New unification education guidebooks prioritize peace in sync with Lee's initiative

▲ This Dec. 19, 2025, file photo shows President Lee Jae Myung attending a policy briefing session by the unification and foreign ministries. (Yonhap)

unification education-guidebook

New unification education guidebooks prioritize peace in sync with Lee's initiative

SEOUL, March 30 (Yonhap) -- Newly published unification guidebooks underscore the importance of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, the books showed Monday, drawing a contrast from those issued under the former conservative administration.

The National Institute for Unification Education released the 2026 editions of two guidebooks used as core references for unification education, marking the first update since President Lee Jae Myung took office in June last year.

This year's editions place greater emphasis on peace as a guiding value in pursuing unification, reflecting Lee's push to mend strained ties with North Korea and seek inter-Korean dialogue in an effort to ease tensions on the peninsula.

It marked a shift from last year's editions that stressed unification based on a liberal democratic basic order, in line with the former conservative administration of Yoon Suk Yeol, which focused on North Korea's denuclearization.

The books also laid out the government's unification vision for a democratic nation that respects universal values, such as freedom, equality and human rights, in contrast to last year's books which highlighted a vision for a liberal democratic country.

The section on North Korea's human rights situation was briefly covered in about four pages, compared with last year's guidebook which detailed information on the North's poor human rights circumstances across 19 pages.

On North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter, known as Ju-ae, the books said she is becoming more active, listing her attendance in key events, compared with last year's books which mentioned views there is a high possibility of her succeeding her father.

Since 2000, the institute has annually published such guidebooks to help people better understand the government's unification vision and North Korea's situations.

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