Dong-A Pharmaceutical President Choi Ho-jin shakes hands with Minhwahyeop Chairman Kim Hong-geol after signing an MOU on the pharmaceutical company’s program for inter-Korea college students’ march across the Korean Peninsula at the Minwhahyeop Office in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on Jan. 22. (Photo: Dong-A Pharmaceutical)

Dong-A Pharmaceutical signed an MOU with Minhwahyeop, a pan-national consulting committee of inter-Korean reconciliation, to hold an inter-Korea march across the Korean Peninsula with college students as part of inter-Korean civilian exchange programs.

 
The pharmaceutical company’s president, Choi Ho-jin, and Minhwahyeop Chairman Kim Hong-geol participated in a ceremony to strike the agreement that took place at the Minhwahyeop Office in Mapo-gu, Seoul that took place on Jan. 22.

Under the agreement, Dong-A Pharmaceutical and Minhwahyeop will cooperate in matters related to the hosting of the march across the Korean Peninsula, including support for holding the program and external liaison as well as communication with North Korean counterparts and the implementation of the program.

A delegation from Dong-A Pharmaceutical and Minhwahyeop was scheduled to tour North Korea from Feb. 12 to 13 to discuss details, including the holding of an inter-Korean college students’ march across two Koreas, including participants of the program and the course of the march.

A Dong-A Pharmaceutical official said, “An inter-Korean college students’ march is hoped to serve as an opportunity for South and North Korean college students to meet, understand, and know each other.” The official also expressed hope Dong-A Pharmaceutical will succeed in hosting an inter-Korean college students’ march in cooperation with Minhwahyeop, thus contributing to the improving of inter-Korean relations in the future.

The signing of the agreement came following a meeting among South and North Korean committees of Minhwahyeop at Mt. Geumgang last November. Dong-A Pharmaceutical President Choi Ho-jin was a member of a South Korean delegation who toured North Korea last Nov. 3 to 4 to discuss the possible selection of the students’ march across the nation as part of the designated inter-Korean civilian exchange programs.

Dong-A Pharmaceutical President Kim was among the South Korean delegates at a meeting of both sides of Minhwahyeop, a pan-national consulting committee of inter-Korean reconciliation that took place at Mt. Geumgang from Nov. 3 and 4.

The meeting was designed to put into practice the Panmunjeom Declaration following April 28 inter-Korean summit and the Pyongyang Joint Declaration the Sept. inter-Korean summit.

South Korean college students have so far engaged in their march across South Korea.
Dong-A Pharmaceutical’s college students’ march was launched at a recommendation of Dong-A Socio Holdings Group Honorary Chairman Kang Shin-ho in 1998.

The march has been made annually without interruption. For the 2018 March, the 21st rendition of walkathon, 266,662 college students applied for their participation, but only 3,001 students were allowed to take part.

Participants walked an accumulative distance of 12,031 km, an equivalent of 15-time round trips of the about 400 km-long distance between Seoul and Busan.

Dong-A Pharmaceutical Puts ‘Jelly with Baccus Flavor’ on Market

Dong-A Pharmaceutical has released a jelly containing the tastes and scents of the nation’s No.1 household energy drink, Bacchus.

“Jelly with Baccus flavor” was released on the market on Feb. 3. It is designed to enhance the familiarity, or intimacy, of the brand Baccus and contribute to customers’ health by providing it as a side dish, Dong-A Pharmaceutical officials said.
A bag of the jelly with Baccus favor contains 1,000mg of taurine, a material believed to relieve fatigue, like the energy drink Baccus F. The jelly product also contains vitamins B1. B2 and B6, contributing to easing fatigue.