What lies ahead for the Republic of Korea-Japan ties now, 20 years after the 1998 Kim Dae-jung-Keizo Obuchi Declaration for a new Korea-Japan partnership in the 21st century? Any bid to normalize the bilateral relations faces obstacles posed by the historical issues between the two countries. However, as Korea begins to show a firmer determination to improve relations after its new government took office, the two countries are now set to resume discussions on another declaration regarding the Korea-Japan partnership on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Kim-Obuchi Declaration. This year, the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity arranged a special session to discuss practical ways to reestablish and institutionalize cooperative ties between the two countries as a measure to lay the foundations for a new joint declaration of partnership. The first part of the session will review the general aspects of bilateral relations, and the second part joined by lawmakers, diplomats, journalists, and scholars of the two countries will discuss measures to promote cultural exchanges.