Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) is launching a full-scale “national policy proposal campaign” through the government communication platform “Woollim” ahead of the 107th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, inviting citizens to become direct designers of the country’s veterans affairs policies.
The campaign was planned to carry on the spirit of the March 1 Movement, when ordinary people rose up and became the masters of history by calling for Korea’s independence more than a century ago. It encourages today’s citizens to take part in proposing and discussing veterans policies that help define the nation’s identity.
■ Key focus: “Honoring the independence fighters of the future—together”
Through the campaign, VANK is calling for policy ideas from the public in the following areas:
- Reassessment of decorations for independence activists and elevation of honor grades: strengthening recognition for those whose achievements have been undervalued
- Inclusion of independence activists on national currency: specific measures to feature independence figures on Korean banknotes and coins
- Expanding a culture of remembrance in daily life: building a metaverse-based independence memorial hall for the digital generation and developing everyday goods inspired by veterans remembrance
- Preservation of overseas independence movement sites: systematic management and promotion of historical sites abroad that are being forgotten
■ How to participate: Using the national policy platform “Woollim”
Citizens who wish to take part can visit the national policy proposal platform “Woollim” (woollimkorea.net) and freely submit their ideas for veterans-related policies.
Proposed ideas will be shared publicly through expressions of support from other citizens and via VANK’s Instagram account. VANK plans to select outstanding proposals and officially deliver them to relevant government bodies, including the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
■ VANK: “Citizens are the true drivers of national policy”
Park Gi-tae, director of VANK, said, “The March 1 Movement was a declaration that the people themselves are the owners of the nation. Through this campaign, we hope to go beyond commemorating the sacrifices of independence activists and expand the role of citizens from passive policy recipients to co-designers of national governance.”
Kwon So-young, a researcher at VANK, added, “Through the ‘Woollim’ platform, VANK has drawn more than 3,500 citizen policy proposals so far. Recently, we have also expanded our efforts through the global policy platform ‘Weform,’ promoting Korea’s voice to the international community. We hope this event will serve as an opportunity to widely share the spirit of March 1—that citizens are the central actors in shaping policy.”