People For Earth

This conference was held at the Econet center, Seongsu-dong, Seoul, Korea, on 11.07.2015, in order to introduce the missions and leadership of the Forum, and share issues and ideas regarding the Earth. About 80 people, including the Forum members and the invited guests, participated in the forum, under the theme, “For the Earth in Silence.” The conference offered a place for people to become aware of diverse perspectives on ecological civilization, earth-governance, the environment, Earth jurisprudence, etc. and seek possible solutions for resolving current problems.

The conference was composed of three sections. The conferences started with opening remarks by Kumsil Kang, the Executive Director of the Forum, and Prof. Sooyoung Kim. In the first section, “In Search of the Dream of the Earth”, the Catholic Priest Jaidon Lee and Prof. Kiwon Song, a Professor of Biochemistry at Yonsei Univerisity, broadly discussed the state of modern society and its prospects through the lenses of religion, the life-sciences, and humanities. In the second segment, “the Sky, the Sea, and Life Face Crisis,” Kim Seung Jin, Ph.D from the University of Chicago, and Siwon Park, the Director of Climate Change Law Center, provided the lectures. Whereas Kim discussed the concealed but central challenges of environment pollution ensuing from industrialization, Park spoke about the Climate Change Paris summit’s key issues and its prospects, including each nation’s discussion points at the summit (11.30. 2015) and South Korea’s position. In the third segment,

“Earth Jurisprudence – A New Beginning,” lawyers Hyejin Jung, Taehyun Park, Seonho Choe, and Dongsuk Oh described the importance of “Earth Jurisprudence,” which was based on “the lives of not just humans but all living things” for implementing the new legal systems.

There was also an event for participants, which embellished the night with performances and speeches by celebrated artists: Performances included that by Jihyun Lee, the traditional Korean dancer and professor performed Jindobukchum – a traditional dance of Korea, Mijung Im, the classic pianist and professor at Hansei University, and the STS bands of Yonsei University. Additionally, speeches were given by Changdong Lee, a celebrated film director, and You Jung Lee, an attorney at law.