North and South Korea have been divided for over 70 years since August 1945, when there was divided control over the Korean peninsula. Since then, the relationship between the two countries has been marked by tension and rising hostility.
In hopes of bringing gestures of peace to North Korea and to help alleviate the tension between the two countries, Tongil 3000 Foundation (통일 3000) was created by Dr. Deukjae Oh.
Tongil, a Korean word, means “unity” in English. The founders of Tongil 3000 seek peace, and ultimately aspire for the split country becoming reunited -all through the act of donating bicycles for North Korean youth, including middle and high school students.
The goal is to send three thousand bicycles (hence, the name 3000) to help North Korean students commute to school and back home safely and conveniently. Anecdotally from people who have visited North Korea in recent years, bicycles are currently considered to be costly and are a valuable commodity to the locals.
“In the 1970’s and 1980’s in South Korea, students would ride their bikes to school. I saw my friends riding their bicycles d daily and this is where the inspiration to start this organization came to my mind. The overall effect we want from all the donations is to lessen the hostility between North and South Korea, which we hope will ultimately lead to peace.
There were many efforts in the past from South Korea to help out and care for the North Koreans. For example, it’s well-known that the South Korean gevernment donated rice to North Korea. We’re basically working for the same cause and trying to support North Koreans by donating bicycles instead of rice,” says Dr. Deukjae Oh, President of Tongil 3000 Foundation.
The organization partnered with Samchuly Bicycle Company, Korea’s top bicycle brand and also a household name, to produce and send bicycles directly to North Korea from a factory in China. Samchuly in English translates to “three thousand bicycle company” which is also well-fitting with the goals that Tongil 3000 set out for, which is to donate three thousand bicycles.
“We started planning for this around two to three years ago and started executing on it just about a year ago. Right now, we aren’t able to send bicycles because we need UN’s approval for the go ahead to ship the bikes directly to the North Korean government. We’re currently preparing for this next step while waiting for restrictions to loosen up,” says Dr. Oh. Dr. Oh says that one of the most frequent questions he re ceived was around how the do nated bicycles are guaranteed to be received by North Korean students. To make sure that the donations are going to good use and the students definitely re ceive their bicycles, Tongil 3000 Foundation has partnered with a branch of the North Korean gov ernment to facilitate the delivery of their bicycles. Anyone can participate in Tongil 3000’s effort for peace and unity by simply donating to the cause. A $100 donation can produce a single bicycle, which means that the organization is raising a total of $300,000. They are currently taking checks as well as payment through Venmo, Zelle, and Paypal. For more in formation on donating, visit https://www.myonekorea.com/. “There’s a Korean say ing that says you can’t spit on smiling faces. Our goal really is peace between the two nations and we’re happy to contribute to this effort with a peaceful ges ture of donating bicycles. We believe that if we’re donating bicycles with good intentions, it will be received positively by the North Korean students. We are aware that these students are the next generation of North Koreans and they may hold the key to the future rela tions between North and South Korea. Most importantly, we want North Korean people and students to know that there are Koreans outside of North Korea who care for them and are think ing of them,” says Dr. Oh.
SARAH HWANG
Journalist
