Pyeong Hwa Gyeong (138) Book 8. The Reunification of Korea and World Peace CHAPTER 7. True Peace in Our Time, the Reunification of Korea, and East-West Cooperation
1. The international situation shifting from confrontation to an era of reconciliation
I am very glad that we are gathered together for the second Summit Council for World Peace with the theme of the reunification of Korea and East-West cooperation.
Furthermore, I am very happy that, together with this summit conference, we are convening the eighth conference of the Association for the Unity of Latin America, commonly known as AULA, which has a tremendous record of achievement in bringing about harmony and unity in Latin America during the past seven years.
I truly feel that the timing of this conference is very significant. This is the beginning of 1990 and the new decade of the nineties. In ten years, we are going to usher in the year 2000. In our lifetime we will witness the beginning of the new millennium. We must feel the tremendous importance of living in this time, of not only witnessing dramatic changes in human life, but also actually shaping those events.
It is a hope shared by all of us that the new millennium will be characterized by true peace. For that to be so, the next ten years will be challenging and demanding. These organizations gathered here today, the Summit Council for World Peace and AULA, have a very important part to play for the next ten years. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you for the work you have already done for the achievement of peace. At the same time, I would like to challenge you to become champions of peace in the new decade.
The transition from confrontation to constructive engagement The period between the close of the Second World War and the present, roughly forty years, can be viewed as the age of confrontation between two camps with diametrically opposing ideologies. We have witnessed numerous conflicts between peoples and between nations, accompanied by an escalating arms race. There really was not a moment when people could have a feeling of peace in their hearts.
Then, in 1985, Mr. Gorbachev came to power in the Soviet Union and began to initiate a series of changes. He encouraged greater freedom of expression within the Soviet Union, undertook a restructuring of the Soviet economy, and perhaps most significantly, repudiated the Brezhnev Doctrine.
Within a short time, dramatic political changes within the Soviet bloc became a daily occurrence. In the past few months we have seen the democratization of Poland, followed by Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and finally Romania. These events culminated in the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, the symbol of confrontation between East and West. With that, a new era of reconciliation has dawned.
I would like to extend my heart-felt appreciation to President Gorbachev for his courage and leadership in bringing about these constructive changes, which have enabled us to enter this new era of cooperation. I am committed to support the Soviet Union in its genuine desire to uphold individual human dignity, to bring about economic reform and, most importantly, to establish religious freedom.
As you may already know, I am also committed to working with the People’s Republic of China. This giant nation comprises one fourth of the world’s population. Certainly we cannot talk about world peace without taking into account the well-being of the 1.3 billion Chinese people. To help in providing needed jobs, technology and income, I am now building in China one of the world’s largest automobile assembly plants. This is another aspect of our effort to bring world peace.
Furthermore, as you may know, in 1981 I launched an International Peace Highway project. When completed, this highway will allow a family to drive from Tokyo to London. I am seriously discussing the project with the governments of Japan, Korea and China, and I hope that the Soviet Union will also welcome this project.
Of course, this is a lofty dream. Every great undertaking begins as a dream. Not so long ago, no one could have even dreamt of people walking on the moon, yet with vision and hard work, it became a reality. So it will be with the International Peace Highway.
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