1. The “Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Forum,” aimed at laying the foundation for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia, being pursued by the ROK government’s initiative for regional cooperation, will take place in Seoul from November 16 to 17, with about 200 people, including representatives from countries and international organizations in and outside the region, as well as civilian experts, in attendance.

o The Forum will feature a private-public forum (1.5 Track) co-hosted by the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and the Sejong Institute, and an intergovernmental consultation among government officials attending the forum.

o The Forum will bring together government officials and civilian experts from countries in the region, including the US, China, Japan, Russia, and Mongolia, and dialogue partners interested in peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia, including Australia, New Zealand, ASEAN, the EU, the OSCE, and the UN. The participants will discuss a range of agendas for cooperation in regional security, cyber space and environment.

2. The Forum is part of efforts to build a “Northeast Asia peace and cooperation platform,” one of the three tasks to create a “responsible Northeast Asia plus community,” the ROK government’s vision for regional cooperation.

o As the ROK government stressed its commitment to the New Northern Policy and the New Southern Policy, the “pillars of prosperity,” through the President’s series of diplomatic engagements, including participation in the Eastern Economic Forum (September 7) and visits to Southeast Asian countries (November 8-15), the government will lead regional multilateral dialogue, the “pillar of peace,” and thereby establish a “Northeast Asia peace and cooperation platform” to create an environment for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

o The Forum holds significance in that it will help make substantive progress in multilateral cooperation in Northeast Asia by serving as an opportunity to continue multilateral dialogue among countries in the region, following President Trump’s recent visit to Asia and a range of bilateral meetings between the leaders of countries in the region on the sidelines of the APEC Summit and the ASEAN Summit.

3. In her opening address, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will stress that the ROK government’s efforts to strengthen bilateral relations in the region and diversify diplomacy will help enhance regional cooperation. She will also explain the ROK government’s plans to promote regional cooperation, with a focus on three keywords (Comprehensive, Connected and Common) highlighting the need to deal with a wider range of cooperation agendas and promote openness; enhance connectivity between participating countries, and between government and the private sector; and pursue shared peace and prosperity not only with countries in the region, but with those in surrounding regions.

o Key senior officials of the Foreign Ministry, including Vice Minister Cho Hyun, KNDA Chancellor Cho Byung-jae, and Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu, will also attend the Forum, and discuss the ROK government’s vision for regional cooperation with participants from home and abroad.

o In addition, a photo zone to promote the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will be set up and related promotional items will be provided to foreign participants in order to make sure that the PyeongChang Olympics, which takes place 30 years after the Seoul Olympics in 1988, will become a peace Olympics that brings about peace not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in Northeast Asia.

4. At the intergovernmental consultation chaired by Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu, the ROK side will continue substantive discussions to facilitate intergovernmental consultations, including by explaining the ROK’s vision and plan for regional cooperation, and listening to the opinions of representatives from countries and international organizations.

5. The Foreign Ministry will continue efforts to turn geopolitical tension and rivalry in Northeast Asia into an order of dialogue and cooperation by holding such meeting bringing together major partners inside and outside of the Northeast Asian region on an annual basis and facilitating it.


* unofficial translation