Seoul, South Korea
April 16-18, 2009

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):

09:00(07:00)-15:00(17:30): International participants trip to Panmunjeom (the symbol of Korean division http://koreadmztour.com/english/tour/tour2.htm) or Visit to the vicinity of the DMZ (Imjingak, Dorasan observatory etc.)/meeting with activists/cultural event etc as a plan B.

18:00-21:00: dinner and entertainment(including the speech by 3~4 GN participants)

(2). April 17, 2009  (Friday): International meeting (Simultaneous interpretation)

9:00-10:00 Foreign and domestic press conference (consecutive translation)
9:45-10:00: Registration
10:00-10:10: Welcome speech (Korean dignitary)
10:10-10:20: Greeting speech (GN Chairman )
10:20-10:40: Keynote speech, "Star Wars (space weaponization), Future Warfare, and the Global Peace" (GN)
10:40-12:20: Plenary session I "MD and the World"
10:40-11:00: The MD policy of the overall and Obama government (USA participant)
11:00-11:20: MD, Europe and the New Cold War including the NATO missile defense(European participant): 11:20-11:40: MD, Arms Race and the Future of the North East Asia(Korean participant):
11:40-12:00: What is the alternative against the MD?: Nuclear Disarmament and Conversion of the Military Industrial Complex(GN participant)
12:00-12:20: Q and A
12:20-14:00: Lunch and break (There will be short presentation(about 4min.) of the slide projection )
14:00-15:20: Plenary session II "Global Anti-War and Peace Movements"
* Each international participant requested to give a ten minute speech on the MD and No US bases movements; and Q&A. The participants from GN are cordially asked to give a speech.
15:20-15:30: Break
15:30-17:00: Plenary session III " Korea, Japan and the Northeast Asia Peace
15:30-16:00: Peace Constitution in Japan and the Northeast Asia Peace (Japanese participant):
16:00-16:30: Korea Peace and Reunification Process and the Northeast Asia Peace (Korean participant): ?
16:30-17:00: Q& A
17:00: Closing the symposium
18:00-21:00: Dinner and Entertainment: includes three Keynote speeches

(3) April 18, 2009(Saturday)(English)
9:00-12:00: GN Annual Strategy and Business Meeting
12:00-13:00: Lunch
13:00-20:00: visit and rally/ protest  in front of the military base in Pyeongtaek (the emerging hub of US military bases in construction) and dinner meeting with the local peace organizations

(4). Official Conference and Stay site : Seoul Women’s Plaza, Seoul, from April 15 to April 19(During the given official dates above, no stay cost by the international participants. The Korean Committee is reserving seven western-style two-bed rooms and seven Korean-style two bed rooms except for the special request. The rooms are the building can best afford. Reservation for the first comers, first.  The international participant may pay for other nights at low cost or request for the info. of home stay/ other hotels as alternative. Regarding stay, please contact wooksik@gmail.com, armha5156@gmail.com and globalnet@mindspring.com 

Jan. 20, 2009

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
 
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 443-9502
http://www.space4peace.org
globalnet@mindspring.com
http://space4peace.blogspot.com