
The Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA, Director Lee Sang-deok) and the Overseas Koreans Cooperation Center (OKOCC, Director Kim Young-geun) hosted the 2024 7th Next-Generation Koreans Homeland Invitation Program (Winter Session). On January 15, 251 middle and high school students from 31 countries visited the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan to commemorate the 80th anniversary of liberation.
At the “105 Steps Memorial”, participants honored the sacrifices of their ancestors through a wreath-laying and moment of silence. The ceremony included representatives such as Kim Sa-hee (17, Japan), granddaughter of the independence activist Im Jong-gu, and Kang Artur (18, Russia), a descendant of independence activist Kang Byung-il.
Go Eun-chae (17, China), a descendant of Colonel Go Geun-hong, who was killed in the Battle of Dabudong during the Korean War, remarked, “This was an opportunity to deeply feel the resilience of our people who navigated turbulent modern history.”
Kang Artur, a third-generation Korean born in Russia, shared, “I’ve been learning Korean for seven years because I always wanted to visit Korea. Using the Korean phone my parents gave me as a birthday gift made me dream of visiting this country even more. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to visit the land of my great-grandparents.”
Director Kim Young-geun stated, “This year, we plan to invite 2,600 next-generation overseas Koreans across 10 or more sessions, offering diverse programs to share the significance of the 80th anniversary of liberation. We encourage active participation in these homeland programs to strengthen their connection to Korea.”
https://newsk.net/korea/?idx=142579872&bmode=view
The Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA, Director Lee Sang-deok) and the Overseas Koreans Cooperation Center (OKOCC, Director Kim Young-geun) hosted the 2024 7th Next-Generation Koreans Homeland Invitation Program (Winter Session). On January 15, 251 middle and high school students from 31 countries visited the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan to commemorate the 80th anniversary of liberation.
At the “105 Steps Memorial”, participants honored the sacrifices of their ancestors through a wreath-laying and moment of silence. The ceremony included representatives such as Kim Sa-hee (17, Japan), granddaughter of the independence activist Im Jong-gu, and Kang Artur (18, Russia), a descendant of independence activist Kang Byung-il.
Go Eun-chae (17, China), a descendant of Colonel Go Geun-hong, who was killed in the Battle of Dabudong during the Korean War, remarked, “This was an opportunity to deeply feel the resilience of our people who navigated turbulent modern history.”
Kang Artur, a third-generation Korean born in Russia, shared, “I’ve been learning Korean for seven years because I always wanted to visit Korea. Using the Korean phone my parents gave me as a birthday gift made me dream of visiting this country even more. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to visit the land of my great-grandparents.”
Director Kim Young-geun stated, “This year, we plan to invite 2,600 next-generation overseas Koreans across 10 or more sessions, offering diverse programs to share the significance of the 80th anniversary of liberation. We encourage active participation in these homeland programs to strengthen their connection to Korea.”
https://newsk.net/korea/?idx=142579872&bmode=view