The 13th Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity will open a special session to discuss future-

oriented development of Korea-Japan relations on the occasion of the 20 anniversary of the 

“Joint Declaration of a New Korea-Japan Partnership for the 21st Century” by former 

President Kim Dae-jung and then Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, a milestone in the bilateral 

relations.  

The first part of the special session, “How to promote Korea-Japan cooperation,” from 1:30 

p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on June 27, the second day of the forum, will be participated in by 10 

lawmakers from the two countries, including Kang Chang Il, leader of the Korean delegation 

to the Korea-Japan Parliamentarians’ Union, and Fukushiro Nukaga, his Japanese 

counterpart, as well as the incumbent ambassadors to both countries. Professor Park 

Myunglim of Yonsei University will give a keynote speech, and the lawmakers will discuss 

concrete measures to reestablish and institutionalize cooperative ties between Korea and 

Japan.

In the second part of the session, “Promotion of Cultural Cooperation between Korea and 

Japan,” from 3:20 p.m. to 4:50 p.m., chaired by Chung Ku-chong, chairman of the Korea-

Japan Cultural Exchange Council, Shin Kak Soo, former Korean ambassador to Japan, and 

Prof. Kizo Ogura will give presentations, with Noh Jaehyun, former editor of the JoongAng 

Ilbo, joining the in-depth discussion on cultural exchanges between Korea and Japan.

The Joint Declaration was an agreement signed by former President Kim and former Prime 

Minister Obuchi in October 1998 designed to overcome the historical legacies of both 

countries and to develop future-oriented relations. In following up on the declaration, an 

Action Plan, with 43 items in five areas, was adopted as an annex to it. This plan pledged to 

hold public-private investment promotion council conferences and to expand youth 

exchanges. In the wake of the declaration, both countries opened their doors to each other’s 

popular culture. 

Also marking the 10th anniversary of the independent Trilateral Korea-China-Japan Summit 

meeting on May 9, 2008, in which the leaders of the three countries held talks on 

establishing permanent peace in the region, the Jeju Forum will hold a retrospective session 

on trilateral cooperation. 

In the afternoon of June 28, the last day of the Forum, the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat 

(Secretary General Lee Jong-heon) will hold the “Shedding New Light on Trilateral 

Cooperation: Beyond Vision 2020” and “Trilateral Economic Cooperation for the Success of 

Olympic and Paralympic Games” sessions. Based on an analysis of the geopolitical 

environment of Northeast Asia, these sessions will present a roadmap for the future 

development of cooperative ties of the three countries, and discuss how to join hands for 

the successful hosting of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.