Peaceful Unification Advisory Council Appoints Over 2,000 New Members, Plans Overseas Expansion

SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council (PUAC), a presidential advisory body on unification, recently appointed over 2,000 additional members and is planning an overseas expansion, a council official said Wednesday.

Bang Seung-yong, the council's secretary general, said 2,176 new advisers have been appointed at home and abroad to "strengthen activities by region and expand consensus on peace," speaking at the opening ceremony of the 22nd Eurasia Regional Assembly in Incheon, west of Seoul.

The new appointments brought the council's total number of advisers to a record 25,000, Bang said. The positions are honorary and unpaid.

He also mentioned the council's plans to restructure its overseas operations, expanding the number of regional assemblies from five to eight.

"An amendment to the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council Act aimed at increasing the number of vice-chairs is currently under review at the National Assembly to support the expansion plan," he added.

The council is a constitutional presidential advisory body tasked with promoting peaceful unification through policy consultation, public consensus building and international outreach. President Lee Jae Myung serves as its chair, with Kang Chang-il, a four-term lawmaker and former ambassador to Japan from 2021-22, serving as vice chair.