뉴스레터

The international conference under the title, "Opportunities and Challenges of Cooperation in Northeast Asia", was held at Peking University from May 22 to 24, as part of intellectual dialogue among Korea, China and Japan. This conference takes place every year, and this year, participants made presentations and had discussions regarding how the three Northeast Asian countries should cooperate with each other as we go beyond the era of the Cold War and move into the age of cooperation in the 21st century. The Northeast Asian History Foundation's participation in the conference this year contributed greatly to resolving historical issues and creating future-oriented relations between the three countries. In total, 31 scholars attended the conference – 14 from Korea, 11 from China and 6 from Japan.

In Pursuit of Peace and Stability in Northeast Asia through Korea-China-Japan Cooperation

The first session took place under the topic, "Opportunities for Cooperation in Northeast Asia". Professor Yoon Deokman (Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security) made a presentation on "recent developments in North Korea: evaluation and prospects", touching on North Korea's nuclear issue and third-generation power succession. He explained the importance of controlling military forces in North Korea, and pointed out there are significant flaws in six-party talks, considering that North Korea is probably enriching uranium. Lastly, he mentioned that there are no differences in Korea's and China's views regarding North Korea, and stressed the importance of preventing war and promoting peace and stability in the Korean peninsula.

Professor Jiang Rengui (Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China) made a speech on "North Korea's nuclear issue and China's policies for the Korean Peninsula". He pointed out that the issue of nuclear safety has expanded the area of concern with the recent earthquakes in Japan. First of all, North Korea's nuclear experiments pose a great threat to the Korean peninsula and neighboring regions, and North Korean nuclear issue is a very important agenda for Korea, China and Japan. He also emphasized the need for a warning system which informs neighboring countries of nuclear accidents and disasters, and a rigorous and systematic framework for nuclear issue in the international community.

Professor Soeya Yoshihide (Keio University) presented a paper on "Emergence of China and Korea-China-Japan Cooperation". He said there are two possible scenarios regarding developments in international politics with the emergence of China. First, he mentioned that U.S.-China clash is not going to happen, but there still remain concerns. Second, China will play an important role in the international order. Lastly, he stressed the importance of Korea-China-Japan cooperation when China acknowledges its own dilemmas and problems.

The topic of the second session was "Challenges for Cooperation in Northeast Asia". Professor Qi Baoliang (China Institutes of Contemporary International Studies) made a presentation on "Relations between the Two Koreas and China's Policies for the Korean Peninsula". He pointed out the relations between the two Koreas progressed in two phases, and there are positive and negative elements in the relations. He went on to explain that China's policies for the Korean peninsula should focus on the following objectives; 1) ensuring permanent peace and security; 2) maintaining amicable relations with both Koreans; 3) supporting the reunification in the Korean peninsula; 4) maintaining a neutral position on the North Korean nuclear issue and contributing to resolve the problem; 5) objecting to undermining peace and security in the Korean peninsula; and 6) ending the Cold War in the Korean peninsula and transforming the armistice into a peace treaty.

Director Oh Song (Office of Policy & Planning, Northeast Asian History Foundation:) mentioned in the discussions that the Fukushima nuclear accidents have demonstrated such disasters know no borders, and pointed out the significance of the North Korean nuclear facilities' safety in Northeast Asia where there are numerous nuclear plants. In addition, he stressed the importance of China's role in ensuring peace and stability in the Korean peninsula as well as close international relations in order to collectively respond to these issues.

Getting Away from Narrow Point of Views and Effectively Responding to Japanese' Introversion

The third session took place under the title, "Historical Disputes and Reconciliation in Northeast Asia", and President Chung Jaejeong (Northeast Asian History Foundation) made a speech on "Historical Disputes and Reconciliation in Asia: Beyond the Centennial of Japan's Forced Annexation of Korea." He pointed out the emergence of China as a powerhouse in Asia and the weakened positing of Japan due to significant changes in the global economic order in the 21st century. He also explained that Korea's global standing has greatly improved compared to 100 years ago, thanks to rapid economic growth and development. He mentioned that there still remain historical disputes between Korea and Japan due to historical views formed in the colonial period, but he added that there have been a number of positive changes since 1965 thanks to mutual exchanges. Lastly, he said that Japanese people consider Korea as a good neighbor since the March 11 earthquakes, but there are more worrisome issues regarding the recently announced screening results for Japanese textbooks compared to four years ago. He had concerns over the introversive trend in Japan, and emphasized that intellectuals and leaders in the two countries need to maintain an open mind and promote further advancement in the relations with each other.

The international conference holds significance in that participants engaged in in-depth discussions regarding the history of Korea, China and Japan as well as various issues on the Korean peninsula. In particular, the Foundation contributed greatly to the conference from the initial planning stage. The conference also helped enhance the understanding of historical issues as well as presenting ways to address the North Korean nuclear issues.