뉴스레터

The last year of 2013 marked the 70th anniversary of the Cairo Declaration. Remembering that day seventy years earlier, a few academic conferences on the Cairo Declaration were held at home and abroad. Also in Cairo, Egypt, the very city where the Declaration had been announced, an academic event to commemorate the Cairo Declaration was held, hosted by the Korean Embassy to Egypt (Ambassador Kim Young-so). The Northeast Asian History Foundation also planned a conference to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Cairo Declaration, jointly with the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the George Washington University (the Sigur Center hereinafter). To accommodate many circumstances, the event was scheduled to take place on Monday, December 2, 2013.
The venue of the conference was not in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, but in Washington D.C, the capital of the United States, specifically at the George Washington University at that, which is located right next to the White House, the center of domestic politics, international politics, and diplomacy. As it happens, the George Washington University is the alma mater of the first president of Korea Syngman Rhee, who was debated over the course of the year 2013 over 'what influence he had on the terms of the Cairo Declaration which promised the independence of Korea.'

The Historical Background of the Cairo Declaration and Our Regrets

Seventy years ago, the international community was under the shadow of death as the imperialist powers stalked through the darkness of World War II. Cutting through that dark cloud, the heads of the Allies gathered together in Cairo, Egypt. President Franklin Roosevelt of the United States, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek of the Republic of China sought their own national interests while facing the harsh reality of international relations. And the good intentions of "putting an end to aggression and the colonial system and establishing an international order of peace and prosperity" gushed out of that fierce competition as streams that could not be reversed.

"Japan will also be expelled from all other territories which she has taken by violence and greed. The aforesaid three great powers, mindful of the enslavement of the people of Korea, are determined that in due course Korea shall become free and independent."

This declaration was a ray of hope for those who longed for a free and peaceful world as well as for the Korean people. The spirit and contents of the declaration led to the Potsdam Declaration and Japan's unconditional surrender in 1945. Nevertheless, regrets remain; the post-war settlement by the Allies that led to the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951 should have been made more concrete on the basis of the spirit and principle of the Cairo Declaration, considering especially the recent historical and territorial conflicts in Northeast Asia.

Washington D.C Plays Hosts to International Conference on the 70th Anniversary of the Cairo Declaration

Held with still lingering regrets for the past, this conference was full of hope for the future, which is reflected in its theme: "Historical Reconciliation and Prosperity in Northeast Asia: 70 years since the Cairo Declaration." The conference opened with an opening address by Mike Mochizuki (Associate Dean for the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University), followed by welcoming remarks by Kim Hak-joon (President of the NAHF) and a congratulatory address by Ahn Ho-young (Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States).

Professor James I. Matray (California State University, Chico) gave a keynote speech titled "The Cairo Declaration and its Historical Legacy in Northeast Asia." And presentations and discussions followed in three panels (Panel A: Territorial issues in Northeast Asia; Panel B: Human rights issues in Northeast Asia; and Panel C: Historical perceptions in Northeast Asia). The conference, which began at 9:30 am on Monday, December 2 and lasted until 6 pm, was packed with presentations and discussions, participated by experts in different fields, such as history, international law, and international politics. In particular, the presentations and discussions on Dokdo, especially Dr. Larry Niksch's favorable discussion of Dokdo, were the center of the Korean media's attention. A former Senior Research Fellow at the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Dr. Niksch is an expert in East Asian affairs. Apparently alluding to the 1877 Daijyokan order, which stated that "Ulleungdo and Dokdo have nothing to do with Japan," he said that "considering the Meiji government's documents in the 1870s, the case for Dokdo being Korean territory is stronger." And referring to Japan's measure for so-called 'incorporation of Dokdo' in 1905, he said, on the basis of his own logic, that if Japan's argument was to be justified, Japan should have purchased Dokdo by signing a treaty, instead of unilaterally incorporating it.

Professor John Rennie Short (University of Maryland) illustrated the problem with the single name 'Sea of Japan' with examples, such as the the international case where the channel between England and France was marked with both English and French names ('English Channel/La Manche') and old maps marked with the name East Sea. Professor Hirofumi Hayashi (Kanto Gakuin University) addressed the lack of awareness and understanding among Japanese youths about the tragic history of 'comfort women' for the Japanese military, stressing that Japan should not avoid facing this issue. Professor Lind (Dartmouth College) pointed out that "when Western Europe in the 1950s was under the threat of war due to the confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Germany and France attempted at historical reconciliation while seeking together a solution that would get them out such a situation. By contrast, historical reconciliation between Korea and Japan was impeded to a certain degree by the strategic environment where each valued its relationship with the U.S. only."
The arrangements for this event, such as organizing the panels, inviting the participants, and promoting the event, were made jointly by the Northeast Asian History Foundation and the Sigur Center. While it was a co-host, the NAHF didn't have the exact knowledge of the structure of the venue and the like because it didn't make any trip to the venue beforehand. Despite the frequent exchange of information and opinions through e-mail and pictures, the NAHF had to rely solely on the Sigur Center for things like the lease of the venue, and the preparation and management of the event of the day. Worse, the whole building of the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University, where the event was scheduled to be held, was closed during the Thanksgiving week, and wasn't open for access until the early morning of the event day.

More than anything else, we needed frequent exchange of opinions with the working group of the Sigur Center. As the conference day approached, we started exchanging e-mail several times a day. When a day's work began in Seoul, Korea, it was time to wrap it up in Washington D.C. in the U.S. Despite all the challenges, the Sigur Center responded faithfully to our inquires and requests. After all, the working groups of both organizations were equally committed to the success of the conference. In any event, the biggest concern is audience participation. About four weeks before the event, the news of the upcoming conference was announced on the Sigur Center's homepage http://www.gwu.edu/~sigur), and spread to the local related institutions and experts through the Sigur Center's network. Since the venue had limited capacity and it was necessary to count the number of meals to prepare, we opened RSVPs on the homepage beforehand. We were worried if the seats would be filled because the second day of December was right after the Thanksgiving week. As it turned out, however, the event reached capacity so fast that the site for accepting RSVPs had to be closed a few days before the event. The event was met with a good response, too. In particular, the Korean media ran nearly real-time reports on the conference.

The Cairo Declaration: 70 Years On

The international conference on seventy years since the Cairo Declaration was over now. We need to gather our hearts that were directed toward the Cairo of 1943 and move toward the future. But our hearts are still too heavy to turn to the future. As of writing this essay (December 26), Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan visited Yasukuni Shrine almost proudly. Unless the ghost of imperialism past was lifted from Northeast Asia, there will continue to be events to commemorate the Cairo Declaration in 2023, in 2033, and in 2043 on its 100th anniversary, for history is a plumb line that straightens our future¹⁾

1) A 'plumb line' refers to a line used in architecture from which a weight is suspended to determine 'verticality'