Counting the Stars of the Pacific: Speaking of Peace Beyond Division, Nuclear Threats, and the Climate Crisis

Seoul, South Korea – May 8-10, 2025, a special photo exhibition titled “Counting the Stars of the Pacific” was held at the Yeongdeungpo Cultural Center. The event was hosted by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), an NGO with consultative status at UN ECOSOC, and co-hosted by the Korea Carbon Neutrality & Climate Change Foundation (KCCF).

The exhibition shed light on the resilience of Pacific communities, including those in the Marshall Islands scarred by nuclear testing and low-lying island nations threatened by rising sea levels, through powerful photographs and stories that captured their reality. Between 1946 and 1958, 67 nuclear tests conducted in the Pacific left deep scars: forced displacement, generations suffering from health issues, and severe environmental destruction. Today, as the climate crisis accelerates and sea levels rise, these communities face another existential threat.

One of the highlights of the event was the peace lecture delivered on May 10 by Mr. Ryu Jaebok, Chairman of the Korean Association for Families Separated by War. Under the theme “Scars of War: Speaking of Peace Beyond Division and Nuclear Threats,” Mr. Ryu reflected on the pain of separated families, the trauma caused by war and nuclear weapons, and the universal longing for peace. He emphasized that “the wounds of war are not confined by borders. From the Korean Peninsula to the Pacific Islands, we share a common duty to heal, remember, and act for a more peaceful future.” He also stressed the necessity of preserving these memories and records, from the heartbreak of separated families to the suffering of nuclear test victims, so that they may be passed down and shared as a living call for peace. 

Visitors participated in guided tours and a peace message campaign, writing messages of support and solidarity for the people of the Pacific. Over 200 messages were collected and will be delivered to the government of the Marshall Islands, symbolizing a shared commitment to peace, solidarity, and mutual support between the people of Korea and the Pacific communities.

The “Legislate Peace” (LP) program is a global initiative aimed at promoting and supporting the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) and its implementation at the international level. By advocating for the establishment of an international legal framework for peace and disarmament, the program seeks to transform the core values of the DPCW into tangible outcomes through legal, institutional, and cultural means.