Into the LightThe Mission of Okhwan Yoon

남북 통일세계 평화

Into the LightThe Mission of Okhwan Yoon

Okhwan wishes to acknowledge the help

and support given to him by many people

throughout his journey.

Compiled by Sarah Marshall

Who is Okhwan Yoon?

Okhwan Yoon is a Korean man who has cycled through 192 countries since 2001. The motivation behind his journey stems from his desire for a unified Korea. Okhwan received his first bike when he was six years old and started to cycle around the rooms of his family home. His mother raised him to be independent and to express his convic-tions. In his teenage years, after coming back from school, he would ride around the villages near Seoul until it got dark. He wondered who lived behind the mountains and what it looked like there. From this, his cycling territory became the whole world. 1984, Okhwan was arrested while demon-strating against South Korea's military regime and was tortured by police forces. He chose to study law, graduated university in 1987 and in 1991 started a trading company. In 2001 he left Korea, aban-doned his suit and tie for cycling gear, gave up the search for family life and quit his career as a suc-cessful businessman to experience the world. He has survived car crashes, malaria, kidnapping and he almost lost his life from extreme heat and cold. All this to support his quest for a more peaceful world.

Okhwan’s Dream

"I have a dream that one day there will be a united Korea and a united world. North and South Korea represent the last country that is divided by ideology. When Korea is finally reunited it will be a great step towards world peace.

I'm convinced that the meaning of the world peace is to understand and respect each others’ ideology, culture, religion, language, and identity. Understanding one another forms a deep connection from heart to heart, society to society, and border to border.

I wish to witness a united Korean peninsula in my lifetime with all my dear friends throughout the world. With strong support my dream of uniting Korea can come true.

We have faced great challenges this generation but it is our duty to help raise our children in a more peace-ful world. Face to face, hand to hand, shoulder to shoulder, side by side we can defeat this hatred and make our only world beautiful."

-Okhwan Yoon

“This is one movement of a tiny person who is living in this tinyplanet.”

-Okhwan Yoon

South Korea China Russia South Korea China

Northern Ethiopia, 2005

Vietnam Laos Thailand Cambodia

Republic of Djibouti, 2005

Malaysia Singapore Bangladesh India

Myanmar, 2006

Pakistan Iran Turkey Bulgaria Greece

Seychelles, 2007

Italy Tunisia Algeria Spain France

“This is one of my obligations to dedicate myself to unify Korea.”

-Okhwan Yoon

Monaco Italy Switzerland

Liechte

nstein

Argentina, 2007

“We must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

A

ustria

Germany Czech Republic

Polan

d

Uruguay, 2007

Lith

uania

La

tvia

Estonia Finland

Fifth car accident, Brazil, 2007

Sweden Norway Denmark Germany Netherlands

“I have been struck by cars five times. Six times surgery.”-Okhwan Yoon

Luxembourg Belgium France England

Scotland Ireland

Canada

New Zealand

Indonesia, 2007

South Sudan, 2007

Australia Japan South Korea Uzbekistan

Srilanka, 2007

Turkmenistan

Azerbaijan

Georgia Ukraine

“The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”

-William James

Philippines, 2007

Moldova Romania Serbia

Bosnia-Herczeg

South Coast, Korea, 2007

Croatia Slovenia Italy Switzerland France

“I was born in South Korea, but North Korea is also my country. This is a global issue.”

-Okhwan Yoon

Portugal

Spain

Morocco

W

ester

n Saha

ra

Ecuador, 2008

“There never was a good war or bad peace.”

-Benjamin Franklin

M

auritania Senegal Gambia G

uinea-Biss

au

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”

-John Lennon

Guine

a

Sierra

Leone Liberia Guinea Mali

Ecuador, 2008

“During my travels I constantly wondered why we are so uncivilized and unenlight-ened. I encountered so much torture, star-vation and genocide, but it strengthened me. If there is no sunshine we will all freeze. We are all passengers on a tiny planet, this sta-tion we call planet earth. Life is short and we stay here for a brief time, but we must all live together in peace despite our di!erences.”

-Okhwan Yoon

Burkina Faso Cote d’Ivo

ire

Ghana Togo Benin

Caracas, Venezuela, 2008

Nigeria Cameroon Central African Republic Cameroon

Slovakian students. Bratislava, Slovakia, 2011

Equatorial Guinea Gabon Republic of the Congo

Peru, 2008

Democratic Republic of the Congo Angola Namibia Botswana

“Many people in the world look like grains of sand on the beach or stars in the sky. I have seen all di!erent colors of night sky.”

