Sponsored by Korea Peace Network and Partnerships for International Strategies in Asia (PISA)

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have arguably reached historic highs in the first few months of 2016. Relations between the two countries appear deadlocked following North Korea's nuclear test in January, the largest ever U.S.-South Korea military exercises, several North Korean rocket launches, US-led sanction efforts, vicious rhetoric and more. Further, the Obama Administration's policy of 'strategic patience' has not yielded diplomatic progress and both official and back-channel dialogue have reportedly ceased.
 
Yet, despite the impasse between the two countries, there remain an array of policy options to help de-escalate tensions, increase understanding, build trust, and ultimately pave the way for a peacebuilding process. Join the Korea Peace Network and GWU's Partnership for International Strategies in Asia as we explore a menu of policy options to build a more peaceful Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia. The all-day event will feature discussions with academics, policy analysts, U.S. government officials, practitioners from across the foreign policy spectrum, and more.

 
9:00 - 9:15 AM:  Welcome

9:15 - 10:45 AM:  Panel I
The Korea Exception to the Mine Ban Treaty & Obama's Last Days in Office
Panelists:
Megan Burke, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines
Jae-kook Cho, lead Korea landmine expert, Yonsei University (video)
Channapha Khamvongsa, Executive Director, Legacies of War project
Moderated by:
Professor Eleana Kim, University of California, Irvine

11:00 - 12:30 PM: Panel II
Remembering the Forgotten: Retrieving the Remains of US Veterans Left in North Korea
Keynote Address:
Governor Bill Richardson
Panelists:
Rick Downes, Executive Director of the Coalition of Families of the Korean and Cold War POW's/MIA's LCDR
Daniel Colón, Policy and Plans, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency - Department of Defense
Moderated by:
Mickey Bergman, Senior Advisor, The Richardson Center

12:30 - 1:30 PM: Lunch Provided by American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)

1:30 - 3:00 PM: Panel III
Communication Breakdown: People-to-people Exchanges & Building Understanding
Panelists:
Linda Lewis, DPRK Country Representative, American Friends Service Committee
Frederick F. Carriere, Research Professor of Political Science, Maxwell School- Syracuse University
Jennifer Clinton, President, Global Ties
Moderated by:
Charissa Zehr, Legislative Associate for International Affairs, Mennonite Central Committee

3:15 - 5:30 PM: Film Screening and remarks on Divided Families
Film: "People are the Sky" - Dai Sil Kim-Gibson
Panelists:
Nan Kim, Associate Professor of History, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee & author of the new book, Memory, Reconciliation and Reunions of Separated Families in Contemporary South Korea: Crossing the Divide (Lexington)
Daisil Kim-Gibson, Independent Filmmaker and Writer
Moderated by:
Aiyoung Choi, Executive Committee Member, Women Cross DMZ

The Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street, NW, Lindner Commons, Room 602
Washington, DC 20052