Prime Minister Kim stresses need for regional security mechanism


JEJU ― Prominent politicians on Friday called on Asia and Pacific powers to boost mutual cooperation and understanding as the region emerges as a new center of growth and security for the globe.

Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and other former and incumbent leaders of the region made opening addresses at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity.

The three-day conference opened Thursday to discuss key challenges looming over Asia and the world including security, climate change, energy, technology, education, gender equality and cultural exchanges.

They focused on how Asia should embrace the new era of history marked by the shift of global power from the West to the East and a new international order shaped by weakened U.S. power and the increasing assertiveness of China.

Kim underscored the need of East Asian countries to overcome their historical disputes to deepen regional and global cooperation.

“We need to bear in mind that should we fail in our confidence-building process beyond this (historical rows), peace and prosperity in East Asia will be an unattainable goal,” Kim said during the forum’s opening ceremony.

Noting that Europe has succeeded in establishing an effective security cooperation body, namely the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Kim hoped that Asia will also have a similar entity.

Kim also urged the world to maintain a united stance for North Korea to renounce its military adventurism and engage with the international community as a responsible member.

“The most critical variable in the security of East Asia is North Korea,” said Kim. “The international community will have to show a united position so that Pyongyang’s new leadership will move in a direction of openness, reform and denuclearization.”

Touching on the rise of China and its impact, former Australian Prime Minister Paul John Keating stressed closer cooperation to allow the Asian power to participate in the regional community, but not to “dominate it.”

“Closer U.S. political and commercial links with the countries of the region should help establish a web of self-reinforcing, cooperative ties which over time, should assuage Chinese concerns that a structure is being built with the express purpose of Chinese strategic containment,” he said.

“Indeed, such a cooperative structure should encourage China to participate in the region rather than seek to dominate it.”

Keating also stressed the importance of flexibility to maintain stability in the new international structure characterized by multiple players asserting their strategic interests.

“We should recognize that the Cold War structure was quite stable but very brittle, whereas this new system is much less stable but more flexible. This is because a much greater range of interests cross the economic divide,” he said.

“We need flexibility when the structure is under pressure and in this emerging structure, there should be scope to find some hope.”

Kyrgyz Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov emphasized peace while touching on his country having suffered from attacks by international terrorists at the end of the last century.

“Sustainable development and prosperity is possible only when there is a peace. Peace in the family home, town, country, region, continent on earth, harmony with nature, with your soul,” he said.

In his opening remarks, Jeju Governor Woo Keun-min expressed his hope that the Jeju forum will reach the status of the Davos Forum, an annual gathering of global political and business elites to discuss the most pressing issues facing the world.

The forum attracted some 2,000 people including about 250 from overseas.

The forum consists of some 60 sessions hosted by 23 organizations including Seoul’s Foreign Ministry, the Jeju government, Seoul School of Integrated Sciences and Technologies and Korea Human Development Institute.

It is hosted by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the International Peace Foundation, the East Asia Foundation and JoongAng Ilbo. It had been held biennially since its inception in 2001until last year.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)