Dr. Jai Ryu was born in North Korea. He was still a boy when his father left North Korea. His son, Marcus Ryu sometimes wonders how different life would be if were born in North Korea.
Today Dr. Ryu, a professor emeritus at Loyola University and his son Marcus Ryu, CEO of Guidewire are working to bring the dream of One Korea to life, drawing strength from the conviction that the Korean people are one people with a shared history and culture. Marcus Ryu donated 1 million dollars to support the launch of the New Unification Song Campaign at the Lincoln Memorial in 2015. The campaign has grown to become the 1K Global Peace Concert.
Professor Ryu said, “Our forefathers lost national sovereignty and let Korea be divided because they didn’t have power. However, now South Korea has become a strong nation. So South Korea should bring North Korea to the path for unification. I resonated with the cause to inspire young people who have little interest in the unification issue through music. That is why I asked my son to contribute.”
The first New Unification Song, “One Dream, One Korea” was released in 2015 composed by Hyung Seok Kim, and writer Ms. Eana Kim. The music video featured 33 Top K-Pop singers.