As I looked at this year’s works, it seemed that the heart and passion of the children to end the culture of war and to be friends with peace forever was greater than ever. The youth who participated in the International Loving-Peace Art Competition presented various ideas and concrete images they had on how to achieve peace as if they were the owners of the era of peace that is to come.

This event, as promised in the first hosting, is an international drawing competition and so its purpose and meaning feels even greater. The International Loving-Peace Art Competition will continue to develop further and establish itself as a contest that will lead all children around the world into a culture of peace. It will remain forever in history as the light of peace. I hope we adults will create a world of peace as soon as possible and pass it on to our children, and our children who inherit the world of peace will grow stronger with the roots of peace.

There were so many protagonists of peace participating in this contest and I would like to express my gratitude to the parents gracing the occasion. All the children and youth who attended the contest must become the heroes of peace as drawn in the pictures. However, one thing that is unfortunate for this international event is that the children and youth of North Korea were unable to join. However, I am sure that the aspirations of peace of youth from all over the world will be a catalyst for children and young people from North Korea to participate. I am sure that day will come soon.

I am convinced that in this age, the winds of peace that have come upon us will bring about world peace along with the unification of the Korean Peninsula, and that all mankind and nature will be restored to their original peace. In addition, IWPG promises to create the world of peace as drawn on the drawing by the family of peace. Thank you.

October 2019 · Hyun Sook Yoon

The International Loving-Peace Art Competition was participated by 6,473 elementary, middle, and high school students from 41 cities in 30 countries. Drawing pieces were evaluated in three rounds where pieces that pass the 1st and 2nd preliminary rounds were then sent to headquarters. The evaluation was done with consensus from the judges based on creativity, artistry, originality, conception, expression, and completeness. If the pieces were of the same quality, then the piece with the highest level of completeness was chosen. Through the 3rd round, the last round, 36 pieces were chosen to be awarded the award of recognition, one from each country. There were 6 chosen for 3rd place, 3 for 2nd place, and 1 for 1st place, which was all unanimously agreed upon by the judges after careful deliberation. During the 2nd preliminaries, judges Mr. Il Hur, Ms. Eun Joo Choi, and myself were the judges. For the finals, Mr. Soon Gyu Hwang, Vice-President of the Korea Fine Arts Association, and French Artist, Mr. Frederic Couton, and myself were the judges.

The event for world peace begins with small fern like hands that does not discriminate whether it is from a male or female, and the colors of longing for peace are colored with crayons on white canvases. When children’s hands start drawing on the theme of peace, they are transferred to their mothers and fathers, to their grandmothers and grandfathers, to their friends, and the buds of peace begin to grow and hope spreads all over the world and I hope everyone can live a peaceful life.

I feel unfortunate that we could not give an award to many students. But do not be disappointed but work on building your skills and participate again next year. And I send my congratulations to the students who earned the honorable title of an awardee.

Hans Küng, a religious scholar, emphasized “Without religious peace there is no world peace and without world peace there is no religious peace.” The International Loving-Peace Art Competition will lead in creating a world with the culture of peace. I hope it will play big role in achieving world peace and the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula.

There are no walls nor national borders to cultural arts. I hope that the ‘International Loving-Peace Art Competition’ will develop into cultural arts and will ring the bell of peace throughout the world.

October 2019 · Yang Hyung Lee

Children and the youth are the leaders to continue the world of peace. Therefore, education on the culture of peace through drawing is indispensable for children and youth. I am confident that through education on the culture of peace, the slogan, “we are one”, which awakens people around the world and unites religion, nation, and people as one, will be put into practice and bear results.

Peace is a state in which armed measures are not used to carry out national policy and there is no war between nations and people. It is a desire to leave only a monument of true and lasting peace through communication and empathy that conveys the news of peace in all parts of the world.

On the one hand, there must be an end to war for peace and love of the nation and the people. I am sure that this is the only way for humans born in our generation to achieve true peace without war, to leave an eternal legacy, and to lead to the light of life.

I look forward to today’s children and young winners to be united with each other in sacrifice and love for peace of mankind. We are confident that we will create a world of peace that we truly want.

True peace can be said when promises are gathered and the seed sprouts. Furthermore, with the power to save lives, we must all become one and cultivate the power to protect true peace that has been given by the heavens. To the winners! Congratulations.

October 2019 · Soon-kyu Hwang

As a supporter and volunteer of IWPG’s the 1st International Loving-Peace Art Competition to be successful, I would like to express surprise for Chairwoman Hyun Sook Yoon who carried out her promise during the 1st contest that the next one will be held internationally. It was not a mere promise with words but Chairwoman Hyun Sook Yoon, staff, and the IWPG members ran with effort to put those words into action. For that, I send my applause.

Everyone! From the 193 countries, how many nations are living in peace? Through the media or through statistics, we see that there are many countries in the world that are currently at war, and the reality is that many children and adolescents are suffering from it. We should give hope through a message of peace to the children and youth who are suffering from war and help them create peace with us. I am sure that one of the initiatives that play an important role in making this happen will be the International Loving-Peace Art Competition “Peace, let’s be friends!”.

Dear children! And dear youth! You are the protagonists of the age of world peace. To be a protagonist means that you cannot just wait for someone to do it for you. As you are the protagonist of the era of peace, you must play the role of a protagonist. We must be the messengers of peace and spread the culture of peace with the heart of a protagonist of peace. This is no small work and it will be a landmark that will color the world with peace.

I want to see the day when all the children of the world live as a youth without the pain of war. Thank you.

October 2019 · Jung Sook Moon