Representing Korea at the 2023 Global Youth Summit

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The 2023 Global Youth Summit

The 2023 Global Youth Summit was an event held in the International Youth Center in Seoul, South Korea centered around the main theme of “Harmony of Global Youths Towards a Sustainable Future,” with the following background and objectives.

[Background] Providing opportunities for mutual understanding and empathy among youth, who are the future generation, to resolve various conflicts that are intensifying worldwide
[Objective] ① Establishing a platform for face-to-face global youth exchange that builds a network for future generations ② Strengthening global youth capabilities through discussions and training activities on the theme ③ Deriving joint cooperation measures on global issues and conveying them to the international community in order to expand youth participation opportunities ④ Creating an opportunity for South Korea to leap as a hub of global youth-related issues through successful hosting of the Summit

Joined by more than 130 youths from 47 countries, each group, focusing on a given subtopic, met before and throughout the event for a total of two pre-discussions and four group discussions to complete a brochure and recommendation. The five subtopics covered, of which I selected Topic 3, were:

Topic 1.

Building Resilience in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Topic 2.

Empowering the Right to Learn in a Digital Society

Topic 3.

Establishing Social Environments for the Safe and Healthy Development of the Youths

Topic 4.

The Role of Youth in Respecting and Spreading Cultural Diversity and Value

Topic 5.

Creating Youth Culture in a Digital Society

Kick-off Ceremony and Program Schedule

During the kick-off ceremony (발대식) on June 24, Korean participants were briefed on the program schedule of the summit and important reminders to keep during the event. Here, I was elected as the Representative of Korean Participants (한국참가자 대표). Key details and zones for the summit, while held offline, were also made available in a metaverse format on ZEP.

Pre-Discussions

As a member of Group 8 covering Topic 4, “The Role of Youth in Respecting and Spreading Cultural Diversity and Value,” we voted a group leader and secretary and worked on a comprehensive pre-assignment outlining issues related to the given subtopic in our respective countries. For your reference, you can find my paper here.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 2023 Global Youth Summit, held on Day 2, was attended by the Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the President of the National Council of Youth Organizations in Korea, alongside special lecturers, Professor Edo Andriesse of Seoul National University and Professor Chang Dong Yoo of KAIST. I also had the opportunity to give a speech regarding the importance of the summit as one led by future leaders from all around the world as the Representative of Korean Participants.

Group Discussions, Brochure, Recommendation

During the summit itself, our group worked on formulating a comprehensive, globally applicable list of issues and solutions based on the work we had individually completed through the pre-assignments, designing a brochure. The two groups working on the same topic then met up to combine our ideas and draft a recommendation.

The recommendations that all groups worked on were then presented in two summit sessions: Summit I, moderated by the Representative and Vice-Representative of Korean Participants for its drafts and Summit II for the final iterations which were voted upon. Our brochure, together with Group 7, was also voted as the best brochure!

Group 8.pdf

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Outdoor Activities

The summit also included various outdoor activities for participants, such as archery, drumming (nanta), pottery, and gypsum craft at the National Youth Center of Korea on Day 4; a visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace with Hanok, Seoul N Tower, and the National Museum of Korea; and contemporary places such as HiKR Ground, Seocho Youth Center, Seoul Smart Center and EBS on Days 5 and 6.

Of these activities, I participated in archery and pottery on Day 4 and visited Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul N Tower, and HiKR Ground on Days 5 and 6. I had a great time trying out these cultural experiences, most of which I had never tried before as a Korean!

Closing Ceremony

During the closing ceremony on Day 6, after the final recommendations were presented and given to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, I received my certificate of participation wearing hanbok. You can find a picture of our very own Korean participants below as well: