The 1st Annual Commemoration of September 18th WARP Summit

The 1st Annual Commemoration of the WARP Summit was hosted in Seoul, South Korea by a non-profit peace organization called HWPL. As we already know, HWPL has been making progressive impact around the world since the WARP Summit of last year. We also have been seeing more peace activities around the world even in the midst of various civil wars and conflicts.

Following the grand opening ceremony in the World Peace Gate, multiple conferences were held the next day to discuss the steps towards cessation of war and achievement of world peace. In the meeting, the participants signed a statement to urge for the implementation of an international convention on the cessation of war and achievement of world peace. Although it may be just a piece of paper with a signature that one may use for all purpose to represent himself or herself, when they are gathered together to create a pile to a bigger pile and to multiple piles, this statement with multiple signatures will become a powerful tool to express the voice of the people who live in the world. It is not only just one group of people, who want peace, but multiple and different groups from different backgrounds supporting peace. Although HWPL does not have the equal power as The United Nations or even one country, the organization has the power to gather different people and it has the power to bring and unify them under one. And their cause is not for one person's benefit, it is the benefit for all, regardless of what background they may come from, the thought they have inside and the action that they show reflect their identity. It is based on the his or her action that one person must be judged by, not by what people say.

We see the vision and the action of Mr. Man Hee Lee, Chairwoman Nam Hee Kim, and the members of the HWPL through what they have done in the past year. They made effort to bring religions together into harmony. This recent event became a checkpoint for the organization HWPL and for the rest of us on where we are right now in respect to achieving world peace. It has reconfirmed our passion and enthusiasm to resolve these problems we had for hundreds of years that we let it pass for our own personal greed.

In the generation of this new millennium, I hope that we will be able to see a change compared to the past. It has only been 15 years. Compared to the last millennium, I think we are doing better, but I think we can accomplish more. I hope the HWPL movement becomes the spark that lights up the world.