Second International Peace Conference
sponsored by the Korea Peace Forum,
5-7 September 2001
CONFERENCE COMMUNIQUÉ
The second International Peace Conference was held in Academy House, Seoul, from 5th to 7th September 2001. When the first International Peace Conference, was held from 19th to 21st April 1999, it was during a period of increasing expectations for inter-Korean rapprochement that culminated in the historic summit of June 2000. The second Conference is held at a time when the hopes aroused by the June 15 Joint Declaration have been put to the test. Many positive initiatives have been taken not only by the two Koreas, but also by Korea's neighbours and allies. Numerous countries have normalized their relations with the DPRK, leading to the hope that North Koreans will soon be welcomed as full members of the community of nations.

After such a propitious beginning, the process of rapprochement between North and South has recently suffered from a slow-down. The inauguration of a new US Administration, necessitating a lengthy review of its North Korea policy, has been cited as one possible reason for the slowdown, but it is also clear that the North Korean regime finds it difficult to keep pace with the demands on its human and intellectual resources in view of these rapid developments. Within South Korea, unrealized expectations and the reduced pace of inter- Korean dialogues have led to disappointment among the population. This has in turn exacerbated internal divisions, related to differing conceptions about the implementation of rapprochement policies.

The Conference participants heard presentations from China, Japan, Russia, USA, the European Union and South Korea. Speakers emphasized not only problems, but also presented aspects of hope in the current situation. US participants emphasized that the basic commitment to engagement policies remains unchanged in the current US Administration. Conference participants welcomed Secretary Colin Powell's assurance that the USA is ready to dialogue with the DPRK "anytime, anywhere, and without precondition", and expressed the hope for an early response from the DPRK. They welcomed the North Korean call for a resumed North-South dialogue. They welcomed the fact that both President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Jiang Zemin of China have encouraged DPRK to continue on the path of inter-Korean rapprochement. These positive developments are tempered by the feeling that one of the most urgent problems to resolve is the lack of consensus within South Korea on how to proceed with this rapprochement. Although the Conference heard both President Kim Dae Jung and opposition leader Lee Hoe Chang commit themselves to continuing the policy of inter-Korean engagement, it was clear that the differences in approach threaten to weaken South Korea's role in the engagement process.

The Conference discussed numerous themes under three headings:

Peace and Security,
Peace and Cooperation,
Peace and Civic Participation.

These open- ended discussions led, among others, to the following insights and proposals:

1: There is an urgent need for consensus on North-South policies among the people and their political leaders in the Republic of Korea. To this end, the Conference suggested that a bi-partisan standing advisory committee should be formed to discuss and give advice to political leaders on rapprochement policies, so that political change within South Korea will not run the risk of undermining a common approach vis-à-vis North Korea.

2: The Conference underlined the need for pursuing efforts to transform the existing armistice agreement into a peaceful security mechanism. The first step in this approach could be to implement, together with the DPRK, the confidence- building measures outlined in the 1992 Basic Agreement between the two Koreas.


3: These efforts should go hand in hand with the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral security structures, with a view to creating an atmosphere where both sides can feel safe enough to proceed with concrete steps toward peace and the reduction of arms.

4. Peace is also promoted through cooperation in the economic and social fields. Cooperative multilateral structures such as APEC could be used to build a human as well as political interface. A concrete suggestion was the creation of a Korean Agricultural Development Organization (KADO) to assist in recovery and rehabilitation of agriculture in North Korea. Another suggestion was made to create a North-East Asian Development Bank (NEADB) and an international technical consortium to provide for assistance in the rehabilitation of North Korean infrastructure.

5. In order to break the deadlock over the visit of Chairman Kim Jong Il to Seoul, and to assure that the momentum of inter-Korean relations is not lost altogether, the Conference suggests that the two leaders agree to meet at an interim summit meeting in a neutral location such as Panmunjom. This should not take the place of but rather lead to an eventual scheduling of the North Korean leader's reciprocal visit.

6. Reconciliation is based upon cooperation and not the reverse. The Conference underlined the important role played by civil society organizations in concrete work for reconciliation, since the humanitarian aid sent to North Korea by non-governmental organizations is not based on reciprocity. Noting the differences in structure and areas of concern, there is room for inter-NGO collaboration in East Asia to demonstrate the working of unity in diversity, also in relation to North Korea.

7. The Conference supported the establishment of a civilian-level global forum to facilitate people-to-people exchanges at all levels and help to foster a peace constituency in their respective countries.

Source: CanKor#54, 12 September 2001, available from CanKor2000@cs.com