Opening Remarks at the 2015 IFANS Conference on Global Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se,
former Minister Han Sung-joo,
and distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

The year 2015 is a very special year for Korea. It is not only the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from colonial tyranny and restoration of its national sovereignty, but also the 70th anniversary of the division of the Korean Peninsula.
Over the past 70 years, Koreans have gone through a period of tumultuous change which no other country has ever experienced. The 70 years of liberation, division, independence, war, industrialization, and democratization were accompanied by the Koreans’ hard efforts, triumphs, and tragedies.
Our unprecedented success in achieving “compressed growth” over 70 years can be accredited to a stable international order established after the end of the World War II, and a strong ROK-U.S. alliance. The compliance with territorial boundaries and a stable free trade system have not only brought peace and prosperity to countries in East Asia, including Korea, Japan, and China, but have also become the basis for Korea’s liberal democracy at present.

Today, after 70 years have passed since liberation and establishment of our country, the strategic environment surrounding Korea is going through a remarkable shift.
It seems that three gigantic “typhoons” are gradually approaching us:
First is the 19th-century typhoon, the direction of North Korea’s anachronistic absolute monarchy. Will North Korea continue to pursue nuclear development, and which path will it take in the near future? Will unification be possible? How should we prepare for an endgame on the Korean Peninsula? It is a serious challenge that will determine the fate of the Korean Peninsula.
Second is the 20th-century typhoon. We are now witnessing the return of the age of power politics that characterized the 20th century. Korea is placed in the worst geopolitical location in that it is surrounded by the world’s most prominent superpowers. The reversion to the age of “great power politics” and “power of logic” would indeed be a tragedy for Korea. As Thucydides mentioned in his History of the Peloponnesian War, “while the strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.”
Koreans, who already experienced the loss of their own country in the past, are faced with the question of how to respond to this intense political pressure. Should Korea passively accept its fate again, as it did in the past?
The last is the 21st-century typhoon, which refers the paradigm shift called globalization, facilitated by innovations in information and communication technologies. The advancements in information and communication technologies have caused the societies to transgress boundaries and become integrated into a single comprehensive unit, across political, economic, social, and cultural realms. While there are approximately 1 billion Internet users at present, in a few years, we will arrive at an age in which all people on Earth are connected through the Internet. In addition to the improvements in information and communication, other technological innovations including artificial intelligence, big data, bioengineering, drones, and nanotechnology will set the stage for groundbreaking changes in international politics. The terms “country” and “national interest” will also undergo transformation.
In the early 20th century, Korea experienced an outright failure in the paradigm shift called modernization. Now, how should Korea respond to the new paradigm shift of globalization?

In the 2015 IFANS Conference on Global Affairs, we have invited the most distinguished scholars from Korea, the United States, China, and Japan in order to obtain their advice on the future direction of Korea’s diplomacy. Former Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Sung-joo will deliver a special lecture, and Professor Mearsheimer from Chicago University, Professor Tanaka from the University of Tokyo, and Professor Wang Jisi from Peking University will discuss the future path of Korea’s diplomacy.

Thankfully, Professor Katharine Moon from the Brookings Institution and Mr. Scott Snyder from the Council on Foreign Relations, the two most prominent think tanks in Washington, D.C., have attended today’s conference. I also expect informative panel discussions from Professors Lee Geun and Chun Chaesung from the Seoul National University.

Many diplomatic delegations, as well as young scholars who will become future leaders of Korea, have also attended today’s conference. Thank you very much for your participation.

Now, we will begin the 2015 IFANS Conference on Global Affairs.