[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Korea Foundation (KF) announced on the 28th that it will jointly hold the '2020 Korea-Japan Citizens 100 Future Dialogue' with the Seoul National University Japan Research Institute and Waseda University Korean Studies Research Institute from the 30th to the 1st of next month.
The opening ceremony on the 30th will begin with opening remarks by Lee Geun, Chairman of KF, Lee Jong-won, Director of Waseda University Korean Studies Research Institute, and Kim Hyun-chul, Director of Seoul National University Japan Research Institute. Professor Choi Sang-yong, Emeritus Professor at Korea University, will deliver the keynote speech. He is expected to emphasize the importance of Korea-Japan cooperation under the theme "Reflecting on the 22nd Anniversary of the Kim Dae-jung-Obuchi Keizo Joint Declaration."
The Korea-Japan Citizens 100 Future Dialogue has been a large-scale citizen event continuously held since its first session in Jeju in 2017, serving as a sincere discussion platform for citizens of both countries to explore future cooperation despite the strained Korea-Japan relations. This year, due to the spread of COVID-19, it will be held as an online video conference, with participants from both countries mainly composed of those who participated over the past three years.
The fourth session of the event will be held under the main theme "Korea-Japan Future Cooperation Envisioned by Citizens," with discussions on five agendas: ▲ COVID-19 and Changes ▲ Citizen Peace Solidarity ▲ Youth and Education ▲ Life Safety and Environment ▲ Socio-cultural Cooperation. In particular, it will conduct more in-depth and candid discussions on national and social issues commonly faced by both countries, such as non-face-to-face exchanges between Korea and Japan, gender issues, urban regeneration, and labor market problems, continuing from previous dialogues.
Meanwhile, on the 28th and 29th, two days before the event, the outcomes of the follow-up project to the '2019 Korea-Japan Citizens 100 Future Dialogue,' the 'Korea-Japan Joint Small Projects,' will be introduced. Last year, participants voluntarily formed teams and, through selection by the organizers, five projects themed on literature, disaster support, peace, choir, and human rights were selected. The videos of their approximately six months of activities will be viewed together by this year's participants, who will share their opinions mutually.
Lee Geun, Chairman of KF, stated, "I am honored that the event continues to be held with active participation from citizens of both countries, and I hope it will establish itself as a platform that leads voluntary efforts and cooperation by civil society to solve common issues of both countries."
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