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The forum has been made possible with the generous assistance of the Australia-Korea Foundation, part of the Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The theme - reunification
Korea has been divided into North (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and South Korea (the Republic of Korea) since the end of the Second World War in 1945 when victorious allied troops forced the occupying forces of Imperial Japan to surrender their 35-year colonial rule of the Korean peninsula.
The governments of the Soviet Union and the USA agreed to administer the peninsula jointly until it could reach independence, but ideological differences interfered and two different states were declared in 1948. This division led to the Korean War, which cemented the division.
Today North and South Korea are officially still at war although a ceasefire was declared between north and south in 1953. Since then the country has been divided along the 38th parallel by an area called the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Despite being now politically different entities, both Korean states proclaim eventual reunification as a goal - that is, the restoration of Korea as a single state - and millions of Koreans still yearn for unification.
For more information about reunification, visit the
Reference.com website.
Understanding issues - then and now
The National Museum of Australia's Talkback Classroom project provides an opportunity for young people to understand current issues in their historical context, teaching them that history (then) shapes our present (now).
Australia, through its participation in the Korean War, has played an important role in shaping the history of Korea. Commencing 21 June the four students will embark on a learning journey that will include travel to significant sites related to the history of war, armistice and efforts to reunify Korea.
Their eight-day investigation will include visits to Gapyong (formerly Kapyong), where 32 Australian soldiers died, and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. Today, Australia continues to contribute to the United Nations Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC). They will also travel to Busan (formerly Pusan) where they will visit the United Nations Memorial Cemetery and the island of Koje-do to see a prisoner-of-war museum.
The students will gain an understanding of reunification today through briefings with experts from the Ministry for Unification , the United Nations International Crisis Group in Seoul, academics, journalists and members of the National Assembly. The students will also meet with families divided by the 38th parallel and the relatives of abductees to better understand the effect of a divided Korea on the lives of the people.
EBS TV
The student investigation and forum will be the subject of a 70-minute documentary to be produced by Korea's Educational Broadcasting System television network (EBS). EBS will also host the forum on 3 July and provide a satellite link to the National Museum of Australia in Canberra where a student audience will be able to participate in the forum.
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