On December 8 2022, in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) organised a roundtable discussion titled Building and Sustaining Peace at the Regional Level: The Network Approach to Regional Coordination in Northeast Asia during an advocacy visit of Ulaanbaatar Process participants to New York City.

This discussion was an informal dialogue to share the learning from the Ulaanbaatar Process with global peacebuilding policy experts within the United Nations, Member States and regional organisations. The conversation outlined critical avenues to support regional peacebuilding coordination in policy and shared practical experiences for practical action. The discussion also outlined persistent challenges of regional peacebuilding coordination, and discussed recommendations to develop solutions to strengthen peacebuilding work in Northeast Asia.

During the roundtable, remarks were shared by Ulziibayar Vangansuren, Permanent Mission of Mongolia to the United Nations; Ambassador Enkhsaikhan Jargalsaikhan, Chair of NGO Blue Banner and former Mongolian Permanent Representative to the UN; Sonja Bachmann, Teamleader Northeast Asia and Pacific, UN Department of Peacebuilding Political Affairs (DPPA); Kajita Natsuha, learning designer and facilitator; Kim Jeongsoo, Standing Representative, Women Making Peace and Hwang Sooyoung, Manager, Centers for Peace and Disarmament and for International Solidarity, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD).

Based on the experiences from Northeast Asia, the following key elements build an effective regional peacebuilding architecture:

• Multi-stakeholder coordination is required and must be based on complementarity among partners.
• The network approach to peacebuilding must be at the core of regional coordination.
• Inclusivity is key for effective regional peacebuilding networks.

The following recommendations have thus been identified for the strengthening of the regional peacebuilding mechanisms:  

• The UN should take a more active convening role to bring together regional actors, the UN, national governments, and civil society, among others, to coordinate actions better and ensure a stronger impact of peacebuilding activities.  Where regional peacebuilding networks play an essential role in building the foundation for regional dialogue, the UN should provide technical and political accompaniment to ensure the commitment to action. 

• Improved funding mechanisms are needed to support the civil society organizations’ network approach. A network approach creates empowering and equitable spaces for exchanging expertise for more impactful and informed action, sharing resources and access points at various levels, and enabling and supporting communities committed to peace. Donors should reflect on how to improve funding mechanisms to support better civil society organizations engaged in regional peacebuilding networks, allowing them, through effective funding, to fill the gaps in the regional peacebuilding infrastructure. It is crucial to ensure that all regions are fairly represented in the international discussion on peacebuilding and are given international attention, as this also impacts funding availability. 

• The inclusion of women and youth is key in regional peacebuilding networks and should be supported. Although women are strongly affected by conflicts, they are often excluded from negotiations and peace processes, especially in highly patriarchal contexts. The inclusion of local women within peacebuilding initiatives is essential to ensure that their unique perspectives can have a real impact at the decision-making level. Likewise, the meaningful participation of young people in dialogue on equal terms is essential to achieve and sustain peace. Young people in all their diversities should be considered as drivers for change, and their contributions should be held as relevant and valuable. Donors should prioritise supporting regional peacebuilding dialogues that ensure the meaningful participation of women and youth at all stages of the process.  The UN and its Member States should use their influence and international platforms to  ensure that the unique perspectives of local women and youth peacebuilders are heard and taken into account in the decision-making processes.

This is an article for Global Partnership for the prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) Northeast Asia News, Jan 2023

Summary Document [See/Download]

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Korean War Q&A

Didn’t the Korean War end in 1953? The answer is NO.

Why should we end the Korean War?
Korea Peace Appeal Campaign prepared a Q&A.

What is the impact of the unresolved Korean War?
How have the two Koreas been improving their relations?
Why should the US and the DPRK improve their relations?
Should the issue of North Korea’s nuclear program be resolved first to achieve peace on the peninsula?
How does the Korea Peace interact with North Korea’s humanitarian and human rights situation?
Join the Korea Peace Appeal Campaign!

Click Here to see the Q&A

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This Month at PSPD

PSPD held the 2022 Public Interest Whistleblower Award Ceremony

Since 2010, the Public Interest Reporting Support Center of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) has been holding ‘The Whistle-blower of the Year Award’ every year to honor and recognize the whistle-blowers’ courage and dedication to the public interest. This year, 12 whistleblowing cases that were recommended by congresspeople, national organizations, civic groups, and journalists were reviewed. Three teams were announced as winners and two candidates as special awards on December 9th this year. The winners of the whistleblower award of the year are those who reported the corruption of the Smart School business at Uchon Elementary School, those on the human rights violations of the disabled living in Seongrakwon, and those on the leakage of radioactive material from the spent nuclear fuel storage tank at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant. Special awards were given to two candidates who were first-generation whistleblowers for the contribution they made to the protection of whistleblowers in Korea. These candidates had resisted illegal and unfair instructions by the government and enacted the Anti-Corruption Act in an era when the word “whistleblower” was not very well known in Korea.

Revise Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union And Labor Relations Adjustment Act(TULRAA)!

