[Reporter’s Notebook] What Is Disappearing in the Arctic Right Now

If you walk along the coastal road for about 20 minutes from Harpa Hall in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, where the Arctic Circle Assembly is held, you will come across an old mansion facing the sea. This is Hofdi House, the historic site where former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, held their summit in October 1986. This meeting marked a turning point that accelerated arms reduction talks and ultimately led to the declaration of the end of the Cold War in 1989. The peace that humanity has enjoyed as a given in the 21st century began in this small house on the coast of this island nation.

In this city, which stands as a symbol of "peace, openness, and cooperation," the Arctic Circle Assembly convened for its 12th session this year to discuss the future of the Arctic. Unlike other international events, the Arctic Circle Assembly does not designate a specific slogan. Known for its "open discussions," the atmosphere of the assembly changed drastically after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2021. Russia, which holds the largest share of the Arctic Ocean coastline, vanished from the assembly after launching the war. Recently, the geopolitical risks have grown even greater as both the United States and China have openly shown interest in the Arctic shipping route.

Now, Russia is considered the "public enemy" among Arctic nations. The United States (specifically, President Donald Trump), which proposed to buy Greenland with money, also became a target of resentment. Panelists holding the microphone delivered strong criticism toward both the United States and Russia. One scholar even presented the "melon scenario," suggesting that the eight Arctic nations might divide the region as if slicing a melon.

Hofdi House, located on the coast of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. In October 1986, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev held a historic summit here, regarded as the place where the 'post-Cold War negotiations' began. Photo by Son Sunhee

However, outside the conference rooms, the mood among participants in the corridors felt somewhat different. A British scientist expressed regret, saying, "With Russia, which holds the most actual measurement data on the Arctic region, no longer participating, collaborative research has come to a halt." For scientists whose climate research depends on long-term observation, having to watch a "data gap" persist for years must be deeply frustrating. A young girl of Arctic Indigenous background from Sweden, who approached the reporter as a BTS fan, also said she was "sad" about Russia's absence, emphasizing, "No one has more knowledge and experience about the Arctic than Russian Indigenous peoples, and they should be here to make their voices heard."

Her unexpected answer was a wake-up call. It is not only the glaciers that are melting in the Arctic right now. The spirit of "dialogue and cooperation," painstakingly built by humanity through numerous wars large and small, is also melting away helplessly. If the Arctic, known as the "refrigerator of the planet" and a pillar of the global ecosystem, becomes a battlefield, what horrific scenes will we witness? The barbarism that will emerge in the vacuum left by a melted world order is already frightening. The reality of this place, which opened the first page of the post-Cold War era, is already nothing short of tragic. The Arctic must remain an absolute sea of peace. It is time to reconsider multilateralism, which is being undermined by "strongmen."