close working arrangements on many projects with the U.S. agencies, USAID and the U.S. Peace Corps.In the private sphere, “KOICA is very keen to seek for innovative partnerships with prestigious global NGOs and foundations that will bring far-reaching impact,” he said. Domestically, KOICA has worked with civil society groups for 20 years to leverage resources and experience. It is engaged with 130 civil society partners. In 2013, Korea’s non-profit sector raised $3.8 billion to support 1,400 projects in 103 countries.

Such partnerships, public and private, domestic and international, would prove vital, said Amb. Kim, in “helping countries in transition or in transformation to succeed and finally achieve democracy and prosperity.”

For original story and program visit: www.globalpeace.org

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The following is Dr. Moon’s remarks at the close of the Global Peace Leadership Conference 2013 held at the Abuja Sheraton Hotel – Abuja, Nigeria. 

 

Dr. Moon addresses participants of the Global Peace Leadership Conference 2013 in Abuja, Nigeria. “Africans have not been overwhelmed by their challenges. They have the spirit, they have the sense of hope to build a brighter future for themselves, their families, for their future generations.” (Photo Credit: NewIs)

Thank you very much.  First of all, for all of the participants of this convention, both international and from here in Nigeria, please give yourself a round of applause. (Applause)

I know that the last two days have been a very hectic in schedule, because we wanted to make sure that as much could be brought out from this conference, because it is you, especially the leaders here in Nigeria that will need to carry the mantle forward to really bring about substantial change, in your communities in this great nation of Nigeria.

I know that you are challenged in many ways but at the same time I think that many of you were enlightened by the possibility of this great moment because of the ability of this great nation and this continent of Africa.

As I mentioned in my speech, the plenary, I believe that Africa is at a moment of transition.  You have reached a high pinnacle, and yet there are greater heights before you if you are willing to take on the challenge. And I am so moved by the very fact in meeting and speaking to the various leaders in this nation, that you are truly willing and ready to take that challenge.

When I mentioned that this is an exciting moment in the history of this continent, it is because it really is a break from the traditional relationship that this continent had with the developed world.  I believe that the developed world has lost its patina of  credibility over the last several years. With the breakdown of the financial system, with the lack of leadership on the global stage dealing with very real problems that are facing many, many people, millions of people around the world.  In this vacuum there is opportunity for new leadership to rise and set a new precedent.

Now, being someone from a developed country, I call America my home today, I know the potential of America, but at the same time I know the challenges within America.  When I come to a continent such as Africa, where all you have is your future ahead of you, and you can learn from the lessons of the nations that have charted the path of development before you.  You can pick and choose the path to your development.

This gives Africa and the developing world a tremendous bevy of opportunity to chart the path to their development, for their prosperity without having to sacrificing some of the more important things that many of the nations that came before you had to sacrifice for the sake of modernity.

Now as a Korean, I know this personally.  Yes, Korea, was at one point in its history, South Korea, was the poorest nation in the world after the Korean War. Yes, it was poorer than Nigeria.  Yet today,60 years later, it is the 12th largest economy in the world.  The Korean people reached those heights because they chose to be self-reliant.  They chose to determine their own future. In one sense they bought into the whole western model of development, even giving up some of their most cherished and most important parts of their culture and tradition. One of which is the Korean family.

I believe that the developing world, in Southeast Asia, in Latin America and in Africa, can learn from these lessons, so that they can chart a path for development that affects the lives, in a positive way, for all of their citizens, but at the same time, not lose something in the process.

Representatives from media, academia, education, governance, religions, civil society and business convened at the Global Peace Leadership Conference 2013 in Abuja, Nigeria.

And I believe that through this vision of ‘One Family under God’ and the fact that we are touching upon these root issues that can bring about a peaceful, harmonious united  humanity, which is our spirituality, rooted in principles and values, in a common spiritual vision.  Now in the past many institutions, organizations, individuals and nations have tried to deal and tackle the issue of conflict and peace and corruptions and they have done it through political or diplomatic means or economic aid.  And they have done and followed that same paradigm over decades and decades and decades with the same results, without resolving any major conflict in any part of our globe.

Without really, sincerely dealing with the issue of peace and defining what that means and without rooting out corruption that plagues all nations around the world even in the developed world.

The reason why, I believe, is because we have failed to identify how to address those issues. Those issues fall in the realm of ethics, morality, sense of right or wrong that is tied to humanity’s spirituality.

And yet, no one or organization has tried to deal with it from that perspective.  Yes, in the past there were many interfaith initiatives.  But, remember that the interfaith initiatives of the past have been vehicles to promote one faith tradition and gain acceptance by other faith traditions.  The interfaith approach of GPF, which is different from the interfaith approaches of the past, is that instead of just using interfaith as a vehicle to receive acceptance by other faith traditions, we have taken the approach that there is a common vision that motivates and animates all of humanity.  That vision is ‘One Family under God.’

But more importantly there is a common thread that exists in all of the faith traditions that articulates and identifies universal principles and values as the guiding compass of our daily lives. In other words faith traditions of people of faith have more in common than they do differences.  I would say that 80 % of what we believe, what we aspire to, and what we have in terms of a common ethic are identical. Maybe 10-20% in terms of our theology and doctrines might differ.  And yet it has been that 10-20% that has been the main reason why people of faith have never come together.

