Background and Objectives of Peacenetwork

After half century of division, reunification of the two Koreas still seems far away due to hostility and conflict on the Korean peninsula. Although many Koreans regard reunification a legitimate and emotionally overwhelming issue, the young generation, who are expected to actually make it happen in the future, are more or less indifferent or even against the idea. While the anti-communism and anti-North Korea sentiment among the older generation has considerably evaporated with enhanced democracy and the end of the Cold War, younger people are becoming more resentful towards North Korea. Several factors are attributed to this cynical attitude of the young generation. First, the conservative media stubbornly maintains its Cold War perspective. Second, there is an absence of alternative education on reunification appropriate for today's post-Cold War era. They continue to fix negative images of North Korea in the minds of young people. Third, there is factionalism among unification movement groups in South Korea, and their negligence to encourage participation from citizens and students.

Based on such concerns, we believe that the most important task for the present is to build a framework where citizens and students can freely exchange opinions on North Korea, peace, and unification. We put foremost emphasis on public involvement, the process of exchanging different ideas and forming a general opinion, rather than unilateral announcement to the public about directions and strategies toward North Korea. In this regard, we will make continued efforts to establish Peacenetwork as a public-based and socially acceptable organization with our long-term programs.

Peacenetwork will monitor media reports concerning the Korean peninsula to check if they are false, exaggerated, or distorted. This is because the media plays a critical role in forming the international agenda regarding North Korea and reunification. Results of regular media monitoring will be on our Internet site for everyone. Also we intend to expand the current narrow scope of North Korean issues by actively publicizing the agenda needed for peace and reunification of the two Koreas. We hope to encourage active exchanges of opinions among people as well as the formation of a peace-oriented public consensus. Furthermore, we hope to contribute to the dismantling of the Cold War mentality of the people, so that we can create a genuinely free and equal community of shared values and interests.

Peacenetwork Chronicle

* 'CNPK(Civil Network for a Peaceful Korea)' is the former name of Peacenetwork.

1999.  
 9. 10
 First CNPK office opened

 9. 11
 Structure of CNPK initialized
 
 11. 5
 Newsletter and email service started
 
2000.
 1.10- 4.30
 Cyber debates titled “ Is the Korean Peninsula’s reduction of armament an unrealizable hope? ” and “How should the presence  of U.S. Forces in Korea be regarded in the 21st century? ” held
 
 4.15
 Began "Netizen’s" agenda suggestion movement on the North-South Korean summit talks
 
 8.16
 Korean Committee Against MD and for Peace started and and have a press interview
 
2001.
 1.30- 31
 Korea-Japan committee for peace and denuclearization in East Asia held
 
 4.19
 Formed the Korean Committee for Peace and against MD and held a press interview
 
 9.28
 Published "The Korean Peninsula’s Choice- What are the Aims of the Bush Administration's MD System?
 
2002.
 1.20
 National Assembly public-hearing held : "How Should Korea’s MD Participation be Regarded?"
 
1.29
 Registered as an NGO (in Seoul)
 
 6.22
 Moved office
 
 7.10
 Held the emergency debate titled “How should we regard the battle in the west sea with North Korea?”
 
2003.
 2.12
 Held the debate for the world-wide Anti-war Day
 
 3.1-31
 Participated in movement opposing the Roh Mu-hyun administration’s dispatch of South Korean forces to Iraq
 
 4.2
 Reorganized the English website and began sending the English newsletter
 
 6.3
 Held the emergency debate titled “The Northern Limit Line (NLL)- Finding a Managable, Peaceful Solution”
 
 7.10
 Held seminar titled "The Problem with the Joint ROK-U.S Defense and MD System"
 
 9.15
 Held joint press interview titled "Opposing the Dispatch of Additional Forces to Iraq"
 
 10.7
 Celebrated the Fourth anniversary and  (have an aid association)
 
2004.
 1.14
 Held first monthly forum, "Six-party Talks, the US election, and the Future of the Korea Peninsula"
 
 2.17
 Second monthly forum, "Perspective on the Second Round of the Six-Party Talks and Tasks" held
 
 2.29
 Office Moving (present location)
 
 3.2
 Co-sponsoring “North Korean Freedom Act of 2003 Questions and the Civil Action”
 
 3.10-13
 Participating 'Prospects for East Asian Nuclear Disarmament' conference
 
 3.23
 Third monthly forum “NPT conference and the strategy of ROK” held
 
 3.26-27
 Co-sponsoring “Activists and experts workshop on the discussion of the action agendas for peace -solidarity”
 
 4.16 
 Fourth monthly forum “Presentation and open discussion on the Northeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Model Treaty” held
 
 4.26
 Participating in NPT conference in UN
 
 5.25
 Fifth monthly forum “Redeployment of USFK and the dispatch of Korean army to Iraq” held
 
 6.21
 Sixth monthly forum “Readjustment of ROK-US alliance and the disarmament of Korean peninsula” held
 
 7.9
 Co-sponsoring “Expert workshop on the international community’s trend around the North Korean human rights issues and our response”
 
 7.26
 [Joint Announcement] “Disarmament announcement on the Korean peninsula to achieve peace and welfare” 
 
