Gyeonggi Province, Ministry of Unification to Co-Host "DMZ OPEN Eco Peace Forum" on Oct. 28

Gyeonggi Province Seeks Ways to Promote Peaceful Coexistence on the Korean Peninsula
Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Miae, Unification Minister Chung Dongyoung and Others to Attend
Experts from Korea and Abroad to Discuss Peaceful Use of DMZ and Ecological Cooperation
Forum to Explore a Sustainable Future for the Korean Peninsula Under the Theme "Opening the Way to Peaceful Coexistence"

Gyeonggi Province is joining forces with the Ministry of Unification and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation to explore ways to promote peaceful coexistence and ecological cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, with a focus on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Poster for the '2026 DMZ OPEN Eco Peace Forum.' Provided by Gyeonggi Province.

Gyeonggi Province announced on October 15 that it will co-host the 2026 DMZ OPEN Eco Peace Forum at Sono Calm Goyang on October 28, under the theme "Opening the Way to Peaceful Coexistence."

The forum is a key academic event of the DMZ OPEN Festival, hosted by Gyeonggi Province. It was organized to share the DMZ's ecological and peaceful value with the international community and to discuss ways for the government, local governments and the international community to work together on sustainable peace cooperation.

The event will begin with an opening ceremony at 10 a.m., followed by a keynote session and sessions on peace and ecology.

In the morning keynote session, Valerie Gelezeau, a professor at the French School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS), will deliver a keynote address titled "The Meaning and Potential of the Path to Peace: A Geographical Reverie Along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)."

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Miae, Minister of Unification Chung Dongyoung, Christoph Heuser, head of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation's Korea office, and Professor Valerie Gelezeau will then take part in a keynote discussion on the DMZ's future value and the potential for peaceful coexistence.

Three thematic sessions will follow in the afternoon.

In the first peace session, hosted by the Ministry of Unification, former Vice Minister of Unification Choi Youngjoon will chair a discussion on "Peaceful Use of the DMZ and Ways to Cooperate." Participants will include AFP journalist Roland de Crussol, Felix Glenk, representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation's Korea office, and Kang Minjo, director of the Center for Korean Peninsula and East Asia Research at the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements.

The second peace session, hosted by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, will feature a discussion titled "Dialogue for Peaceful Coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia: Perspectives from Asia and Europe." Mun Ayoung, head of Peace Momo, will chair the session. Participants will include former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jongkun, Dan Smith, a senior researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, and Sayo Saruta, head of the New Diplomacy Initiative.

Through the ecology session, Gyeonggi Province will explore ways to expand ecological cooperation beyond the DMZ and across Northeast Asia. Under the theme "Ecological Peace Cooperation on the Korean Peninsula: From the DMZ to Siberia," participants will include Choo Jangmin, an honorary research fellow at the Korea Environment Institute, and Ko Gyeongtaek, a research fellow at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology.

Hands-on programs will also be available for members of the public and young people to take part in. An experience zone for "DMZ Big Game," created by the Ministry of Unification, will be set up at the venue, along with various on-site events and souvenir giveaways.

Those wishing to attend can register in advance through the official website.

Woo Byeongbae, director of Gyeonggi Province's Peace Cooperation Division, said, "This forum is a meaningful occasion for Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of Unification, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and other domestic and international organizations to work closely together and translate the value of the DMZ into academic and policy action. We hope many members of the public and young people will take part and envision a future of peace and coexistence together."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.