Invitation

Launching the Berlin Forum on Korea and Northeast Asia series of conferences, workshops, and individual talks, the Institute of Korean Studies (IKS) at Freie Universität Berlin is pleased to invite you to its conference on The Role of Germany and Europe in the Maintenance of Peace on the Korean Peninsula.

What is widely perceived to be the most imminent threat to peace on the Korean peninsula, the “nuclear crisis”, has also come to constitute one of the most pressing challenges facing not only regional actors in Northeast Asia, but the international community as a whole. In light of repeated failures in attempting to resolve this crisis, and the rapid escalation of the conflict in 2017, a renewed debate about the prospects of an international solution seems more topical than ever.

While German and European engagement with the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula has historically been rather limited, recent statements by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel suggest an increased awareness among the highest German political echelons of the specific potential of a German and European involvement in the relevant diplomatic endeavours. In line with this, the inaugural conference of the Berlin Forum on Korea and Northeast Asia wants to inquire into the details of possible German and European contributions to opening up and maintaining formal and informal channels of communication with North Korea in the process of working towards a peaceful and lasting diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis.

The Institute of Korean Studies (IKS) at Freie Universität Berlin is looking forward to welcoming distinguished guests from the fields of academia, politics, and the diplomatic service for an overall number of three panel discussions that will also engage with “European Perspectives on the Role of Germany in East Asia” and the issue of “Northeast Asian Institution Building and the Lessons from Europe”. Please join us for a day of topical and in-depth reflection on The Role of Germany and Europe in the Maintenance of Peace on the Korean Peninsula on 2 December 2017 in the Harnack-Haus near our Institute’s premises in Berlin Dahlem.

Prof. Dr. Eun-Jeung Lee
Director of the Institute of Korean Studies