Participating college students pose for a group photo session at a ceremony to launch the 21st College Students’ March across the nation, hosted by Dong-A Pharmaceutical on July 29. (Photo: Dong-A Pharmaceutical)

Dong-A Pharmaceutical President Choi Ho-jin toured North Korea from Nov. 3 to 4 to discuss the possible selection of the pharmaceutical company’s program for college students’ march across the nation as part of inter-Korean civilian exchange programs.

Dong-A Pharmaceutical President Kim was among the South Korean delegates at a meeting of both sides of Minhwahyeop, a pan-national consulting committee of inter-Korean reconciliation that took place at Mt. Geumgang from Nov. 3 and 4.

The meeting was designed to put into practice the Panmunjeom Declaration following April 28 inter-Korean summit and the Pyongyang Joint Declaration the Sept. inter-Korean summit.

Both sides of Minhwahyeop held talks on diverse sectors such labor, farmers, youth, students, women, religion and culture.

It was the first time that Minhwahyeop resumed talks in 10 years.
Chances are high both sides of Minhwahyeop could reach an agreement to expand inter-Korean civilian exchanges in the political and cultural areas. An issue of college students’ march across the Korean Peninsula was proposed as one of the inter-Korean college students’ exchange programs.

South Korean college students have so far engaged in their march across South Korea.

Dong-A Pharmaceutical President Choi was among the South Korean delegates to discuss an idea of pushing inter-Korean college students’ march across the Korean Peninsula that had been floated.

President Choi said, “College students march across the land of South Korea has been made for more than 20 years, I’ve dreamed of a full-fledged march through the Korean Peninsula and I now feel filled with emotions with hope that it could come true.”

Choi said the march, being made under the slogan, “We’re Only One” is designed to learn a value of co-existence, and a process in which South and North Korean youths could understand each other while walking together is hoped to serve as a pump priming of harmony and unification.

Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s college students’ march was launched at a recommendation of Dong-A Socio Holdings Group Honorary Chairman Kang Shin-ho in 1998 to inject college students struggling with hardships of economic recession with a challenging spirit and confidence. The march has been made annually without any interruption.

For the 2018 March, the 21st rendition of walkathon, 266,662 college students applied for their participation, but only 3,001 students were allowed to take part in.

Participants walked an accumulative distance of 12,031 km, an equivalent of 15-time round trips of the about 400 km-long distance between Seoul and Busan.