This year’s Jeju Forum includes a variety of sessions that discuss Jeju issues and future vision.

In the session, “Peace Cities Network: Building Cooperative Network among Peace Cities to

Expand World Peace,” at 1:30-3 p.m. on June 26, organized by the Jeju Special Self-

Governing Province, the panelists discuss ways to establish world peace with references to

the cases in which the conflicts between states were settled through the international

exchange and cooperation between local governments, especially peace cities. Prof. Gang

Geun-hyeong of Jeju National University will chair the session, and Dr. Thomas Schneider,

Director of the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Center, Akitoshi Nakamura, Director of

Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, and Enrique Rahmann, Global Director of the International

Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources will give their presentations and

share their views.

Global Peace Cities are the municipalities designated by the central or local governments. As

a member of the Conference of Mayors for Peace, Jeju City introduced itself as the Island of

World Peace at the conference held in Nagasaki, Japan last July.

The Pacific Rim Parks Members Conference at 3:20-4:50 p.m. on the same day will be an

occasion for Jeju City to lead the networking of the seven member cities (plus seven

potential members). This session will be chaired by Ko Seong-joon, Emeritus Professor at Jeju

National University. Following the speech of Stephan Haggard, Krause Distinguished

Professor at University of California San Diego, James Hubbell, President of Pacific Rim Parks

Foundation, Kyle Bergman, Co-chair of Pacific Rim Parks Foundation, David Edick Jr.,

Member of the Steering Committee of Pacific Rim Parks Foundation, Gerdes Marianne,

Executive Director of Ilan-Lael Foundation, and Kim Tae-il, Professor of Jeju National

University will hold discussion.

On June 28, the last day of the three-day forum, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province,

Jeju Peace Institute and Jeju Olle Foundation will jointly hold the special session, “Path to

reconciliation, coexistence and happiness for Jeju Islanders,” at 2:00-3:30 p.m. “Pathfinder,”

Suh Myung-sook, Chairperson of Jeju Olle Foundation who has blazed 26 “trails of

happiness” for the last 10 years, will give a keynote speech. Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio,

the 2008 Nobel laureate of literature, will deliver a video message, as he could not attend

the session due to health complications.

Actress and Movie Director Moon Sori, who joined the nationwide campaign, “The Jeju April

3 Incident: The History of the Republic of Korea,” and Prof. Song Ki-jeong of Ewha Womans

University, who translated Clezio’s novella, “Tempest,” which was dedicated to Jeju haenyeo,

will hold a discussion on the identity and spirit of Jeju Island to heal the historical scars for

reconciliation and peace.

“Tempest” has a preface entitled, “To hanyeo of Jeju’s Udo Island.” In the tribute, Le Clezio,

who is an honorary Jeju citizen, draws a parallel between his homeland Mauritius and Jeju

Island as volcanic islands that have been victimized by the world powers and the April 3

Incident, respectively, ruminating on the spirit of Jeju and expressing his affection for the

island.

The forum introduced more sessions on the Apr. 3 Incident this year, marking the 70th

anniversary of the incident. On June 28, “Jeju April 3 incident from Eyes of the Foreign

Jounalists” and “State Violence, Women and Jeju 4.3 Incident” sessions are scheduled at 3:50-

5:20 p.m. and 5:40-7:10 p.m., respectively. In the former session, foreign journalists who

collected news materials about the historic incident will present their perspectives and

discuss how to promote international discourses on the subject.

The other sessions on Jeju issues are “Jeju's Alternative Option and Strategy for Actualizing

Peace and Human Rights City” (organized by Jeju Research Institute); “Global Tourism and

the Future of Jeju” (by Jeju International Council) “Policy Issues and Strategies for Sustainable

Island Tourism” (Jeju Special Self-Governing Province/ Jeju Tourism Organization); “The

Future of Smart City” (Jeju Free International City Development Center); “Smart Growth

Control Strategies in the Korean Peninsula” (Jeju Special Self-governing Province / Soongsil

University); JDC, towards a Hub of International Exchanges in Asia (Jeju Free International

City Development Center); “Case Studies on the Advanced Countries’ Decentralization

Process for Upgrading the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province’s Devolution Level” (Jeju

Special Self-Governing Province); “Global Investment Outlook for the Future of the Beauty

Products Industry and Exploration of Strategies for Entering the Global Market” (Jeju Special

Self-Governing Province); and “Networking Art and Peace Community in East Asia” (Jeju

Special Self-Governing Province / Jeju Peace Institute / Jeju Museum of Art).