'Kim Dae-jung 100-Year Peace Festival' Opens on the 5th in Mokpo

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The 'Kim Dae-jung 100-Year Peace Festival' event was held on the 5th at Hotel Hyundai Bira Han Mokpo in Yeongam, attended by Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, and others.
[Photo by Jeollanam-do]

The 'Kim Dae-jung Spirit' of global democracy, peace, and human rights was invoked to seek solutions to global issues such as the new Cold War and the climate crisis at the opening of the 'Kim Dae-jung 100-Year Peace Festival' on the 5th at the Hotel Hyundai Vira Han Mokpo Convention Hall.

The 'Kim Dae-jung 100-Year Peace Festival' was hosted by Jeonnam Province and the Jeonnam Office of Education to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the world-renowned leader President Kim Dae-jung, and organized by the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center and others. About 300 people attended the event, including Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province; Kwon No-gap, Chairman of the Kim Dae-jung Foundation; Kim Myung-ja, Chairperson of KAIST; Lee Kwang-il, Vice Chairman of the Jeonnam Provincial Council; and Kim Dae-jung, Superintendent of Education of Jeonnam Province.

The opening ceremony proceeded with Governor Kim Young-rok’s opening remarks, welcoming speeches by Vice Chairman Lee Kwang-il and Superintendent Kim Dae-jung, congratulatory speeches by Chairman Kwon No-gap and Mayor Woo Seung-hee of Yeongam County, congratulatory video messages from Speaker Woo Won-shik of the National Assembly, and keynote lectures.

At the Peace Festival held under the theme 'Walking the Path of Peace and Life with President Kim Dae-jung,' Kim Sung-jae, Executive Director of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center, delivered the keynote lecture titled '100 Years of the Republic of Korea, 100 Years of Kim Dae-jung.' Executive Director Kim emphasized, “The complex crises humanity faces, such as the new Cold War and climate change, must find solutions in the 'Cosmo Democracy' that President Kim Dae-jung stressed, which cherishes people and nature.”

Janet Jobson, CEO of the Desmond Tutu Foundation in South Africa, gave a keynote lecture titled 'Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s Reconciliation and Peace: Implications for Korea.' She highlighted the commonalities between South Africa and the Republic of Korea, two countries that overcame division and conflict to build new societies, and reemphasized that the spirits of Archbishop Tutu and President Kim Dae-jung remain sources of peace and democracy today.

Additionally, Professor Oliver Richmond of the University of Manchester delivered a special lecture on 'The Confrontation among the U.S., China, and Russia and the Path to World Peace,' followed by Professor Kim Myung-ja of KAIST with a lecture on 'Peaceful Coexistence of Humanity and Nature.'

On the 6th, lectures are scheduled including Professor Cha Sang-gyun of Seoul National University on 'New Harmony of Work and Life in the AI Era,' and lectures by the ambassadors of East Timor and Germany to Korea on 'Historical Bonds, Kim Dae-jung and East Timor,' and 'Kim Dae-jung: His Legacy from a German Perspective.'

In his opening remarks, Governor Kim Young-rok stated, “President Kim Dae-jung opened the future of the Republic of Korea with insight that transcended his era and devoted himself to global democracy, peace, and human rights,” and emphasized, “Jeonnam Province will devote all its efforts to ensuring that the 'Kim Dae-jung Spirit,' which is once again recognized as an important milestone in the face of global crises, is widely remembered and its legacy continues.”

He particularly stressed, “Let us all move forward together toward a world where 'justice flows like a mighty river and freedom blooms like wildflowers,' overcoming global challenges such as the new Cold War and the climate crisis in the next 100 years with the 'Kim Dae-jung Spirit.'”