JoongAng Ilbo-CSIS Forum 2018: Striving for Peace

The eighth annual Joongang Ilbo-CSIS Forum 2018 takes place at a historic yet delicate moment regarding peace and diplomacy on the Korean peninsula. After 2017, a year replete with nuclear and ballistic missile tests and threats of war, the first ten months of 2018 have seen unprecedented steps toward achieving a lasting peace on the peninsula. Starting with President Moon’s Olympics diplomacy on the occasion of the Pyeongchang Games, the inter-Korean summits, and the unprecedented U.S.-DPRK Singapore Summit in June 2018, foreign policy talk of confidence-building measures, a trust-making process, and a permanent peace regime swirls around the peninsula. Yet, the core issues of denuclearization and human rights still remain unresolved. An internationally acclaimed group of experts will come together in Seoul to address questions related to future diplomacy on the Korean peninsula. What are the prospects for the Panmunjom peace process? Is there a viable solution to achieving the abandonment of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in North Korea? What would a political and economic normalization process on the peninsula look like? What interests do the regional powers have in achieving such an outcome?

Experts, former government officials, and opinion leaders will address the prospects for President Moon Jae-in and President Donald Trump’s diplomatic efforts in Korea. They will assess the incentives for the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to engage in this new diplomatic process and the constraints that he may face. They will also assess how a peace process can be achieved while continuing to strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance.

8:40 – 9:20 AM | REGISTRATION
 
9:30 – 9:35 AM | OPENING REMARKS
Hong Seok-Hyun, Chairman, JoongAng Holdings; Chairman, Korea Peace Foundation
 
9:35 – 9:40 AM | WELCOMING REMARKS
John Hamre, President and CEO, CSIS
 
9:40 – 10:00 AM | CONGRATULATORY REMARKS
Harry Harris, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
 
10:00 – 10:20 AM | BREAK
 
10:20 – 11:50 AM | SESSION I: Achieving Denuclearization and Peace Diplomacy
This panel will address core questions about verification standards for denuclearization, the potential for diplomatic progress, and outcomes acceptable to all parties. This panel will also assess the successes and challenges for President Moon’s peace diplomacy, as well as the economic and political pre-requisites for transformational diplomacy on the peninsula.
 
Motoko Rich, Tokyo Bureau Chief, The New York Times
Victor Cha, Senior Adviser and Korea Chair, CSIS
Mark Lippert, Vice President, Boeing International; Former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
Park Myung-Lim, Professor, Yonsei University; Director, Kim Dae-Jung Presidential Library
Shin Kak-soo, Former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
 
11:50 – 1:20 PM | LUNCHEON
 
1:30 – 2:45 PM | SESSION II: Reforms in North Korea and Economic Prospects for the Korean Peninsula
This panel will look at the prospects and potential for economic change in North Korea and the role of international institutions in the process.
 
Bark Taeho, Professor Emeritus, Seoul National University; Former Minister for Trade
Jonathan Cheng, Seoul Bureau Chief, The Wall Street Journal
Jung Tae Yong, Professor, Yonsei University
Lee Jong-Wha, Professor, Korea University
Marcus Noland, Executive Vice President and Director of Studies, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Yoon Sung Eun, Senior Vice President, SK Telecom
 
2:45 – 2:55 PM | BREAK
 
2:55 – 4:10 PM | SESSION III: Strengthening the U.S.-ROK Alliance
This panel will assess issues in the U.S.-ROK alliance as they relate to inter-Korean diplomacy, burden-sharing, and overall alliance relations. Is the inter-Korean peace process consonant with strengthening U.S.-ROK alliance relations?
 
Kwon Manhak, Professor, Kyung Hee University
Richard Armitage, President, Armitage International; Trustee, CSIS
Kim Sung-han, Dean, Graduate School of International Studies, Korea University; Former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs
Park Young-Ho, Professor, Kangwon National University
Sue Mi Terry, Senior Fellow, CSIS
 
4:10 – 4:30 PM | BREAK
 
4:30 – 5:45 PM | SESSION IV: The Way Forward: Economics and Policy Considerations
A forward-looking panel discussing the way forward with a focus both on economics and policy considerations.
 
Yoo Jang-Hee, Professor Emeritus, Ewha Womans University
Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, CSIS; Director of Asian Studies, Georgetown University
John Hamre, President and CEO, CSIS
Kim Byung-Yeon, Professor, Seoul National University
Zang Hyoungsoo, Professor, Hanyang University
 
5:45 – 5:50 PM | CLOSING