Erik Kim, President of the Houston Chapter of PUAC, officially launched the ‘One Million Signatures Campaign for a Unified Korea of Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity’ on October 1, 2024. This campaign is based on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s August 15th Unification Doctrine and aims to gather global support for protecting the human rights of North Korean residents and realizing a free and peaceful unified Korea.
As North Korea recently formalized the ‘two-state theory,’ the importance of peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula has been increasingly highlighted. The campaign is expected to serve as a significant milestone in promoting South Korea’s unification vision on an international scale. Erik Kim’s leadership is expanding the campaign’s reach beyond the Houston chapter to develop it into a global signature movement.
To further amplify the campaign’s impact, Erik Kim announced that an advertisement was placed in the October 1st issue of the Houston Chronicle, one of the top 10 newspapers in the United States, with a readership of 30 million Texans and 2.5 million Houstonians. This advertisement marks a groundbreaking effort to encourage participation in the campaign, making it more visible to a wider audience.
The campaign is designed to be accessible worldwide, with signature sheets translated into over 30 languages. This strategic effort aims to raise international awareness and participation, ensuring the campaign reaches beyond local communities.
Additionally, the campaign will be featured alongside a North Korean human rights photo exhibition at the 15th Houston Korean Festival on October 12 and 13. This will provide festival attendees with an opportunity to gain deeper insight into the human rights issues facing North Korean residents and express their support for a unified Korea. A scholarship program for the descendants of Korean War veterans will also be offered, reflecting the meaning of the August 15th Unification Doctrine and encouraging the participation of younger generations.
The campaign aims to collect 10,000 signatures initially, with plans to expand this goal to 30,000 and 50,000, extending beyond 2024 into 2025.
Erik Kim stated, “This signature campaign is an important opportunity to gather the aspirations of people around the world for a free, peaceful, and prosperous unified Korea. We hope many will participate and share in this hope for unification.”
Contact Information: National Unification Advisory Council Houston Chapter
Email: puachouston@gmail.com