On December 9, the general strike of the cargo union ended. The 16-day strike not only confirmed the poor treatment that cargo workers face but also revealed that the discussions on the “safe-rates system” and “expansion of goods” have not proceeded properly despite agreements made between the Cargo Truckers Solidarity union and the government in June. It is critical time to address the chronic problem of cargo workers’ long working hours, which will ultimately threaten the safety of workers and citizens. However, the Yoon administration chooses to respond with both anti-labor and hostile measures. The “back-to-work” order, which aroused controversies for being anti-constitutional, was issued, and a lawsuit against cargo unions for compensation for damage was mentioned by the Yoon Administration. Meanwhile, it has been almost a month since the ‘TULRAA Article 2·3 Revision Movement Headquarters’ launched a hunger strike for the guarantee of labor rights for all workers. PSPD is also working with the “TULRAA Article 2·3 Revision Movement Headquarters” as PSPD’s co-representatives, executives, and full-time activists have joined the hunger strike.

State audit on the relocation of the presidential office by the request of citizens, only partly accepted.

Last October, 700 citizens submitted an audit request for the inspection of the relocation of the presidential office, but the state auditor has only accepted parts of the requests, It still is a great achievement made by PSPD members and citizens, as it was the first inspection by the state audit on the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, but the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) decided to dismiss key claims—alleged violations of the National Finance Act due to waste of the national budget and legitimacy related to the presidential office’s employee recruitment. We cannot let the BAI act like a pawn for the president. We will keep urging the BAI to do proper inspections and keep working to get to the bottom of the presidential compound relocation process.

Shout for peace on the Korean Peninsula with the Nobel Peace Prize winners!

The Campaign to End the War on the Korean Peninsula asked former Nobel Peace Prize winners, who visited Gangwon-do to attend the <Nobel Peace Prize World Summit>, to work together for an end to the Korean War and peace on the Korean Peninsula. The representative of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (awarded in 2017), founder of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet Organization (awarded in 2015), representative of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (awarded in 1985), Lima Bowie (awarded in 2011), etc have joined in the joint press conference (December 13) and shouted, “Let’s achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula and take a step toward world peace.”

Welcoming the enactment of the delivery unit price linkage system that has been delayed for 14 years

The “delivery unit price linkage system,” which had been delayed for 14 years, was finally passed. The delivery unit price linkage system is a system that allows raw material price fluctuations to be reflected in the delivery unit price in transactions between prime contractors and subcontractors. This system is expected to alleviate the hardships of small and medium-sized businesses. Last September, PSPD proposed through the National Assembly members an amendment to the Fair Transactions in Subcontracting Act, which covers not only raw materials but also labor costs. We will continue to work on further legislation.

Introducing the “sparkly” research of a budding researcher

Since 2018, the Participatory Society Research Institute has established and supported the ‘Twinkle Twinkle Distinguished Thesis Award’ to support emerging researchers who are raising their critical voices in the humanities and social sciences. Three winners and one honorable mention were selected among the research papers that shed light on the lives of minorities and the underprivileged. Congratulations to those who won the prizes! Also, we would like to express our gratitude to the 6,365 citizens who showed their support by raising funds for the “Kakao Together Value.” The award-winning papers can be viewed on the PSPD website.

Consolation, determination, and hope!

On the evening of December 15, the year-end party was held at the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) for the first time in three years. Despite the sudden cold weather, thankfully, many still came to participate. Together, we wrote down the lists of wishes for the coming years and tied them up to the branches of a wish tree. We prepared a time to express our special thanks to the information desk volunteer members, who are always reliable and there for us, and also to the four sisters who became members of PSPD all together this year. We send our thanks to the members who have been strong supporters of the PSPD this year. We hope to have another great year with you!

Translated by a PSPD Volunteer

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Journey for Peace in 2022

Shining moments of the Korea Peace Appeal Campaign in 2022

“There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.”

Now, the moments that we’ve worked to make peace here.
We gathered the main activities of the Korea Peace Appeal Campaign in 2022.
Thank you for being with us this year.

2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.
It’s time to cheer up to ease military tension and open the road to peace.

The world doesn’t get better on its own.
If we don’t say peace,
Peace is not coming.

Let’s make hope of peace together!

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End The Korean War, Let Us Peace!

Tuesday, 14  February, 2023, Korea Press Foundation

As 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, the <South Korean Committee on June 15th Joint Declaration> and the <Korea Peace Appeal Campaign> launched a new project <Korea Peace Action for the 70th Anniversary of the Armistice>. A press conference was held where many religious and civil society representatives, who have been endeavoring for peace in the Korean Peninsula, participated and gathered eager to rebuild hope of peace over the threat of war. 735 organizations nationwide are a part of the <Korea Peace Appeal Campaign>.

