JEJU ― Leading scholars and politicians on Thursday urged Asian states to step up efforts to overcome mutual distrust and enhance cooperation to cope with common challenges including nuclear threats from North Korea.

Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, and other former leaders of the region made opening addresses at the 8th Jeju Forum for Peace & Prosperity, pointing to deepening territorial, historical animosities in the region.

Under the main theme of “New Waves in Asia,” the three-day conference began Wednesday, bringing together some 3,000 experts, government officials and politicians from about 40 countries to discuss security, environment, energy, culture and other issues.

Chung reiterated Seoul’s resolve to forge a multilateral dialogue process for peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

“The countries in the region should build trust through dialogue and cooperation on common challenges such as environmental issues, disaster relief, nuclear safety and counter-terrorism,” Chung said.

“Building upon this and expanding the scope of cooperation, we will establish a multilateral dialogue process.”

Touching on Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats, Chung stressed the international community should put up a united front, and that additional provocations would not be tolerated.

“The international community must send, with one voice, a clear, resolute and consistent message in order to induce North Korea to make a right choice to embark upon a path of change,” he said.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, another keynote speaker, called on Asia to move away from traditional ways of thinking, urging it to work together to forge an East Asian community based on the spirit of “fraternity.”

He pointed out what conservatives list as challenges to building such a community ― religious, cultural and language differences, and America’s concerns about being left out of it ― could be overcome with “fresh thinking.” 

“We should not consider religious, cultural or linguistic diversity only as an obstacle. Rather, if we are able to develop a culture of accepting, respecting and learning from each other’s differences in the spirit of fraternity, such diversity can, in fact, become a source of vitality and creativity,” he said.

“The contradiction can be harnessed as an opportunity to engage in lively, constructive dialogue and elevate ourselves to the next phase.”

The former leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, who headed the Tokyo government from September 2009 to June 2010, acknowledged the growing criticism over Japanese rightwing politicians’ remarks that refused to atone for the country’s wartime aggression.

“Under these circumstances, unity in Northeast Asia only becomes even more distant. … I know that politicians must not close their eyes to history,” he said.

He also underscored the need for a regional unity in responding to North Korea’s security challenges.

“We cannot begin to address the North Korean issue while Japan, South Korea and China as well as Russia have fallen into mutual distrust and continue to engage in disputes,” he said. “In fact, frosty relations among them encourage North Korea to take a more provocative stance.”

Jeju Gov. Woo Keun-min said that now is the time for the region to bolster the spirits of collaboration and solidarity to overcome the havoc wrought by regional territorial disputes and natural disasters.

“Asia should move forward into the future, not retrogress back into history. We should take a path not of each country’s exclusive national interests, but of coprosperity, and a path not of hostile destruction, but of peaceful unification,” he said during his opening remarks.

During a session titled “Achieving full potential through gender equality” Wednesday, Freda Miriklis, the chief of the International Federation of Business & Professional Women, one of the world’s most influential women’s networks, stressed women empowerment would have a far-reaching impact on the region’s prosperity.

“If we decide ― as societies, governments and businesses ― to invest in women and girls, we will strengthen our efforts to fight poverty, drive development and spread stability,” she said.

“If we decide to take action, we will see that achieving full economic potential through gender equality extends beyond women and has rippling effects to all of humankind.”

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