Leaders from around the world have gathered in Seoul to share their opinions on the requirements for unification and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

On Nov. 14, the Ministry of Unification opened the 2016 Korea Global Forum at the Silla Hotel in Seoul, under the theme of "Peace and Unification of the Korean Peninsula: Comprehensive Approaches."

Current and former government officials and experts from relevant countries, including the U.S., China, Japan and Russia, attended the forum to exchange ideas on the North Korean nuclear crisis and to discuss the future of the Korean Peninsula.



Session One of the open seminar focused on the "International environment for Korean unification and peace in Northeast Asia." Former Minister of Unification Ryoo Khil-Jae, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill, and former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans joined the floor as panelists and presented their ideas on the current state of affairs in East Asia.

"President-elect Donald Trump may leave room for negotiation with North Korea, but once the Northern regime is armed with a nuclear warhead, he will take a much more resolute stance on the matter," warned former Assistant Secretary Hill. "No president of the U.S. will allow North Korea to possess nuclear weapons, and if the North should create such a weapon, they will be met with severe consequences."

"While negotiations with North Korea should continue, that does not mean we can let North Korea forget its past deals. It's imperative that we approach the issue with caution. We also need to be cautious about proposing a nuclear freeze, as this may just end up buying time for the Northern regime, " said the former assistant secretary.



In response, former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans said, "North Korea's provocations have ceased to stop under the U.S. policy of 'strategic patience,' a sign that the matter should be brought to the negotiating table. It seems denuclearization will only be achieved through several years of negotiations made in the broader context of negotiations for peace."

"In my opinion, there seem to be three conditions for peace on the Korean Peninsula: China and the U.S. achieving a stable, cooperative and non-confrontational relationship; North Korea starting to behave more like a normal country; and, other countries in the region -- notably South Korea, Japan and also Russia -- doing nothing to destabilize the situation," said the former foreign minister.

He added that, "The three specific conditions depend on a fourth, common, underlying condition being satisfied: that all major players in the region adopt a 'cooperative security' mindset, accepting that their national interests are best served by cooperation rather than confrontation."

In the sessions that followed, a panel of experts from the U.S., the U.K., France, Russia, China and Japan raised a number of issues under the themes of "Changes in North Korea and the future of the Korean Peninsula" and "Denuclearization of North Korea, peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asian cooperation."

Collectively, the panel agreed that there is a need for conversation and negotiation with the Northern regime. Former Russian Ambassador to South Korea Gleb Ivashentsov stressed that, "Negotiation is the only way to settle the Korean Peninsula nuclear weapons issue."

Professor Li Kaisheng of the Institute of International Relations, part of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said, "The goal of any form of intervention on North Korea is not to provide a package deal but to achieve denuclearization through added pressure, by bringing the issue back to the negotiation table."





By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Jeon Han, Korea.net Photographer
hlee10@korea.kr