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J. Lim: Address to 32nd International Leadership Conference
Written by Hon. Jong Seong Lim, Member of Parliament, Korea
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Address to 32nd International Leadership Conference, Seoul, Korea, August 26–29, 2018
Congratulations on hosting the 2018 International Leadership Conference, which includes lawmakers and religious leaders from 81 countries around the world. I would also like to extend my heartfelt welcome to members of the U.S. Congress, including Senator Dan Burton, Senator John Doolittle, as well as Professor Alexandre Mansourov.
As a member of the Korean National Assembly, I would like to thank you very much for having 330 participants discuss and wish for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The Korean Peninsula has opened the door to cooperation between the two Koreas on the occasion of the Pyeongchang Olympic Games. Following the inter-Korean summit, the North Korea–U.S. summit was held for the first time in history, and expectations for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the establishment of a peace regime are also rising. It is expected that the breakthrough will be achieved through the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in September, although the road to the complete denuclearization agreement must be overcome and many obstacles must be crossed by the heavy aftermath left by the Cold War for 65 years after the Korean War.
The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the peaceful settlement that will be developed in the future will make my heart beat. But it takes a lot of effort to realize it. You need wisdom and support.
At one point, South Korean President Moon Jae-in proposed the construction of an "East Asian Railway Community" in which six nations will participate in the 8.15 Liberation Day celebration. It is an economic cooperation plan that will promote the negotiation of the denuclearization of North Korea and the United States. Also announced were plans to establish a unified economic zone in the border region between the two countries. Peace is an initiative to promote the economy and to create a virtuous circle in which the facilitated economy will again expand peace.
Especially, the East Asian Railway Community is a proposal that includes North and South Korea as well as Northeast Asian countries including China, Japan, Russia, and Mongolia, plus the United States. This is in line with the creation of the European Coal Steel Community in 1951 with the aim of preventing war, peace building and economic reconstruction in six European countries.
Distinguished Members of Parliament!
It is your help and support that is absolutely necessary in order to overcome the Cold War system and to travel the path of peace and unification. We look forward to seeing many good ideas presented at this conference.
Thank you. As unity becomes the European Union's motherland, I expect that the Asian railway community will become a starting point for a Northeast Asian multilateral peace and security system beyond the regional economic and energy communities.
To go to the 32nd International Leadership Conference Schedule page, click here.