The 2024 Eco Peace Forum has just concluded… Efforts for ‘greater peace’ continue

Plans to continue exploring Gyeonggi-do’s own peace model and action plan for ‘greater peace’

The ‘DMZ OPEN Eco Peace Forum’ held at Gimpo Aegibong Peace Ecological Park in Gyeonggi-do and KINTEX in Goyang from the 4th to the 6th ended.

This forum, now in its second year, expands the value of the DMZ to various fields such as tourism, economy, and culture under the theme of ‘DMZ Ecology, Peace, and Nexus for Greater Peace’ and creates a space where peace and ecology coexist. We discussed the plan.

At the opening ceremony held on the 4th, Choi Jae-cheon, chairman of the DMZ OPEN Festival organizing committee (ecologist, chair professor at Ewha Womans University), emphasized the international significance of the DMZ, saying, “Gyeonggi-do’s ‘greater peace’ is not only political peace, but also peace that combines the peace of nature and humans.” It attracted a high response by highlighting the efforts to realize peace by bringing together experts in ecology, peace, and tourism.

Next, 18 diverse sessions consisting of peace, ecology, and nexus were held.

The ecology session opened up discussions on the DMZ from a new perspective, starting with a presentation by Professor Oh Dong-seok of Ajou University on ‘DMZ sustainability and legislative tasks from the perspective of inter-Korean relations and local residents’, followed by a discussion of global commons by Professor Yoon Yeo-il of Gyeongsang National University.

In addition, the ‘Visioning Workshop’, where various classes of people gather to share their vision for the future, was led by Kim Hye-jin, a scenario developer at the British Center for Ecology and Hydrology, and was led by Laura Pereira, a professor at Wichita University, and Gabriela Schaepman Strub, a professor at the University of Zurich. , 36 world experts and general applicants, including Dirk Karger of the Swiss Federal Institute and Professor Justin Johnson of the University of Minnesota, gathered to discuss the DMZ ecological value and There was a heated discussion about the future.

In the peace session, world-renowned scholars such as Professor August Pradetto of Helmut Schmitt University, Professor Jude Lal Fernando of Trinity College Dublin, Professor Tony Binns of Otago University in New Zealand, and Professor Seongyong Lee of Soka University in Japan spoke. Presentations include ‘Main Issues of Everyday Peace Theory and Applicability to Peace on the Korean Peninsula’ and ‘Ecological Peace Beyond Humans: From Security and Justice to Peace’ Four sessions were held.

In addition, discussions were held to expand the concept of peace beyond a peaceful state without conflict such as war or conflict to include multilateral peace, ecological peace, and everyday peace, and further to the peace between humans and nature.

In particular, in the peace round discussion session held on the 6th, Chairman Jeon Hae-cheol of the Gyeonggi-do Provincial Government Advisory Committee chaired the discussion with former Unification Ministers Lee Jong-seok, Lee In-young, and Kim Yeon-cheol on the topic of ‘Presenting a vision for peace and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula’ and discussed the strategic importance of Gyeonggi-do. We shared opinions.

The Nexus session will further expand the value of the DMZ to northern Gyeonggi Province, tourism, economy, and culture, with the participation of experts from various fields, including Ayu Chuepa, CEO of Akaama Coffee in Thailand, and Florian Riem, Secretary General of the World Federation of International Music Competitions. did it

Cho Chang-beom, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Peace and Cooperation Bureau, said, “In the future, the Eco Peace Forum will concretize the vision of ‘greater peace’ and design Gyeonggi Province’s own peace model and continuously seek action plans for the future of the Korean Peninsula where the values ​​of ecology and peace are realized. “I’m going out,” he said.

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