An exhibition of the history of Jeju Island’s exchanges with governments and organizations

worldwide is set to open, timed with the 12th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity. The

International Peace Center, Jeju (in Jungmun, Seogwipo City) will host the opening ceremony

for the exhibition, “Jeju Island’s International Exchanges Seen through Administrative

Artifacts,” at 11 a.m. on May 24. The exhibition lasts until August 31.

The exhibition under the theme, “Jeju Island Meets the World,” was designed to share the

heritage of international exchanges of the island by displaying various historical records and

official gifts exchanged with countries around the world.

Under six sub-themes, the exhibition was organized as follows: summit meetings,

international events, sister/friendship cities, cultural and humanities exchanges, ODA (Official

Development Assistance) projects and South-North Korean exchanges. The exhibition

features about 200 items, including folk artifacts, national symbolic items, and historical

records and photos of international events, donated by the officials of foreign governments

and organizations.

“Administrative artifacts” refer to the archival objects with visual and symbolic significance,

produced by public institutions. They symbolize official events, and public figures and

organizations. The rare artifacts related to the customs and social trends of a certain period

are also called as such.

Many participants in the 12th Jeju Forum are expected to visit the exhibition, hosted by the

Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and organized by the International Peace Center, as it is

timed with the forum slated for May 31-June 2 at the Jeju International Convention Center.

The International Peace Center, right across from the convention center, will promote the

exhibition by installing a booth at the venue of the forum to give visitors a tour of the

exhibition. The IPC opened in September, 2006 as a landmark facility for the “Island of World

Peace,” and performs the role of an institute to publicize the cases of peace achievements,

hold exhibitions on peace themes and offer the opportunities to experience peace.

Jeju Island sublimated the scar from the April 3 Massacre into a spirit of reconciliation,

coexistence and peace, and contributed to ending the Cold War order by hosting the summit

between South Korea and the Soviet Union in 1991. From then on, the island emerged as

major venue for Northeast Asian diplomacy, arranging six bilateral and multilateral summits.

Since being designated as the Island of World Peace in January, 2005, Jeju has launched 17

projects to uphold the values of cooperation and coexistence through international

exchange, including the Jeju Forum and other international conferences, as well as

establishing the Peace Park. It has sisterhood ties with 17 cities and friendship relations with

18 cities around the world, and has joined 12 international organizations, including the

UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments). The island has also engaged in humanitarian activities to send tangerines to North Korea as well as joining ODA projects in Mongolia and

East Timor and inter-Korean cooperation and exchange projects.