Our main goal is to resolve the threat of war and build peace. As a joint civil society, we plan to continue the signature campaign but more intensively, and organize other various peace actions. The <Korea Peace Appeal Campaign> will warn the danger of the present crisis, create domestic and foreign public opinions for the peace of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, and gather voices of opposition toward the recent rapid promotions of the military cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan. This year we will be manifesting the following actions:

Korea Peace Appeal Signature Campaign
Actions urging suspension of the ROK-US Combined Military Exercises and ROK-US-Japan Military Cooperation
Korea peace actions in 300 cities worldwide comprising 100 overseas (June-July)
Saturday, 22 July 2023, Massive Peace Rally and Parade
Thursday, 27 July 2023, International Conference
15 August 2023 (TBD), Massive Peace Rally

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Korea Peace Action for the 70th Anniversary of the Armistice Declaration

Let’s resolve the threat of war and build peace in the Korean Peninsula

70 long years have passed since the roar of gunfire coming from the three-year war in Korea stopped. The past 70 years were certainly not a peaceful period but a temporary ceasefire. Due to the fear and anxiety that the war could outbreak any time soon, the neverending hostility and military tension, and the internal and external challenges leveraging and goading these unstable conditions, everyone living on the Korean Peninsula had to cope with the immense pain and expense.

When the South and North Korean Leaders, and the North Korean and US leaders discussed a transfer to a new relationship at the Panmunjom Declaration of 27 April, the Pyongyang Joint Declaration of 19 September, the Singapore Joint Statement of 12 June, the Korean people saw a single thread of hope that the tension and danger of war, which had been crushing us, would disappear and a peacefully coexisting future unlock. Despite the North-South and North-US Agreement, dialogues were adjourned on account of the different views on corresponding measures, and as the power-to-power confrontations intensify, the present Korean Peninsula is falling into great despair. We are not even sure if the unstable ceasefire will be maintained. A sense of crisis that there is no guarantee an accidental collision could turn into a terrible disaster from a nuclear war is oppressing every life and existence on this land.

No methods of dialogue are left between the North-South and North-US. Moreover, the global environment is restraining us. Amidst the Russia-Ukraine war and the US-China conflict, the possibility of Korea being used as a proxy battlefield for international-level military tensions and new Cold War confrontations is greater than ever. However, there is no sound of a practical and active solution to ease tension, prevent armed conflict, or create dialogue conditions.

The government of Yoon Suk Yeol clarified ‘Peace through Strength’ and massively expanded the scale of military exercise, propagandizing that military force can beget surrender. However, this has only aggravated the danger of military clashes in Korea. By stating the practicality of extended deterrence against nuclear and missile threats of North Korea, the Yoon Suk Yeol government has been justifying that we jump on the United States’ strategy against China and South Korea to be subordinated to the ROK-US-Japan military cooperation system. However, the danger of a nuclear arms race and nuclear war around the Korean Peninsula is proliferating. The result of pressure through power is merely the repetition of North Korea’s advancement in nuclear power and mutual armed protests. The only thing the Yoon Suk Yeol government proved so far is that they have no practical method nor capability to manage the crisis and bring peace.

We still have time to prevent conflict and disintegration. We also have a chance for dialogue and negotiation. The reason things got worse is that even after agreeing to a new relationship, the government hesitated to take corresponding measures to build trust, such as suspending the ROK-US joint military exercises, not the insufficiency of armed protest. We must stop the outbursts of armed protests. We must open the door to peace through bolder and more flexible confidence-building measures and pre-emptive easing of tensions. We must act to build peace. The more difficult it is to talk about peace, the more we must gather willingness toward peace from all social standings and reverberate the voice of people who demand peace.

As we launch the <Korea Peace Action for the 70th Anniversary of the Armistice>, we call for the following. We call for stopping hostilities. We call for immediate and faithful action to improve relations as agreed by two Koreas and North Korea and the US. We call for an end to a 70-year-old unstable ceasefire and an agreement on the peace treaty. We call for a Korean Peninsula and a world without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats. We call for restoring trust and resolving conflicts through dialogue and cooperation, not sanctions and military threats. Particularly, we call for a halt in the large-scale ROK-US combined military exercise and opening the way for dialogue toward peace. We call for stopping military cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan, which will lead to a new Cold War confrontation, and instead creating an order of cooperation in which the Korean Peninsula and Asia coexist peacefully. Please, we do not call for a destructive arms race, but we call for the safety of people and cooperation to overcome the climate crisis.

We will act. We will take action in the 1 million signature campaign for the Korea Peace Appeal. We will continue the peace declaration and solidarity of people from all social standings in many parts of the world, including 200 cities in Korea and 100 cities in overseas, in the online and offline space. We will work hard to stop ROK-US joint military exercises and military cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan, which are escalating tensions and confrontations on the Korean Peninsula and Asia. Marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice in July this year, we will focus our actions so that the nation calling for peace on the Korean Peninsula and the voices of peace forces from all around the world can resonate all over the Korean Peninsula and the whole world.

If we seek peace, we can open the way to peace.

We decide our future.

Join us in the <Korea Peace Appeal Campaign>.

14 February 2023

From all Korea Peace Appeal Campaign organizations (total of 735)

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