iccn

Letter to ICCN members

Dear Friends,

After pretty cold winter in Gangneung,
South Korea, we are finally enjoying spring
with full-blossom cherry trees around beautiful
Gyeongpo Lake.

Yet, in the midst of this beauty,
there is unpleasant tension on the Korean peninsula.
I’ve personally received several emails
from friends all around the world, but be assured,
we are doing our daily routines as usual,
treating the threats as background noise.
In a word, we continue to lead peaceful lives.

Amid these events, I dream a very special dream, one contrary
to the current situation. My dream is that North and South Korea are
united culturally through ICCN. The two Koreas share many things in common including our language, the Lunar New Year, Dano, Chusok (Full moon), and more.

ICCN’s vision is to realize global cultural peace, and even though we have never talked about Korean unification in our meetings, I ask your support for reconciliation through cultural peace and the ICCN. It won’t happen easily but I believe that this dream can come true if we cooperate together as we do at ICCN. Who knows? Perhaps there will be a time in the future when we will enjoy the beautiful and unique cultures of North and South Koreas together through an ICCN Festival. We’ve seen how the cultures can bring peace and joie de vivre to the hearts of people through the ICCN Festivals.

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I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude for your active participation and support in ICCN’s first joint festival last October in Gangneung. The warmth and friendship that you showed us still remains in my heart. This coming fall, we will get together in Dubrovnik, Croatia, a city with full of attractions and cultural heritages. Let’s give our full support and cooperation for the successful meetings and events that will highlight Dubrovnik and people of Croatia!

On behalf of the Secretariat staff, I wish everyone peace and joy in your hearts!


Heekyung Choi
Secretary-General
ICCN Secretariat


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