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South Korean Ministry of Unification sees results of ‘aliyah’ up close in Israel

To be prepared for a possible joining with North Korea, representatives from the South Korean Ministry of Unification came for a visit to learn effective methods of integrating new immigrants into their country.

A four-person delegation from the South Korean Ministry of Unification visited Israel to learn about incorporating new immigrants into the country. From left are: Lee Sangmi of the policy-planning division; Kim Yoojin, director of the policy-planning division; Kang Heechan, deputy director of the policy coordination division; and Kuem Sungho, deputy director and lawyer of the policy-planning division. Credit: Photo courtesy of Nefesh B'Nefesh.
A four-person delegation from the South Korean Ministry of Unification visited Israel to learn about incorporating new immigrants into the country. From left are: Lee Sangmi of the policy-planning division; Kim Yoojin, director of the policy-planning division; Kang Heechan, deputy director of the policy coordination division; and Kuem Sungho, deputy director and lawyer of the policy-planning division. Credit: Photo courtesy of Nefesh B’Nefesh.

Nefesh B’Nefesh hosted a four-person delegation on Monday from the South Korean Ministry of Unification, the government office that is preparing to handle the possible future integration of North and South Korea.

To be prepared for a possible joining of the two countries, the Ministry of Unification is seeking to learn effective methods of integrating new immigrants into their country by meeting with representatives from a variety of aliyah organizations over the course of their visit to Israel, including Nefesh B’Nefesh.

Members of the delegation include head of delegation Kim Yoojin, director of the policy-planning division; Kuem Sungho, deputy director and lawyer of the policy-planning division; Kang Heechan, deputy director of the policy coordination division; and Lee Sangmi of the policy-planning division.

“It was very impressive to see the emotional support and the customization of the service provided to the immigrants, as well as the level of service that is provided by the organization,” said Kim, director of the policy-planning division.

Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and executive director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, replied that “it is truly humbling to know that the dedication and hard work Nefesh B’Nefesh has put in to assisting olim [new immigrants] from North America and the United Kingdom has received recognition from the international community as a benchmark of success to strive towards when setting up a similar program for a vastly different population.

“We hope that the meeting was informative and will assist with preparations towards the unification of North and South Korea,” he said. “We wish the South Korean Ministry of Unification lots of success in this incredible venture and look forward to helping them with this transition as much as possible.”

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