People For Earth

The PyeongChang Peace Forum 2020 (PPF 2020) was held from 9~11 of February at Alpensia Convention Center in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, hosted by Gangwon-do, Pyeongchang City, the 2018 PyeongChang Legacy Foundation and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).



Domestic and international expert participants discussed diverse topics for the transition to a peace regime beyond the war with the theme of Action Plan: End of the Korea War. Sustainable peace and economy, the way of cooperation with the international organizations including the United Nations, and future-oriented design of the DMZ were also highlighted as major issues. In particular, People for Earth organized and conducted the Plenary Session Three with the themes “Searching for Goseong UN Peace City and Transitioning to an Integral Future” and “DMZ Peace Zone and Prospect for UNESCO World Heritage Listing.”

Along with KumSil Kang, Executive Director of People for Earth, who was the moderator of the first part of the session, some members of People for Earth presented and discussed ways to spread peace and ecological values beyond the division and conflicts. The participated members included Dr. Ilcheong Yi, Senior Research Coordinator at UNRISD, Woo-seok Kong, Professor at Kyung Hee University, Hye Jin Jung, Attorney at Law and Bo Hyun Ham, Attorney at Law.

〈Plenary Session 3-1〉 Search for Goseong UN Peace City and Transition to an Integral Future

Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, is the only county in Korea that is divided by the military demarcation line and covers lands from both South and North Koreas. Because of this geographical characteristic, Goseong is the place where the scars of the war and division still exist but also has a lot to offer in terms of its historic, political, and cultural values. Goseong also boasts its pristine nature especially in the DMZ that has tremendous ecological value. This session focused on proposing the ‘Goseong UN Peace City’ based on its unique heritage and value and establishing sustainable development plans for this city.

〈Plenary Session 3-2〉 DMZ Peace Zone and Prospect for UNESCO World Heritage Listing

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) symbolizes conflicts and division to the Korean people as it is the result of the Korea War and the cease-fire. The DMZ is the home to memories and scars that are still vivid and alive. However, people have recently started to acknowledge the values of this area where everything seems to have stopped 70 years ago and tried to rediscover the place as a future-oriented area. This session discussed the potential of transforming the DMZ into a place of peace and cooperation and also new perspectives on how to preserve its historic and ecological values as a heritage of the human history.