Well, GPF is offering another platform.  That we should come together on a common ground to deal with a common issue of our common humanity and that is to build ‘One Family under God.’  (Applause)

The amazing thing is, I remember when we were involved with this journey several years ago, when I started taking this message all around the world.  There were those cynics who would say ‘One Family under God’ sounds too much like a Christian message, will it work in the Muslim world? Well, ‘One Family under God’ sounds too much like an Abrahamic faith message, will it work in the Buddhist or Hindu world?   I think GPF over the years has developed a track record as we went to every single continent around the world, meeting and engaging with people of faith, of all different faith traditions.

If you look at this panel today, we have a Muslim, we have a Methodist, we have a Jain, we have Christians, we have Hindu’s, we have white, black, American, African,  Korean. In other words, all those pretensions that we put aside because we recognize our common humanity, and our common destiny together through the vision of One Family Under God.

 We can come together in agreement because we share common principles and values that can move the human family forward in building a world of peace. And that is the great contribution of this great work. It is tremendous honor for me to come to this nation of Nigeria, the largest nation on the continent. I was told, not by a Kenyan, but I was told, not by other Africans, I was told, by everyone outside of Africa, that if Nigeria moved, Africa will follow. (Applause)

Now, this is the first time I’ve come to Nigeria. And believe me, you showed me a lot. You know, many times I tell my staff, you know, I come to these nations and I never get to see the nation itself. Usually I’m stuck in this conference, I’m stuck in meetings, but actually, I value those meeting the most, as I‘ve met with the leaders of this nation. Because as I’ve said in my speech, I do not see the greatest value in its resources, although you have tremendous resources, you have tremendous potential. I see the true value of this nation in its people, in the potential of leaders that I can inspire. I hope to put a spark in them and enable them to dream big for this nation and for this great continent of Africa.

It is in those meeting that I saw, I told Bishop Sunday, you Africans, you guys joke so much, everything is a joke. But you have a tremendous sense of humor that is contagious. (applause)For someone who comes from outside this continent, because we see on CNN, Fox News, and on the media all the time, all the problems happening all the time. We see the pictures of starving children, of conflict zones where tremendous horrors have been conducted by one race or tribe to another, or one religion to another. And of course, we’re moved by that, and we’re concerned by that, but as I come to Nigeria, and I know this nation is facing challenges even today, when I come to this nation, you’d think the people might be depressed, or not full of spirit, yet the absolute opposite is the case. (Applause)

 Africans have not been overwhelmed  by their challenges. They have the spirit, they have the sense of hope to build a brighter future for themselves, their families, for their future generations. That, that is the more precious than all the gold, oil or diamonds that are on this continent. That is what will allow African to lift itself from its challenges that will bring a bright future for their children and their children’s children.

There always has to be a first step. Today, look at today as that first step.

We are going to be making a pledge, and I want you to make this pledge in the signing of the Abuja declaration your own. Make this your own, own it. Make this your mission in life to make sure that there is a positive future for this nation of Nigeria and the continent of Africa. Become the leaders of transformational change. And believe me, God’s abundant blessing will shine and a new tomorrow shall begin.

 

Thank you very much.

 

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Youth stand hand in hand at a Rivers for Peace clean-up in Kenya. The world’s young people demand a paradigm shift. The world is hungry for development models that encompass the entire human experience.

17-year-old Brittany Trilford from New Zealand addressed world leaders at Rio+20. “In this moment, I am all children, your children, the world’s three billion children. Think of me for these short minutes as half the world. I stand here with fire in my heart. I’m confused and angry at the state of the world and I want us to work together now to change this.”

She spoke for the sons and daughters of the human family who are frustrated by an uncertain future. Current development models have not ensured everyone’s well-being, nor have they cared for our earth. The world’s children demand a paradigm shift.

The world is looking for development models that encompasses the breadth and scope of the human experience. New trends, such as the “green economy,” reflect the departure from isolated economic growth for more comprehensive, balanced and sustainable perspectives. Development must consider the spiritual and social dimensions of humanity, and it must preserve everyone’s shared heritage, the rich resources of the earth.

Moments like Rio+20 are reminders that more is needed than material goods and services for better lives. As sustainable development is defined, there is a need to clarify humanity’s direction and create the future that all of humankind wants to see.

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I have also had the privilege to work with many wonderful Japanese volunteers who carry the trademark traits of hard work and commitment. Japan has invested its people and resources into its global family.

Some in the international community observe that Japan has the role of a mother to the other nations of the world. If that is true, then this nation should play a leading role in creating a culture of multi-ethnic coexistence that affirms that we are all one family with a shared spiritual heritage and shared destiny.

This is also an important domestic priority. For most of Japan’s history, it has had relatively little influence from other peoples and religions.But today the situation is very different. More than two million foreign residents live permanently in Japan, and the number is growing all time.

Already Japan has taken steps in this direction to realize the culture of peace. During my travels to the developing regions of the world, I have seen Japanese financial and technical aid playing a vital role in building up these countries. I have also had the privilege to work with many wonderful Japanese volunteers who carry the trademark traits of hard work and commitment. Japan has invested its people and resources into its global family.

Japan has recently faced many trials, including the most recent natural disasters. The world’s response shows that her investment in the world is not unnoticed. The world came to her aid, just as she invested in it.

I pray that Japan continues to become a model nation that spreads the culture of peace throughout the world.

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