-Okhwan Yoon South Africa Lesotho Swaziland Zimbabwe Mozambique

Colombia, 2008

Malawi Tanzania Burundi Rwanda Uganda

Mexico, 2008

South Sudan Kenya Ethiopia Djibouti Somalia

“For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it, one must work for it.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

D

jibou

ti

E

ritre

a

Egypt

Jordan Israel Syria

Bolivia, 2008

“Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one.”

-John Lennon

Lebano Syria Kuwait Bahrain Qatar UAE

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

-Jimi Hendrix

Oman Yemen Oman UAE Iran

Bolivia, 2008

Nepal, 2010

A

fghanistan

Tajikistan

Uzbekistan K

yrgyzstan Kazakhstan

China Mongolia China South Korea Taiwan

Nepal, 2010

Slovakia, 2011

Philippines Palau Malaysia I

ndonesia East Timur

“One early morning I am sitting at Cyprus airport and a thought runs through my head–“ I established the pro-duction company ‘Filmpark’ in order to tell stories that would inspire people. After 11 years, the time has come to live my dream. I am falling asleep. When I open my eyes I don’t know how much time has passed, and an Asian guy is looking straight into my face and asking me to take a picture of him standing in front of a sign reading Cyprus on it for his friends abroad. He begins telling me his story. His name: Okhwan Yoon. I am wide awake and my dream just started."

-Marek Mackovicdirector/producer of upcoming

documentary, ‘Okhwan’

Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Vanuatu Nauru

The Bourriennes met Okhwan in 1995 when Yvon was working on the construction of the high speed railway from Seoul to Pussan. Neither was speaking the other's language. Okhwan's lost dog brought them together. They formed a friendship and started teaching each other their language. In 1998 Yvon's o"ce was moved, but Okhwan came by bike to visit. In November of 1999 Yvon left Korea and occasionally had emails from Okhwan. In July of 2009 they were reunited in France. Okhwan stayed with the Bourriennes for 3 weeks. Then in 2011 Okhwan visited with them three times as he traveled between Italy and England. For some of that time he was training for a marathon and would run over to Aubenas to pick up a loaf of bread. It was a route of about 20 kilometers. When he stayed with the Bourri-ennes, Okhwan always slept on the sofa because he rarely had a bed on his travels. In November he left for New York, via London.

Marshall Islands Kiribati Fiji Tonga

Samoa New Zealand

Aubenas, France, 2011

Chile Argentina Uruguay Brazil Madagascar

London, 2011

Comoros Seychelles Mauritius Madagascar Brazil

Paraguay Bolivia Peru Ecuador Colombia Venezuela

London, 2011

London, 2011

Panama Jamaica Trinidad & Tobago Guyana Surinam

“I feel very depressed whenever I think about the Koreanpeninsula because we Koreans have been divided for over 60 years.”

-Okhwan Yoon

French Guiana

Surinam

Guyana Trinidad & Tobago Grenada

Crossroads to Macedonia and Athens, 2011

St. Vincent Barbados

St. Lucia Dominica

Antigua St. Kitts

Qatar, 2011 Nevis Dominican Republic Haiti Cuba Panama

Abu Dhabi, 2011

Costa Rica

Nicaragua Honduras El Salvador Guatemala

Okhwan with Du#an Milko, Marek Mackovic and Martin $trba. Rome, Italy, 2011

Belize Mexico USA (Texas-California) Mexico USA (Texas-Florida)

“Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy.”

-Thomas Jefferson

New York City, 2011

Bahamas USA (Florida-Washington DC) C

anada Spain A

ndorra

France Switzerland Austria Slovakia

SantaCon. New York City, 2011

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2011

“It has been the ultimate goal and longing dream for every Korean to have one united Korea. There are so many beliefs and hopes that the glorious moment of celebrating one Korea will come. We are ready to sing altogether ”Ode to Joy” on that moment to commemorate world peace. Okhwan has been leading us one step closer to that dream and moment for all of us.”

-Korean friends in Pittsburgh

Poland Belarus L

ithuania

Latvia

Blairsville, Pennsylvania, 2011

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

-Abraham Lincoln

Estonia Finland Sweden Norway Iceland

Blairsville, Pennsylvania, 2011

“One little person giving all her time to peace, can make news. Many people, giving some of their time, can make history.”

