Historically, millions of people have been threatened with the loss of precious lives and safety due to war and violence, however, even still, there are only a few voices for solving the fundamental problem. The ‘International Loving-Peace Art Competition’ for children and adolescents was organized in the hope that not only adults but also our children and youth have the opportunity to contemplate the cessation of war and (realization of) peace.

This competition was much more moving than expected, and there were a lot of great pieces, so everyone was able to get a glimpse of a more promising future. For the judging of this international competition, Head Judge Yang Hyung Lee, Judge Iliwatu Danabere, and Judge Young Soo Lee, well-known domestic and international judges took time to look at and deliberate on all the pieces. What I felt while observing the final screening was that this year, especially in the midst of a pandemic, everyone helped each other with one heart and one mind, overcoming crises and building peace together.

As seen in all your (art) pieces, ‘peace’ is not difficult. When the world we live in is peaceful and safe, we too can enjoy peace. It is important to respect and consider each other in our lives, and to think about how people can live harmoniously without conflict. No matter how small the action, it is important to put it into action if it is something that I can do. It is through your art that you spread awareness of the harms of war and the beauty of a peaceful world, and through your pieces, you have awakened many people’s hearts to convey a ‘culture of peace’.

Peaceful family who have been with us! You are the creators of a culture of peace and the protagonists who will lead the world of sustainable peace. I applaud you for your creativity and talents shown in this competition. I ask that you create peace with IWPG in the future. IWPG will surely practice peace with you so that peace can become a reality in this era in which we live. Thank you.

October 2021 · Former Chairwoman Hyun Sook Yoon, International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG)

The event for world peace grows year by year with increased participation and excellent creativity and expressiveness. The message of peace filled with hope is resounding all over the world, and the bells of peace seem to be ringing. It is believed that this message of peace will be reborn as the fruit of love of children and youths.

5,053 elementary, middle, and high school students from 28 countries participated in the 3rd International Loving-Peace Art Competition. The 3rd final screening, which passed the preliminary screening by each country or region and the 2nd screening, was conducted online. The judging criteria were evaluated by the judges in a fair and rigorous way based on creativity and artistry, suitability to the theme for peace, color, and completeness of the work.

In the 3rd round, 1 grand winner, 3 second place, 6 third place, and 9 award of recognition were selected. It was difficult to decide the best because all the works that participated in the 3rd International Loving-Peace Art Competition this year were excellent.

Congratulations and a round of applause to all recipients of this proud award. In addition to expressing deep consolation to children and youth who were unable to receive an award, I would like to inform that there was nothing lacking in the peace and artistic passion contained in all the submitted works to receive the grand award. I look forward to making further progress in the future and making great artistic progress.

I would like to express my gratitude to President Iliwatu Danabere of Timor-Leste and Professor Young Soo Lee of Korea, who were in charge of the final judging. I look forward to face-to-face screening from each country next year.

Religious scholar Hans Küng emphasized, “There is no world peace without religious peace, and world peace cannot be achieved without religious peace.” In the future, I hope that the ‘International Loving-Peace Art Competition’ will play a role in world peace and the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula as evangelists of peace culture and art around the world.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the heads of branches and staff around the world, including Hyun Sook Yoon, Chairwoman of the International Women’s Peace Group, who held the ‘Peace, Let’s Be Friends’ International Loving-Peace Art Competition.

October 2021
Head Judge Yang Hyung Lee (Standing Advisor of the Korean Fine Arts Association, Chairperson of the Gangwon-do Museum Council)
Judge Iliwatu Danabere (President of Timor-Leste Artists Association)
Judge Young Soo Lee (Professor Emeritus of Dankook University College of Arts)

Children and youth around the world are the main characters in realizing and sustaining world peace. Therefore, education of peace culture through drawing and art should be developed so that children and youth, the protagonists of peace, can spread peace to their heart’s content. Peace culture education such as IWPG’s International Loving-Peace Art Competition is expected to transcend national ideologies to unite humanity and realize the answer to peace.

In order to eliminate war in the world and to achieve world peace, armed forces must cease, and mankind must strive to commemorate peace, not war. I hope that the love and aspiration for peace of children and youth will become the cornerstone of peace, and that a monument to commemorate peace will be erected around the world.

Peace cannot be achieved in an instant, but I am convinced that peace in the world will surely come true if everyone continues to put in efforts, transcending generations and time.

I hope that the IWPG International Loving-Peace Art Competition, which sows the seeds of peace with ‘a motherly heart’, continues to develop in children and youth who are the protagonists of peace. We hope that the seeds of peace planted in the hearts of children and young people will grow into pillars of peace that protect world peace.

October 2021 · Bum Hyun Lee, Chairman, Federation of Artistic and Culture Organization of Korea

Looking at the work of the contestants, I could feel that peace was already in the hearts of all the children and youth who participated in the event. This will be a dream and hope for many children and young people around the world who are suffering from war and conflict even at this very moment.

Adults should not just say that children and youth are future “trees” but convey the message of peace in their stead through drawings. We must produce a culture of peace so that they can live in a peaceful world, and provide opportunities to grow in that culture.

The IWPG’s International Loving-Peace Art Competition is helping children and youth around the world to grow and develop peace in their hearts. I am confident that children and youth who have grown up with a culture of peace will become youths of peace who will become the leaders of a reassuring world of peace.

Children and youth! Be the hero of peace! Be a hope of peace to friends suffering from war and conflict! Peace is something we all have to make ourselves. If I become a stepping stone for my family and friends to become friends with peace, then war in the world will quickly disappear and only love and respect will exist.

I hope that a happy world of peace will unfold in the hearts of children and youths around the world, and I hope that the IWPG ‘International Loving-Peace Art Competition’ will develop further every year.

October 2021 · Gwang Su Lee, Director, Korean Fine Arts Association