INTRODUCTION
The inaugural conference on "Challenges for Asian Democracy in the 21st Century", held in Seoul, on 13-14 July 1999, is the first project undertaken by the Sejong Institute and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) through its International Forum for Democratic Studies under the auspices of the Democracy Forum for East Asia. The Democracy Forum was established by President Kim Dae-jung and President Bill Clinton in November 1998 to further democracy and market economy in East Asia. The Sejong Institute and the NED were designated by their respective governments as the operating organizations for the Forum. As a result, the two institutions agreed to create a joint program of mutual exchange, education and training, and networking to achieve the objective of the Democracy Forum.
The purpose of the conference was to invite distinguished scholars and practitioners of democracy from Asia and the United States, from both the governmental and private sectors, to accomplish three goals. First, to benefit from the participants' combined knowledge and experience in democracy and to provide a forum for discussion of concrete ideas on how the Democracy Forum can best proceed in implementing its goals. Second, to raise new critical issues regarding the development of democracy in East Asia. Third, to establish a network of like-minded individuals committed to working together towards the development of democracy in East Asia.
The conference opened with brief remarks by NED President Carl Gershman, followed by Sejong Institute President Dalchoong Kim who delivered a congratulatory message from Korea? President Kim Dae-jung. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Harold Hongju Koh, then gave the keynote address. Luncheon addresses were presented by Young-hoon Kang, Chairman of the Sejong Foundation, and Seok-Hyun Hong, Publisher/President of JoongAng Ilbo. The dinner address was made by Soon-young Hong, Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The conference proceedings consisted of four panel sessions featuring paper presenters and discussants, followed by a wrap-up session and closing remarks by Barnett Baron, vice-president of the Asia Foundation, Carl Gershman, and Dalchoong Kim.
Co-Sponsoring Organizations
The Asia Foundation
(President, Bill Fuller)
As a private and nonprofit organization, the Asia Foundation was established in 1954 to advance the mutual interests of the United States and the Asia Pacific region. The Foundation addresses long-term, regional issues, such as open regional markets, peace, and stability through leadership and institutional development, exchange and dialogue, technical assistance, and policy engagement.
The Asia Foundation
465 California St. 14th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104, U.S.A.
(Tel) 415-982-4640
(Fax) 415-392-8863
www.asiafoundation.com
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Korea Council of Citizens' Movement
(Co-Chairperson, Lee Sae-Joong)
KCCM was founded in 1994 as a non-profit, nongovernmental organization to promote participatory democracy in Korea. As an umbrella organization with a membership of 63 civic associations, it is engaged in activities such as training and policy advocacy, as well as promoting international solidarity.
Korea Council of Citizens' Movement
# 1111 Soo-un Hwegwan KyungUn-dong 88
Chongro-ku, Seoul, Korea
(Tel) 02-723-0642
(Fax) 02-723-0644
members.iworld.net/kccm
Contact: Ms. LEE Jung-Soo (Executive Director)
(Tel) 02-723-0642
(Fax) 02-723-0644
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JoongAng Ilbo
(Publisher/President, Hong Seok Hyun)
JoonAng Ilbo was founded in 1965 and has a circulation of 2 million copies. The paper is committed to providing its readers with accurate reporting and analysis of both domestic and foreign news. It has been a pioneering leader in its field by being the first to introduce a "sectionized" paper and a multimedia electronic newspaper.
JoongAng Ilbo
7 Soonhwa-Dong, Chung-Ku, Seoul, Korea
(Tel) 02-751-5114
(Fax) 02-751-5404
http://www.joongang.co.kr
Contact: Mr. HAN Cheon Soo (Planning Executive Manager)
(Tel) 02-751-9795
(Fax) 02-751-5146
cshan@joongang.co.kr
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