The 7th Jeju Forum to promote peace in Asia

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The 7th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, organized by the Jeju Peace Institute, will be held from May 31 to June 2 at the Haevichi Hotel and Resort, Seogwipo City.

Under the theme of "New Trends and the Future of Asia," the 7th Jeju Forum will examine political and social issues affecting the area through 58 specific sessions in the categories of prosperity, environment, peace, gender, education, and one titled etc.

Hundreds of incumbent and former heads of state, experts, leading businessmen, academics, and activists including former Prime Minister of Australia Paul John Keating, former Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva, Chinese People’s Political Party Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee Member Xie Bo Yang, and Apple Inc. Co-founder Steve Wozniak will be on hand for the three-day event to discuss the future of Asia.

According to the Jeju Forum Web site, the purpose of this 7th forum is to encourage cooperation and community building in the region while simultaneously gauging the political and financial climate throughout the world to better understand Asia’s position within it. As this year marks the 20th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China, there will be several sessions dedicated to the future of this union like “Korean Unification and China,” and “20 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Korea and China - Push Forward Strategic Cooperative Partnership.”

On May 31 a Special Session will be held entitled “Conversation with Steve Wozniak: The End of the PC era and the future of IT industry,” where Apple Inc. Co-founder, Steve Wozniak will speak about the advancement of technology.

On the second day of the conference The World Leaders’ Session will be conducted where former and present heads of state will discuss under the theme of “New Trends and the Future of Asia.”

Another topic to be addressed will be how the results of recent and forthcoming elections like that in Russia, France, Greece, and the US will affect Asia, said Jeju Governor Woo Keun Min on the forum’s Web site.

Based on the forum’s program this symposium is picking up where the 6th Jeju Forum left off with many sessions revolving around the status of North Korea in terms of reunification, nuclear disarmament, and a North without Kim Jong Il, as well as nuclear safety in general, and the future of and possibilities for community building through utilizing the Korean Wave (the nickname for the Korean Entertainment industry) in Asia.

Over 1,000 people attended the 6th Jeju Forum last May where much attention was given to the elephant in the room: China’s recent economic boom and what it means for the rest of the world. Chinese diplomats, including CPPCC Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee Zhao Qi Zheng, tried to calm the obvious worry of the other nations with statements like “It will take a very long time for [China] to catch up with the US in terms of a comprehensive nation power.”

But due to the arms race in the region, China’s undisclosed number of nuclear weapons, its relationship to North Korea, and the country’s border conflicts caused many panelists during sessions to question China’s motives and lack of transparency.

The Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, originally Jeju Peace Forum, began in 2001 with the purpose of strengthening national ties throughout Asia, and was conducted every other year. With the 6th Jeju Forum for Peace in Prosperity, not only was its name changed but it was also transformed into a yearly event with hopes of propelling the forum into an international-leading forum, reads its Web site.

“The forum has expanded the scope of its interest to include issues that concern the whole of East Asia and the rest of the world. The discussion agenda has also broadened its focus from regional peace to economy, environment and culture. I sincerely expect that this forum held in Jeju, an island of world peace, will go a long way in promoting the cause of peace and prosperity in the region and worldwide,” said Governor Woo in a press release.