Friendship Hike

[Anchor Lead]

Even as military tensions remain high between South and North Korea, college students from South Korea and those who had escaped from North Korea, as well as South Korean Navy sailors, got together to pray for peace and promote friendship at Mount Hallasan in Jeju Island.

[Pkg]

A group of young people starts hiking up the mountain. As they climb up, the hiking trail got rougher and the rain and wind more severe. They were college students from South and North Korea as well as South Korean naval sailors taking part in an inter-Korean communication camp. It took them four hours of helping and encouraging one another to finally reach the summit.

[Soundbite] Kim Song-ryong (North Korean Escapee & College Student) : "I was moved by the fact that we all made it to the top by helping each other and not giving up."

The participants who flew to Jeju Island on an Air Force cargo plane got a chance to experience military life and share their thoughts for three days. In particular, the story of Commander Lee Hee-wan, who took command of his ship despite sustaining a serious injury during the Second Yeonpyeong naval battle in 2002, left deep impressions on a North Korean college student who had been a soldier for the regime at the time.

[Soundbite] Jang Thaek-geun (North Korean Escapee & College Student) : "It was heartbreaking. I was a soldier back then. It's as if enemies have met. I was very sorry.

Feeling a lot closer, they at last reached the summit of Hallasan Mountain together.

[Soundbite] Kim Ye-sol (Konkuk Univ. Student) : "I think working together as one like this is a small unification. Next time I want to climb up Baekdusan Mountain from the North Korean side."

Despite the rainy weather, the young people sang a song of unification in unison at the top of Hallasan Mountain.

[Soundbite] "Our wish is unification even in our dreams!"