1. An international seminar on the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative, sponsored by the Foreign Ministry and co-hosted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), will take place at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul on July 9.

2. The upcoming seminar is part of efforts to improve the international community’s understanding of the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative, which the ROK government is actively pursuing to overcome the “Asia Paradox,” which refers to deepening regional conflicts over historical and territorial issues despite increasing economic interdependence.

o “NAPCI (Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative) and European Experience of CSBM (Confidence and Security Building Measure)” has been chosen as the theme of the seminar to share Europe’s experience that gave a lot of inspiration to the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative.

3. The seminar is expected to offer many lessons on exploring efficient ways to push ahead with the NAPCI, aimed at building peace and a practice of cooperation in Northeast Asia, by sharing the experience of Europe, which transformed itself from a continent of conflicts and enmity in the past century to a continent of peace and prosperity through multilateral cooperation, such as the European integration and the Helsinki Process. To that end, the seminar will be attended by international relations and security experts from Europe, including those from SIPRI and NATO, as well as experts from countries concerned with the NAPCI, such as the US, Japan and China.

4. Amid rising regional tensions caused by Japan’s historical revisionism and moves towards the so-called Proactive Contribution to Peace, including Japan’s announcement on the result of the review of the details leading to the drafting of the Kono Statement and the Japanese Cabinet’s decision on its right to collective self-defense, major countries, such as the US, China, Japan and Russia, are stressing the need to build a new security order in Northeast Asia. In the upcoming seminar, to be held against this backdrop, experts are expected to give analyses and advice on ways to ease tensions and build up trust in Northeast Asia.

5. In addition to efforts to enhance people’s understanding of the NAPCI, the ROK government is actively pursuing many cooperation projects related to soft security issues. Specifically, projects are underway in areas where cooperation in Northeast Asia is crucial, including nuclear safety, energy security, environment, climate change, disaster relief, cyberspace, and drug. 


               Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation