The Second International Conference of 2021, Seeking an Integrated Approach to Cooperation & Peacebuilding

The Korean Sharing Movement’s annual international conference was hosted twice in 2021. Following on from June's conference, on November 29th, 30th, and December 1st the Korean Sharing Movement, the Civil Peace Forum, the Korean Women’s Movement for Peace, the American Friends Service Committee, and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea, hosted the 2021 International Conference on Peace & Development on the Korean Peninsula simultaneously online and in Seoul. The conference was held under the byline of Seeking an Integrated Approach to Cooperation with North Korea and Peace on the Korean Peninsula. This byline reflected the co-hosts’ desire to develop understanding and further cooperation between humanitarian, development and peacebuilding actors. Over thirty multilaterals, bilateral, governmental and non-governmental organizations participated in the conference.

The first day saw an open session held under the theme of "DPRK Cooperation & Korean Peninsula Peacebuilding, Searching for an Integrated Approach". Over the next two days, closed meetings took place looking to "Explore a Coordinated International Response to the COVID-19 DPRK Engagement Impasse" and to "Strengthen Cooperation between Peace & Humanitarian Religious Groups, Religious & non-Religious Groups."

A total of 100 people attended the open meeting either online or on-site, and various topics ranging from the use of official dialogue processes to build peace on the Korean Peninsula, to an analysis of the impact of sanctions against North Korea, and also to the possibilities and implications of an end of war declaration were discussed. Women Cross DMZ Executive-Director Christine Ahn, who was one of the presenters in the public conference, stated that "Ending a 70-year war is no small feat, but I believe we are closer than we know to ending the Korean War" calling on advocates for peace to continue to make the case for engagement in the face of repeatedly failing  policies that have seen a continuation of the dangerous nuclear standoff around the Peninsula. Kerri Kennedy, the Associate General Secretary of International Programs at the American Friends Service Committee used her welcoming remarks to emphasize the need for involved parties to change tack stating, “After 71 years it is long past time for the U.S. to end this war and to take a new approach to the Korean Peninsula.”

Meanwhile, participants stressed the urgent need for a joint response to COVID-19, saying that North Korea’s prolonged border blockade has greatly accentuated an already difficult humanitarian situation. Many also agreed that this would require close cooperation between South Korean, U.S. and international NGOs, the UN, and governments of related countries.

Building on discussions in June which highlighted the coalescing of voices from the development and humanitarian cooperation field with the peacebuilding field, the conference created a space for this discussion to continue within a specific subset of actors, faith based groups. In that session it was stated that historically, religious actors have helped to bring a different perspective to inter-Korean issues. At certain times of impasse, despite the risk of government retribution, religious groups have taken steps to embrace the other and played a pivotal role in improving inter-Korean relations. During this session it was also commented on that an end of war declaration should be seen not as the conclusion, but rather the beginning of a process addressing current political realities.

The capacity for and necessity of trust building was a recurrent theme throughout the conference. Actors from the field reflected that trust is an outcome of cooperation rather than a precondition for it, and that trust building begins with those that seek to be trusted acting as trustworthy potential partners.

KSM will continue to hold discussions on the international stage regarding peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula and the resumption of cooperative projects with North Korea. KSM strives to ensure that these discussions do not end as mere talk, but can be realized in our activities and projects. We ask for the support and continued engagement in our project to build international solidarity from all those around the globe concerned at the conflict on the peninsula and the humanitarian situation in North Korea .

The booklet for the open session of the International Conference can be downloaded from the following link at the data page (자료실) of our website.