GN’s 2009 Space Conference

April 16-18, 2009

Seoul, South Korea

International Conference
against the Asia Pacific Missile Defense
and for the End of Arms Race

Seoul, South Korea

April 16-18, 2009

(Korean site: http://space4peace.tistory.com/)

 See: Summary | Events and Programs | Papers and Reports

1. Background and Greetings

The 17th annual conference of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space will be held in Seoul, Korea from April 16-18, 2009, under the title of the 2009 International Conference against the Asia Pacific Missile Defense and for the End of Arms Race.

The Korean committee for the conference, lead by the Peace Network http://www.peacekorea.org/index.php (Korean), http://www.peacekorea.org/english/ (English) and Center for Peace and Disarmament, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) http://blog.peoplepower21.org/Peace/ (Korean), http://blog.peoplepower21.org/Peace/category/English (English) and is formed by 10 peace organizations is the Co-Sponsor with the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space http://www.space4peace.org for this conference.

The signs of a 'new cold war' are brewing as the U.S. pushes ahead with the missile defense (MD) system installations in Eastern Europe against Russia's strong opposition. There is an urgent need for the international civil society to respond against the current rapid arms race in the Asia Pacific where the US leads the Asia Pacific MD efforts, supported strongly by Japan, Australia and South Korea; against the frontline of opposition formed by China, Russia and North Korea.

The MD issue is becoming the core element of the destabilization of peace in Northeast Asia, not to mention the Korean peninsula, especially when the U.S. intends to make South Korea its MD outpost  and the Lee Myung Bak government promotes stronger US-South Korea alliance and the US-South Korea-Japan trilateral system formation.

By this great chance, the Korea Committee points out the Korean peace issues within the international peace movement circles, and wants to share international understanding and cooperation about Korean peninsula's peace and reunification issues.

In light of such concerns, holding an international peace conference in South Korea on missile defense and arms race issues will provide an important momentum in bringing the issues pertaining to the Korean peninsula-one of the last divided countries by the cold war in the world- and the North East Asia to the international community and in developing international solidarity.

We, the Korea Committee is already excited and grateful by many international participants’ enthusiasm to participate. Above all, we, the Korean Committee welcomes everyone in the world, who wants to share the urgent issues in each country regarding the Missile defense, military base, arms race etc. issues and to promote further international solidarity one another.

2. Summary of the International Conference

Official event dates: April 16 to 18, 2009

- Core issues: MD and space weaponization; Arms race and arms reduction; US bases and the peace movement in Northeast Asia; and global meaning of the peaceful reunification process in Korea etc.

- Main events: International symposium (Seoul),  International news conference (Seoul), Visit to Panmunjeom, Peace campaign (Pyeongtaek) and GN annual strategy and business meeting (Seoul)

- Interpretation: International symposium will be translated in Korean and English simultaneously while the other programs will be done consecutively. The GN annual strategy and business meeting will be done in English. For the effective usage of time, we integrated the whole program rather than having separate workshops.

3. Daily events and programs of the GN International Conference (Consecutive Interpretation)

(1) April 16, 2009 (Thursday): Field Trip to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and Getting Acquainted
 

  08:00-09:00:

 Breakfast, Seoul Women’s Plaza restaurant (3rd Fl.)
 
09:00:

10:00-16:00:		 Bus leaves in front of the Seoul Women’s Plaza

Field trip to the DMZ (Mt. Dora Observatory, Imjingak, Mt. Odu Unification Observatory, a village victimized by the antipersonnel landmine) guided by Lee, Si-Woo, an internationally known photographer
- Facilitator: Lee, Si-Woo (photographer, peace activist), Lee Haeng-Woo (President of National Association of Korean Americans (NAKA) and the Chairman of Center for Korean Affairs)
 
17:30-19:00: Dinner, Seoul Women’s Plaza restaurant (3rd Fl.)
 
19:00-21:00: Getting Acquainted Time, Multi Purpose room (3rd Fl.), Seoul Women’s Plaza
- Facilitator: Dr. Park, Sung-Yong (Nonviolent Peaceforce Corea)
  • Welcome Speech (5 min.)  by Lee, Kang-Sil, Executive Co-Chairperson, Korean Alliance for Progressive Movement
  • Greeting Speech (5 min.) by Yoshioka Tatsuya, Founder and Director, Peace Boat / Regional Initiator, GPPAC Northeast Asia
  • Special Address (5 min.) by Thomas C. Sturtevant, Veterans for Peace-Korea Peace Campaign
  • Special Talk/Performance (15min.) by Yumi Kikuchi, Founder of Global Peace Campaign and JUMP (Japan United for Ministry of Peace)
  • Special Music Performance (15min.) by dopehead zo, musician and peace activist

(2) April 17, 2009 (Friday): International Symposium and Dinner Meeting
08:00-09:00: Breakfast, Seoul Women’s Plaza restaurant (3rd Fl.)
 
9:00-10:00: Registration, in font of the International Conference Hall,
Seoul Women's Plaza (1st Fl.)
 
