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Let's learn from Korea's peace process
From an ‘island of death’, Jeju has been transformed into an ‘island of peace’.
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Jeju is the popular island south of the Korean mainland and has been the site of this high-level event since 2001, when the one-year anniversary of the first inter-Korean summit was commemorated. (Shutterstock/-)
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t the end of June, I attended the 2018 Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity. Jeju is the popular island south of the Korean mainland and has been the site of this high-level event since 2001, when the one-year anniversary of the first inter-Korean summit was commemorated. Over 5,000 participants attended the sessions with topics ranging from the threat of trade wars to state violence against women.
Among world leaders who had attended the forum were former Indonesian presidents Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. This time the forum took place two weeks after the meeting between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Many speakers praised the pivotal role of South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in in bringing the belligerent US and North Korean leaders to a face-to-face encounter. In the West, skepticism abounds over the talks, but in Jeju it became clear how much hope for peace this discussion yielded, as well as how strong the wish for reconciliation was in the heart of South Koreans.
Nobody ignored the obstacles ahead nor the bitter human rights record of the successive North Korean leaders. As Ban Ki Moon stated, human rights are universal and should be adhered to. These words of the former UN secretary-general are also relevant for Indonesia, where right-wing leaders occasionally say human rights are just a Western invention.
