Discussion on the New U.S. Administration's East Asia Policy and the Korean Peninsula Peace Process
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The 'DMZ Peace Economy International Forum' was held on the 4th at Songdo Convensia in Incheon.
Sponsored by Incheon City and the Ministry of Unification, and jointly hosted by the Economic, Humanities and Social Research Council under the Prime Minister's Office and the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, the forum was organized to form an international discourse for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and to explore sustainable development directions.
The forum consisted of an opening session, two special lectures, and two breakout sessions.
In the opening session chaired by Kim Heungjong, President of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, participants included former Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio, Andrey Vistrytsky, Chairman of Russia's Valdai Club, Kathleen Stephens, Director of the Korea Economic Institute of America, Li Sangyang, Director of the Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Thomas Gomma, Director of the French Institute of International Relations. They engaged in heated discussions on ▲the establishment of peace and peace economy on the Korean Peninsula ▲the new U.S. administration's East Asia policy ▲and the outlook for inter-Korean relations in 2021.
Following this, in the special lectures, the Director of the Statistical Policy Evaluation Center at the Halle Institute of Economic Research in Germany gave a lecture on 'Achievements and Challenges of 30 Years of German Unification,' and Jeong Sehyun, Senior Vice Chairman of the National Unification Advisory Council (former Minister of Unification), delivered a lecture on 'The New U.S. Administration's East Asia Policy and the Korean Peninsula Peace Process.'
In the breakout sessions, the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy and the National Unification Advisory Council hosted the '2021 North Korean Economy and Inter-Korean Relations Outlook' session, while the Incheon Research Institute hosted the 'Peaceful Utilization of Border Assets and Glocalization' session simultaneously.
Attendees included major domestic research institutions such as the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, the Korea Institute for National Unification, the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, the Incheon Research Institute, and the Sejong Institute, as well as prominent global academia and international organization officials from Taiwan's National Kinmen University and National Kaohsiung University, and Japan's Fukushima University, who continued presentations and discussions.
This forum was broadcast live online in an untact format, sharing content with citizens through vlog videos and live talk shows to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In particular, during the live broadcast the previous day titled 'Live Talk Show! Talking about DMZ Peace Economy,' various programs such as videos of Incheon's border areas including the Korean War Veterans Memorial Park, Incheon Urban History Museum, G Tower Observatory, and Ganghwa Peace Observatory, expert interviews, discussions, and a peace quiz show were conducted, providing an opportunity to introduce Incheon to the world.
In his congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony, Park Namchun, Mayor of Incheon, stated, "Incheon, a border area between South and North Korea, will take the lead in moving beyond tension and conflict to the path of reconciliation, peace, and prosperity, fulfilling its role as a peace city."
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