10:00-17:40: International Symposium, International Conference Hall, Seoul Women’s Plaza (1st Fl.), simultaneous interpretation
 
10:00-10:40:
  • Welcome and Keynote Speech
     - Facilitator: Choi, Eun-A (Self-Reliance Reunification Committee, Korean Alliance for Progressive Movement)
10:00-10:05:
  • Welcome speech (Chung, Hyun- Baek, President of the Board of Women Making Peace and the Co-Representative of Citizen's Peace Forum)
10:05-10:10:
10:10-10:15
  • Greeting speech (Peter van Tuijl, Executive Director, European Centre for Conflict Prevention)
10:20-10:40: Keynote speech, "US Plans for Global Dominance thru Space Control and the Global Network Response" (Bruce Gagnon, GN secretary/coordinator)
 

10:40-12:20:

 Plenary session I "MD and the World"
 - Facilitator: Cho, Young-Hee (Women Making Peace)
10:40-11:00:
11:00-11:20:
11:20-11:40:
11:40-12:00:
12:00-12:20: Q and A
 
12:20-13:30: Lunch and break (Seoul Women’s Plaza restaurant (3rd Fl.)
 

13:30-14:00:

 Break for a Short Movie and Music Performance
 - Facilitator: Jieun (People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democrac, (PSPD))
  • Movie screening (4min.) by Pyeongtaek Peace Center
  • Special music performance (20min.) by Lee, Ji-Sang (Musician, Invited professor of the SungKongHoe University)
14:00-16:10: Plenary session II "Global Anti-War and Peace Movements"
 - A ten minute speech by each international participant from various regions on the local peace movements focused on No MD and No US bases movements; and Q&A. (order undecided yet)
-  Facilitator: Park, Jung-Eun (People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD))
16:10-16:20: Break
 
16:20-18:00:
 		 Plenary session III: The Urgent Peace Issues of the Asia Pacific
 - Facilitator: Lee, Suk-Tae (Citizens’ Peace Forum)
 

16:20-16:40:

16:40-17:00:
  • Basing Without Bases (Corazon Valdez-Fabros, International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases (No Bases Network))
17:00-17:20:
  • Possible Impact to Regional Peace and Disarmament of "Peace-State" Transformation (Francis Daehoon Lee, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD))
17:20-17:40: Q& A
 
17:40-18:00: Co-Statement for Peace, Seoul, 2009 (By an international and a Korean participant, TBA)
 
18:00:

Closing the Symposium: Facilitator: TBA
 
18:00-21:00: Dinner and Conversation, Restaurant, ‘Myungkyung Live’ near Seoul Women’s plaza (Consecutive interpretation)
- Co-Facilitator: Mary Beth Sullivan (GN Outreach coordinator) and Choi, Sung-Hee (Korean committee member)
  • Speech on the Peace of the East Asia and the issue of the Yasukuni  (5 min.) by Suh, Sung, Director of Ritsumeikan Center for Korea Studies (RiCKS) and Professor of Law, Korean resident in Japan
  • Co-Speech on the World March For Peace and Nonviolence (7 min.) by Dennis Redmond (Director of World Without Wars/USA) and Dr. Park, Sung Yong(Nonviolent Peaceforce Corea)

(3) April 18, 2009 (Saturday):  GN Annual Strategy & Business Meeting and Pyeongtaek Visit
 
08:00-09:00: Breakfast, Seoul Women’s Plaza restaurant (3rd Fl.)
 
09:00-12:00: GN Annual Strategy and Business Meeting (English, open to everyone) Multi Purpose Room, 4th Fl., Seoul Women’s Plaza
 - Facilitator: Bruce Gagnon (GN Secretary/Coordinator)
 
12:00-13:00: Lunch, Seoul Women’s Plaza restaurant (3rd Fl.)
 
13:00: Leaving Seoul for Pyeongaek by bus (in front of the Seoul Women’s Plaza)
 
15:00-20:00: 

Pyeongtaek Visit (the emerging hub of US military bases in construction) and Dinner Meeting with the Local Peace Organizations (Consecutive interpretation)
 - Facilitator: Kang, Sang-Won (Pyeongtaek Peace Center) and Pyeongtaek Peace activists
 
15:00-16:00:
16:00-18:30:
18:30-20:00:
 20:00-22:00:

Rally in front of the Beta Base, Songtan Air Force Base (known as Osan AFB)
Field trip to the Songtan AFB
Dinner meeting
Return to Seoul
 

(4). Special Event (Optional): Visit and Field Trip to the Site of Struggle against the Mugeon-ri Military Training Fields on April 19
 The Pan-Korean Committee against the Expansion of the Mugeon-ri Military Training Fields (http://www.peaceoh.net, (Korean)), and The Village People’s Committee against the Expansion of the Mugeon-ri Military Training Fields specially sponsor the international participants’ visit and field trip to Ohyun-ri and Mugeon-ri. (consecutive translation)
 

13:00:

14:30-16:30
16:30-18:00
18:00-20:00
20:00-21:00
21:00-22:30

 Bus leaves in front of the Seoul Women’s Plaza

Workshop
Trip to the Mugeon-ri Military Training Fields
Dinner meeting with the local activists
Candle light vigil with the village people
Return to Seoul
 

(5) The GPPAC Steering Committee Meeting on April 18~19
 Morning of April 18 and all day April 19, Seminar Room No. 2, Seoul Women’s Plaza.
 

The Korean Committee for the International Conference, Seoul, 2009

 

Korean Organizations in the Korean Committee (No order, List in formation)

Peace Network

Center for Peace and Disarmament, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD)

National Campaign for Eradication of Crimes by U.S. Troops in Korea

Women Making Peace

Pyeongtaek Peace Center

Civil Committee against the Kunsan U.S. base

Jinbo Korea

Lawyers for a Democratic Society

People’s Solidarity for Social Progress

Nonviolent Peaceforce Korea

Arirang International Peace Foundation


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