The Kim Dae-jung Peace Forum was established in 2021 to commemorate President Kim Dae-jung, the 15th President of the Republic of Korea and the recipient of the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize.
Jointly hosted by Jeollanam-do Province and Sinan-gun of Mokpo Si (city), and organized by the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center, the forum takes place in President Kim’s political hometown of Mokpo and Sinan in Jeollanam-do.
The Kim Dae-jung Peace Forum was founded to honor the noble values of democracy, human rights, forgiveness and reconciliation, and peace, which President Kim Dae-jung devoted his life to practicing. It seeks to share his philosophy, thought, achievements, and contributions with the world and to promote peace and happiness for humanity by overcoming global crises through life and solidarity, based on Kim Dae-jung’s pacifism.
President Kim Dae-jung was a leader who valued the dignity and solidarity as well as mutual prosperity and coexistence, between humans, and between humanity and nature. He always aspired toward peace grounded in universal human values and pursued a universal peace built on forgiveness and reconciliation. Regarding the Korean Peninsula, he did not view peace solely as a national matter but considered it in the broader context of global peace, while also interpreting world peace through the lens of peace on the Korean peninsula.
Today, despite living in an era of highly advanced civilization, humanity is not happy. Mother Earth continues to suffer due to reckless destruction of nature by humankind. Climate change, diseases, plastic pollution, poverty, and wars—all human-made disasters—are claiming countless lives.
The Kim Dae-jung Peace Forum enters into this suffering of humanity and the Earth to engage in dialogue for their recovery and peace. Through discussions, visions, and alternative proposals, it aims to share messages of reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace, and to cultivate blossoms of life and hope together.
Ultimately, the Kim Dae-jung Peace Forum offers a meaningful opportunity not only for the Honam region (Southwestern part of Korea)—President Kim’s birthplace—but also for the country, the entire nation and future generations to foster a global perspective and the capacity to lead beyond local and national boundaries, with a deep commitment to all of humanity.
