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At both ends of Eurasia, political separation is a common experience of Koreans and Europeans. In the early days of the so-called Cold War, both Europe and Korea were politically divided, tearing apart families, businesses and civil society. Nevertheless, cultural and linguistic ties and national identities were preserved. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Central and Eastern European countries gradually joined the European Union from 2004 on. However, the division of the Korean peninsula remains to this day and attracts worldwide attention.
In this context, KEYLI aims to expand beyond Korea-Germany relations to encompass broader Korea-Europe connections. Working with the European Prayer Breakfast, it will build an extensive network while pursuing the three values of prayer, international development cooperation, and peace promotion—with juniors leading and seniors supporting. The organization will center its activities around the annual German National Prayer Breakfast, coordinating both online and offline initiatives throughout the year.
Learning Community: The Korean European Young Leaders Initiative (KEYLI) is a platform of young leaders from South Korea and Europe to foster dialogue and personal exchange. Jointly discussing the responsibility before God and mankind of each individual and the emerging generation, young adults are encouraged to take action to enrich Europe, Korea and beyond.
Spiritual Encounters: The role model of Jesus of Nazareth and his principles guide through the encounters. Sharing personal stories and experiences, highlighting how to follow Jesus’ example in everyday life, work and political activism, lies at the centre of the encounters.
Building Bridges: KEYLI is a joint undertaking of the New Center for One Korea (NCOK) and the Young Adults in Responsibility, as part of the German Prayer Breakfast Initiative. Regular community meetings, mentoring partnerships and encounters with persons in responsibility will ensure sustainable growth and continuous discipleship of the group of young leaders following Jesus. After a successful pioneering phase, KEYLI extends its community of young leaders from Europe, South Korea and ultimately North Korea.
KEYLI strives to achieve the following goals:
Norway Gathering, Feb 2024
European Korean Encounter at European Prayer Breakfast, Dec 2023