 7.27-8.1
 Co-sponsoring “DMZ youth camp” 
 
 8.13-14
 Co-sponsoring “Korea-Japan youth trip for peace”
 
 9.4
 Fifth anniversary of Civil Network for a Peaceful Korea
 
 11.10 
 Seventh monthly forum “Circumstance of Korean peninsula after the US election and our response” held
 
 11.19-20 
 Co-sponsoring “Activists and experts workshop on the discussion of the action agendas of peace-solidarity” 
 
 12.9
 [Peace Café] “The Present Middle East and the Required Role of Korean Peace Movement” held
 
 12.18 
 Daechuri peace festival 2004 “Crying land” against the expansion of US bases
 
 12.28
 Plenary meeting and a year-end party
 
2005.
 1.6
 Street peace action for end of Iraq war and withdrawal of Korean army. It continues every Thursday.
 
 1.18
 [Peace Café] "Pyeongtaek can be everywhere”
 
 2.1
 Press release of the resolution report on the North Korean nuclear issues
 
 2.2
 Organizing the Iraq monitor team. It continues weekly 
 
 2.4
 Japanese website opening
 
 2.25
 Civil society declaration for peace on the Korean peninsular and peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue 
 
 3.2
 [Peace Café] "The reality of North Korean refugees in China"
 
 3.14
 Eighth monthly forum “Open Forum with Mr. Moon Jeongin, a President of the Presidential Committee on Northeast Asian Cooperation Initiative”
 
 3.15
 [Joint Announcement] “Opposing Japan’s North Korean Human Rights bill”
 
 3.19-20
 ‘Nanjang for Peace’ at the second anniversary of the outbreak of Iraq war
 
 3.21 
 [New Publication] "Northeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone"
 
 3.23
 Co-sponsoring the forum “What is the appropriate perspective and approach to the North Korean human rights issues?”
 
 3.28
 Co-sponsoring the forum “The peaceful resolution of the Korean peninsula crisis and the two Koreas’ relations”
 
 4.6
 Ninth monthly forum “Open forum with Open Forum with US Ambassador, Christopher R. Hill - Second Bush Administration's North Korean Policy and the nuclear issues”
 
 4.6
 Open Class for Anti-Nuke and Peace 2005 – the Association of Korean Atomic Bomb Victims, president Kwak, Kihoon
 
 4.11
 Beginning the seminar “North Korean Human Rights”. It continues every other week.
 
 4.13
 Open Class for Anti-Nuke and Peace 2005 – How Nuclear Weapons are Made Kang Jungmin (Dr. of nuclear engineering)
 
 4.14
 [Joint Announcement] Opposing the Adoption of the North Korean Human Rights Resolution at the UN Commission on Human Rights
 
 4.20
 Open Class for Anti-Nuke and Peace 2005 – What is NPT? Kim Kyoungsu (Prof. of Myungji Univ.)
 
 4.24
 [New Publication] A trap of Alliance by Cheong Wooksik
 
 4.29-5.12
 Visiting Action in the US – participating NPT Review Conference 
 
 4.27
 Open Class for Anti-Nuke and Peace 2005 - Japanese A-Bomb Remembrance and Anti-nuke & Peace movement Kwon Hyuktae (Prof. of Sungkonghoe Univ.)
 
 5.4
 Open Class for Anti-Nuke and Peace 2005 - Understanding the North Korean Nuclear Issue Baek Haksun (Researcher of Sejong Institute)
 
 5.11
 Open Class for Anti-Nuke and Peace 2005 - What is Nuclear Weapon Free Zone(NWFZ)? Lee Junkyu (Admistrative Committee of CNPK)
 
 5.16
 [Peace Cafe] Will Japan give up its Peace Constitution?”
 
 5.25
 Open Class for Anti-Nuke and Peace 2005 - Understanding US Nuclear Policy Cheong Wooksik (Representative of CNPK)
 
 5.26-6.4
 Co-sponsoring the “Exhibition of the history of Korean Conscientious Objection Movement”
 
 5.31
 Tenth monthly forum “Japanese Conservatization and the Peace Consititution”
 
 6.1
 Co-sponsoring “Exhibition on tour for the human rights of Korean Atomic Bomb Victims and the peace of Korean peninsula”
 
 6.8
 [Joint Announcement] “The Views of the Korean Civil Society on the Occasion of the ROK-US Summit Meeting”
 
 6.8
 [New Publication] “North Korean Nuke : Watershed between the Grand Collapse and the Grand Bargain”
 
 6.14-17
  Participating “Celebratory Ceremony of the Fifth Anniversary of the June 15th Summit Meeting in Pyongyang”
 
 6.15
 Joining the Joint Committee of Korean Atomic Bomb Victims”
 
 6.18
 NANJANG for Peace- "Remembering Kim Seonil (victim of Iraq war, got kidnapped and then beheaded by extremists when Korea didn't stop with the troop dispatch)
 
 6.22
 Eleventh monthly forum “The Scenario of Korean Peninsula and its response until 2008”
 
 6.26-29
 Co-sponsoring International Seminar “Peace in Northeast Asia”

Will be updated soon!

[Location]