-Peace Pilgrim (peace activist Mildred Norman Ryder)

Norway Cypress Malta Italy Tunisia

Indiana, Pennsylvania, 2011

Libya Chad

Niger

C

ameroon

Gabon Sao Tome Cameroon Nigeria

Laurel Hill Summit, Pennsylvania, 2011

Into the light even on the darkest of days. Laurel Hill Summit, Pennsylvania, 2011

Niger Mali Senegal Mauritania

Fairfax, Virginia, 2011

Western Sahara Morocco Spain France

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

-Martin Luther King Jr.

Little Rock, Arkansas, 2011

“Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.”

-Buddha

Spain France Italy Slovakia

“Okhwan was my house guest for the last two nights. Today he heads to Dallas. We were blessed to have this time with Okhwan. We hope you will share his message and we pray that his focus of purpose will come to fruition. Safe journeys to our friend.”

-Lealon Worrell

Little Rock, Arkansas, 2011

Hungary Serbia Montenegro Albania

Greenville, Texas, 2011

K

osovo Macedonia Greece Turkey

Georgia Armenia Georgia

“This is a really important time to build up our new peaceful world. We need to build up communication and reconciliation to heal the wounded people in North Korea and South Korea.”

-Okhwan Yoon

Turkey

Iraq

Tu

rkey

S

yria

Paraguay, 2007

Jordan

Saudi Arabia UAE

“I am willing to share my experience and knowledge to connect people and build up our peaceful world.”

-Okhwan Yoon India Nepal Bhutan Nepal

Okhwan’s Journeys

2001 First TrySouth Korea, China, Russia (car accident)

2002-2003 Asia, Europe, Australia

South Korea, China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand (minor car acci-

dent + police incident), Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, flight to

Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy,

Tunisia, Algeria. Ferry to Spain. France, Monaco, Italy, Switzer-

land, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland,

Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark,

Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Eng-

land, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Japan,

South Korea

2003-2004 Asia, Europe

South Korea, flight to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan,

Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia-Herczeg,

Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, France, Portugal (held up),

Spain

2004-2005 Africa, Middle East

Ferry to Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal,

Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea (malaria), Sierra Leone, Liberia,

Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin,

Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Equa-

torial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic

Republic of the Congo, Angola (malaria), Namibia, Botswana,

South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique,

Malawi (malaria), Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, South

Sudan (kidnapped), Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Djibouti,

Eritrea (malaria), Flight to Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Syria, Lebanon,

Syria, (Iraq too dangerous), flight to Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE,

Oman, Yemen, Oman, UAE (minor car accident), Ferry to Iran,

Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan,

China, Mongolia, China, South Korea.

2005-2006 Pacific Islands

South Korea, Flight to Taiwan, Philippines, Palau, Malaysia,

Indonesia, East Timur, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands,

Vanuatu, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa,

New Zealand

2007-2009 South America, Africa, Caribbean, North America

Flight to Chile, Argentina (nose surgery), Uruguay, Brazil

(attempted mugging); flight to Madagascar, Comoros,

Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar; flight to Brazil, Paraguay,

Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Jamaica,

Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Suriname (car accident), French

Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, St.

Vincent, Barbados (deported), Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados

(deported again), Trinidad & Tobago, flight to St. Lucia, Dominica,

Antigua, St. Kitts, Nevis, Dominican Republic, Haiti (leg problems),

Cuba, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador,

Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, USA (Texas-California), Mexico, USA

(Texas-Florida), Bahamas, USA (Florida-Washington DC), Canada

2009-2010 Leftovers: The Rest of Europe and Africa

Flight to Spain, Andorra, France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia,

Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden,

Norway (Nordcap), flight to Iceland, Norway, flight to Cypress,

flight to Malta, Ferry to Italy, Tunisia, Libya, Chad, Niger (malaria),

Cameroon, Gabon, flight to Sao Tome, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger,

Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco

2010 Through the Middle East, to Mt. Everest

Spain, France, Italy (lost bicycle), car to Slovakia (given new

bicycle), Hungary, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Mace-

donia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Iraq,

Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, UAE, flight to

Maldives, flight to India, Nepal, Bhutan, Nepal

Dallas, Texas, 2011

follow Okhwan online

contact: okhwanstory@gmail.com

www.okhwanstory.blogspot.com

www.okhwan.com

OkhwanYoon Okhwan Yoon

Book created by Je! Ottie, Joy Fairbanks, and Sarah Marshall

Into the LightThe Mission of Okhwan Yoon