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네이버 공유 카카오 공유 트위터 공유 페이스북 공유

More Meaningful Exchange and Cooperation

The Fifth Future Leaders Forum: Korea-China-Japan, was held from June 18 through 28. To serve as a future-oriented dialogue channel and personal network for notable representatives of the legislative, government, business, journalism, academia, and cultural sectors, as well as NGO/NPO groups, of the three East Asian countries, the forum invites participants between 30 to 45 years of age (six each from the three countries), who are active in their fields and expected to assume leadership roles in the future, to a series of discussions and tours of each other’s country. Instead of the usual two or three days of a regular forum, this is an 11-day event, which enables the participants to develop personal relationships and better understanding of each other, in order to facilitate more meaningful exchange and cooperation.


▲ The forum delegates first visited Gyeongju and Seoul in Korea, then Dalian, China, and Hiroshima, Japan.

The forum delegates first visited Gyeongju and Seoul in Korea, then Dalian, China, and Hiroshima, Japan. Under a theme of “Vision 2030 for Northeast Asia," the participants engaged in discussion and lecture sessions on culture in Korea, economic matters in China, and political issues in Japan, in an effort to rectify any misperceptions and acquire an accurate understanding about each other’s country and people. They also had an opportunity to appreciate the culture of each country through visits to cultural and historic sites in Gyeongju, the Museum of History, in Dalian, and Miyajima Island, about an hour away from Hiroshima.

This year’s forum was especially meaningful as an alumni gathering of previous Future Leaders Forum participants of this program, which was launched in 2002. In general, three to four participants from each year’s forum attended the 2007 session. They exchanged ideas on ways to develop the alumni group, and also attended various performances and receptions to renew and strengthen their friendships as program participants. An alumni meeting, which is regularly held every five years, is expected to play an important role in reinforcing the personal networks among these future leaders of the three countries. Currently, there are a number of bilateral dialogue channels between Korea and Japan, Korea and China, and Japan and China. As for a tripartite dialogue channel among upcoming young leaders from Korea, China, and Japan at the non-government level, however, the Future Leaders Forum: Korea-China-Japan is essentially the only one of its kind, and therefore plays an even more important role.

Interview Mr. Ikeda Atsushi Mitsubishi Corporation (Kyushu Branch)
1.What made you decide to participate in the Future Leaders Forum: Korea-China-Japan?

I am currently assigned to the Kyushu Branch of Mitsubishi Corporation, where I am in charge of project development and cooperation. Regarding my work, I thought the forum would be a great help in building up my personal network for business development as well as for economic cooperation among Korea, China, and Japan. I also thought that the forum would provide me with a valuable opportunity to enhance my understanding about others through exchange of opinions with forum participants, during the ten days or so. That is why I decided to take part in the forum.

2.As for the discussion on society and culture, what issues did the participants talk about?

Although Korea, China, and Japan are geographically close and share a common culture and values, such as the Chinese characters and Confucian culture, the three countries in reality have experienced considerable conflict and confrontation in various sectors. The participants discussed the need to develop a cultural common ground, boost content businesses, like cinema, broadcasting, music, and games in which the three countries are all involved, and conduct joint research on society and culture for the exchange of popular culture, to promote regional prosperity and development. These matters were discussed so earnestly that the allotted time was not sufficient.

3.What kinds of efforts are needed to promote more active exchange among the three countries and to enhance mutual understanding?

There are several ongoing bilateral dialogue channels. So, I hope there can be more multilateral programs, such as the Future Leaders Forum, which can provide a larger number of people with an opportunity to participate. Personally, I studied Chinese for about two years while I was working at the Beijing Branch of Mitsubishi. I also intend to study Korean to enhance my interest and understanding about Korea. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to the Korea Foundation and its staff for arranging the enjoyable itinerary in Korea.

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