Cho Jung Hoon opened the debate with an explanation of the differences between UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and MDGs (Millennium Development Goals). He placed specific emphasis on the enforced nature of MDGs in comparison to the SDGs where each state sets the indicators for their targets. Cho elaborated from experience during his time working at the World Bank. MDGs were criticized because high income countries had already developed economically without being obligated to follow any set targets whereas countries then trying to develop were tied up into the MDGs. In October when the DPRK presented on the performance status of their SDGs at the UN ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) in Vladivostok where Cho had been present, the DPRK Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative had stated that North Korea were making efforts to make progress with and move into line with SDGs as international society’s development standards mechanism and offered an honest appraisal of current DPRK progress stating that it fell short of the mark. Cho recollected that the North Korean delegation had a great deal of interest in the SDGs.
Moon Tae Hoon spoke about South Korea’s SDG policy making and explained that there are a few matters of contention in South Korea about sustainable development. Certain issues where there is a lack of consensus remain. These include debates about how best to narrow the gap between SDG policy and existing policy and also how to tackle a lack of interest in SDGs not only from the public but also from politicians. There was also the matter that as government administrations changed the National Committee on Sustainable Development went from being under the auspices of the president’s office to becoming a part of the Ministry of Environment and this has placed a limit on what it can implement and hindered somewhat South Korean policy making on SDGs.
Finally Kim Tae Kyoon elaborated on the importance of developing SDG policy on the Korean Peninsula dimension. North Korea is scheduled to report on SDGs at the Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2020. That the DPRK is putting their energy into this VNR is evidence that they are sufficiently focused on SDGs. If South and North were to combine their efforts towards Korean Peninsula SDGs then the gap between their respective goals would be reduced and moving forward if ‘Korean Peninsula SDGs’ were submitted to the UN this would on the one hand assist North Korea in fulfilling their development goals and on the other hand provide a breakthrough in the current cooperation impasse which is in large part caused by sanctions. Many of the various materials required for North Korea to develop based on the SDGs could only be attained with a loosening of sanctions. Kim elucidated that rationale regarding achieving SDGs can become a clear justification for the loosening of sanctions, or for sanctions exemptions for development cooperation undertaken through North Korean targeted humanitarian assistance.
Comments followed from four discussants including the Korean Sharing Movement’s Secretary General Hong Sang-Young. There was also a lively question and answer session involving participants from the floor who seemed well versed on SDGs. KSM will continue to organize debate forums regarding North Korean development cooperation and use these to bring experts together with practitioners and interested members of the public to create and develop ideas promoting inter-Korean exchange for the mutual benefit of the peninsula. 
