Korean Peacebuilder Recognized by French Foundation

Question: Congratulations on receiving the Chirac Foundation’s Special Jury Prize for Conflict Prevention. How do you feel about being selected?

Answer: First of all, I feel extremely honored to have received such an award. I was contacted back in early October and told I was to be the recipient of the Chirac Foundation’s Special Jury Prize for Conflict Prevention. It certainly caught me by surprise. I had no idea that I was even being considered for such an award.

What was behind the Chirac Foundation’s decision to award this prize to you?

Well, over the years I have been primarily making academic exchanges with countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula and especially with the United States. In fact, it was completely unexpected to receive this recognition from France, which is the political center of Europe. In that sense, I feel that it is an even greater honor to have received this award. The Chirac Foundation indicated consistency and non-political nature on being awarded. Over the decades, I have contributed to the efforts of striving for peace on the Korean Peninsula by consistently continuing my research on North Korea. I was evaluated on the establishment of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies (IFES ), which was established for the purpose of furthering research on North Korea. I was also evaluated on the establishment of the University of North Korean Studies (UNKS ), which was established to cultivate North Korea specialists. In addition, my service as the active minister of unification at the time was also given consideration.

What are your thoughts on receiving this award?

Above all, the award is personally meaningful in terms of being recognized internationally for the 40 years of work that I have carried out, without ever veering from my original purpose – that is, trying to bring peace and reconciliation to the two Koreas. The award is a source of new encouragement.

How did you become so interested in North Korean Studies?

Actually, back in the 1960s, I had received a scholarship to attend graduate school in America and so I eagerly went. In my first term there, I signed up for a lecture being taught by Peter Wiles, a well-known professor visiting from the London School of Economics. He noticed me and requested that I write a report on the North Korean economy. I was quite honored to have gained his notice and so I went right to work on the report. It must have impressed him because he later suggested that I go to LSE on scholarship to study about North Korea. From that moment onward my interest in North Korea grew deeper and deeper.

Why did you create the IFES and UNKS ?

Well, after returning to Korea from America and completing my military service, instead of heading back to my doctoral studies, I realized there was important work to do back home first. Part of that meant rebuilding Kyungnam University into a modern institution for higher education. So in early 1972, we began to expand the university and also offer more specialized education. As a component of that development, IFES was established. UNKS wasn’t established until 1997, but basically it was built with the same purpose in mind: to provide expert knowledge on North Korea and inter-Korean relations so as to promote a global understanding of the North and likewise peace on the peninsula. Its overall goal is to provide students with the practical training and theoretical knowledge that will help them play active roles in future peacemaking and unification processes. The school has grown over a short time and I’m quite proud of what it has achieved thus far.

The Chirac Foundation Prize in part recognizes your achievements in organizing the historic first ever inter-Korean summit in June 2000. What was it like to play such a big role in the summit and what is its lasting significance?

I wouldn’t say that I played a big role, but I’d like to think that I did contribute in a small way to its success. On Christmas Eve 1999, President Kim Dae Jung called me and asked that I take on the job of Minister of Unification. I did, and in the process leading up to the June 2000 summit and afterward, I was fortunate to have had the president’s support and trust in my opinion and analysis of North Korea. If you know and understand anything about the history of modern Korea, then you’ll know how exhilarating it was to have witnessed firsthand the leaders of the two Koreas shake hands and engage in serious dialogue. As for the summit’s lasting significance, that’s fairly obvious. After fifty years of enmity, the two Koreas are now moving forward with a cooperative spirit to reconcile their differences and build a future of friendship and peace. I’m honored to have had the opportunity to play a part in such a critical juncture in Korea’s history.

The Chirac Foundation Prize is an honorable award to receive as a Korean but at the same time, the prize magnifies the severity of the inter-Korean conflict, even today. If you were to review 2009’s inter-Korean relations in terms of conflict and reconciliation, what would be your verdict?

Well, as I said, the climate on the Korean Peninsula has changed markedly from what it was decades ago. Reconciliation is still a bumpy road and a work in progress. But inter-Korean relations have improved in countless ways. The current deadlock has eased considerably, but it is difficult to say the two Koreas have achieved normalization. The nuclear issue has not yet shown any visible changes, therefore the opportunity for inter-Korean relations to progress has not been provided. Partial working- level talks and reunions of separated families have been held, however meetings between government authorities to promote the cooperation and progress of inter-Korean relations have not been held yet. The exchanges and cooperation of the private sector is at the moment quite static. Nevertheless, since last August, we can see a more positive attitude between the two governments, emphasizing the practical need for exchange and dialogue.

What roles might Asian countries like India and those of ASEAN play in helping find solutions to the problems on the Korean Peninsula?

Well, broadly speaking, from a Korean perspective, it is important for Korea to diversify its relationships. From an economic viewpoint, Korea’s relations with countries like India are growing and becoming quite robust. At the same time, we would like to enhance other Asian countries’ understanding of the security issues on the Korean Peninsula from a perspective of world peace. Their enhanced understanding of the issues from such a perspective might help them find suitable roles in the future.

What do you see as your role in global peacemaking?

I don’t really see myself as having a role, per se. Like anyone, I just want to contribute to the promotion of peace – that’s the universal task of all mankind. I was inspired to pursue my beliefs, and overcome the obstacles in front of me, with enthusiasm and spirit. All I try to do is my best, every day, and try to instill courage and confidence in others. Hopefully, my best can in some way help lead to reconciliation between the two Koreas. That, I believe, will help promote peace in the world. I think that the fact I was awarded the Chirac Foundation prize shows that North Korean issues are not simply of regional concern, but also issues of considerable interest to the international community. So I think the scope should be expanded to the international level from now on. In particular, many European specialists whom I met at the award ceremony asked me to make efforts to raise awareness about North Korean issues in Europe. Although we have conducted exchanges with the European countries, the activity has not been as large as it is now. With the award as momentum, I will try to vitalize exchanges with European countries, among others.

What’s your plan for the future to prevent conflict on the Korean Peninsula?

Well, the award becomes a source of new encouragement and momentum for assuring myself that I should redouble my efforts. So I have reestablished my resolve to try to do more. Especially, I will redouble my efforts to encourage IFES to carry out more research activities and to nurture expertise in the field through UNKS . I can only hope that one day I will see all people from both sides of my divided homeland join hands in true reconciliation and peace.