제주평화연구원

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200"] MOON Tae-young
President, Jeju Peace Institute & Chairman, Jeju Forum Executive Committee[/caption]

On the occasion of the launch of the newsletter “Jeju, Island of World Peace”, I am pleased to elaborate on the significance and accomplishments of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Properity, which was founded as part of an initiative comprising 17 key projects to promote Jeju as the Island of World Peace.

The Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity was established in 2001 to provide a regional multilateral dialogue platform for building peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and surrounding Northeast Asian regions. While the first to fifth Forums were held under the name “Jeju Peace Forum”, the current name (Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity) has been with us since the sixth Forum in 2011. This change mirrors the Forum’s aspirations to grow as a global player through diversifying its topics of discussion and expanding its scope.

In 2012, the Jeju Forum underwent another significant development, with the passage of a local ordinance passed in January 2012 in support of the Forum’s efforts. Prior to that, the Forum had been biennial and its conference dates always subject to change. However, its new status as an annual forum, with fixed forum dates, lay the foundation for the Jeju Forum to join the ranks of well-established global forums, such as the World Economic Forum in Davos and the Boao Forum For Asia.

Each year, the Jeju Forum has brought together world leaders from various fields, including government, academia, business, and journalism, working towards becoming Asia’s Davos Forum. Promoninent leaders from across Asia, such as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, took part in this year’s eleventh Jeju Forum under the theme of “Asia’s New Order and Cooperative Leadership”, marking its significance as a most high-profile event.

In recognition of the fact that creative ways for global cooperation are required for peace and prosperity in East Asia, in addition to individual countries’ efforts, the Jeju Forum seeks to contribute to world peace by institutionalizing a venue for dialogue on cooperation. To that end, the Forum has consistently centered its discussions around the theme “Peace and Prosperity in East Asia”, building grounds for international consensus. Through such efforts, the Jeju Forum has set up a global network of former and current world leaders and has made a substantial contribution to facilitating global cooperation for peace and prosperity. It is also emerging as Asia’s Davos Forum as it has invited Korean, Chinese, and Japanese business leaders and strengthened its panels on the economy and business. The Jeju Forum also makes a significant contribution to the reputation of Jeju Island as the “Island of World Peace”. In the years ahead, the Jeju Forum will continue to work hard to improve and to promote itself as a world-class forum.