By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Roufida Abouelwafa from Egypt

According to a 2017 Korea Institute for National Unification poll, 57.8 percent of respondents have said that, "We really need unification." Regarding the survey question, "Do we still need reunification, even if the ROK and the DPRK could peacefully coexist?" 46 percent agreed and 32 percent disagreed.

For some, the idea of reunification could be just numbers, while for others it's not related to politics or numbers. For some others, however, it could simply mean seeing their families or an earnest desire to be buried in their hometown.

The media focuses on differences, disputes and other tensions in the news featuring South and North Korea, neglecting the fact that there is a lot of common stories, traditions and heritage because, after all, both countries shared a history for a couple of thousand of years.

As someone who believes in world peace, I want to throw the highlight onto the common set of heritage, traditions and habits between the two Koreas. To start things off, both countries share some of the same holidays, such as Lunar New Year's Day, Liberation Day on Aug. 15 and the Chuseok Mid-Autumn Festival. Although there are slight differences, usually both of the nations celebrate these in similar ways.

When it comes to food, both countries share similar tastes and sometimes the same recipes. Some think that this is attributed to the fact that recipes have been passed down from one generation to another. Even habits around the dining table are the same. Elders eat first, which takes us to the next common aspect, the ways in which people in both countries respect elders and prioritize them.

As former U.S. President Ronald Reagan said, “Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” So I hope the upcoming 2018 Inter-Korean Summit will be a big step toward peace.

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.