Tsushima, Japan – From May 19 to 22, 2024, UPF-International conducted a field inspection tour to Tsushima Island, Iki Island, and Fukuoka, Japan. Leaders and staff from UPF-International were joined by representatives of the World Peace Road Foundation and two photographers. The purpose of the trip was to explore options for building a Future Leaders Network of youth ambassadors for peace from Korea and Japan.
On the first day the team visited Busan, the city on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula nearest the place where the proposed Japan-Korea Undersea Tunnel will emerge.
On the second day they visited Tsushima Island, the site where an exploration shaft for the tunnel has been excavated. There they were joined by a representative of Dan-chan, a Japan-Korea friendship club in Fukuoka. The club is a group of about 50 young people who support the tunnel initiative and promote interaction between Korean and Japanese youth.
Dan-chan's YouTube channel has highlighted that the Japan-Korea Undersea Tunnel project will do more than connecting the two countries physically. It will facilitate all kinds of exchanges, including economic, technological, educational and cultural. Dan-chan emphasizes that despite differences in language, culture, nationality, and perspective, mutual understanding can be fostered through such exchanges.
Next the team visited the Japan-Korea Undersea Tunnel project site office on Iki Island. While the small office is not currently in use, it is equipped with water and electricity and ready to be activated to support the tunnel project.
On the fourth day they moved to the project’s Fukuoka office, to discuss future plans and prospects for advancing the tunnel construction, connecting Tsushima, Iki Island, and Fukuoka.
The Japan-Korean Undersea Tunnel is a link in the International Highway project proposed in 1981 by UPF founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon. It envisions that, on the Korean side, the road through the tunnel will link to a highway running through South and North Korea, and a broader transportation network leading to Europe and beyond.
As this is a long-term, visionary project that requires collaboration between governments and peoples, UPF aims to advance this vision by enlisting support among young people, organizing a network of youth ambassadors for peace who share a commitment to bridging differences and spreading a sense of community among the peoples of the world.
To this end, it is planning various forums, symposiums and experiential projects for young people.
