14 November 2018

Korean Symposium


Following the recent and most welcome demining initiative undertaken in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) by North and South Korea, the Korean Campaign to Ban Landmines is organizing an International Symposium on NGO’s role for Mine Clearance in the DMZ that will take place in Seoul on November 15. 

The Institute of East and West Studies and the Peace Sharing Association will host the event on the campus of Yonsei University. Participating in the Korean Ministry of National Defense-sponsored symposium will be the ICBL-CMC and it’s Philippine and Japanese national member organizations, UNMAS, the Implementation Support Unit, the Geneva Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), HALO Trust, Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and demining organizations from Lao PDR, Taiwan, and Switzerland.

The symposium aims to raise awareness of the socio-economic impact that the presence of landmines has on the area in the vicinity of the DMZ and hopes to establish domestic and foreign consensus on demining efforts. It also seeks to increase the scope and role of Corporate Social Responsibility activities in relation to the collaboration between North and South Korea and post-unification preparations. 

The DMZ is one of the most densely mined areas in the world. It is estimated that more than two million landmines were laid, which have killed and maimed civilians and soldiers alike. The ICBL-CMC has welcomed the recent demining initiative, has encouraged both sides to complete demining as soon as possible, and has urged North and South Korea to jointly sign the Mine Ban Treaty at this year’s Meeting of States Parties in Geneva on 26–30 November.

Download the agenda here.