March of Ordeal Story of North Korean Defectors

Study on 'Humanities for Unification' started to find a new paradigm for unification under the reality of separated nation. Existing discussions about unification is conducting based on the premise of systematic, politic, and economic integration, and the reality is that it actually is fluctuating by the times.
Humanities for Unification agreed on that the social-scientific discussion on unification has political and ideological limitations. Therefore, the Humanities for Unification can be a new field of study trying to identify unification issue in Korean peninsula and to find solutions for the issue based on people-centered idea of humanism.

Human-centered discussion on unification can be understood as a concept largely expanded from the existing discussion on the issue. That is, the concept is not limited in Korean peninsula geographically but to include all Korean Diaspora. Thus, it includes both South and North Koreans as well as 7 millions of Korean people all over the world. Furthermore, it is not just satisfied with research activity only focusing on 'Unification as a result' but to aim at 'Unification as a whole process'. Therefore, the concept aims at not only the point of unification but also pursues integration of people which must be solved in the course of social integration after the unification.

Thus, Humanities for Unification suggests 'communication, healing, and integration' as the main methodology. Based on spirit of humanism, it applies communication among social classes as well as individuals as the primary method. This kind of communication is possible by accepting difference between you and I and exploring common factors in the difference and by utilizing those factors. To do that, we need to identify reality of division trauma and to find out solutions to cure it.

First of all, we can cure the division trauma that can be a cause of confliction between people by taking division narrative, which is hidden in the history, in which we gave unforgettable wound each other, out to the world and by suggesting combined narrative as a solution. And by intergrating systems and ideologies settled down in our society and by managing common things and differences in ideology, emotion and in living that lie in our everyday life, we hope that the integration of life can be expanded to social integration.