○ Keynote address by French geographer and professor Valérie Gelézeau, followed by a keynote discussion featuring the Minister of Unification and the Governor of Gyeonggi Province; leading scholars from Korea and abroad to gather for dialogue on peace
○ Topics ranging from peaceful DMZ utilization to peace cooperation in Northeast Asia; prior registration available on the official website
Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of Unification, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation will jointly host the “2026 DMZ OPEN Eco-Peace Forum” on October 28 at Sono Calm Goyang.
As a flagship academic event of the DMZ OPEN Festival hosted by Gyeonggi Province, the DMZ OPEN Eco-Peace Forum brings international experts together to share the ecological and peaceful value of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with the world and explore ways to build a sustainable future and promote peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula.

This year’s forum will be held under the overarching theme of “Paving the Way for Peaceful Coexistence,” bringing together the Korean central government, local governments, and the international community to foster multifaceted, practical discussions on peace.

The event will begin with an opening ceremony at 10 a.m., followed by keynote and peace and ecology sessions.

During the morning keynote session, Professor Valérie Gelézeau of the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in France will deliver a keynote address titled “The Meaning and Potential of the Path to Peace: Geographical Reveries Along the DMZ.” After that, Gyeonggi Province Governor Mi Ae Choo, Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young, Director Christoph Heuser of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Korea Office, and Professor Gelézeau will take the stage for an in-depth keynote discussion and a Q&A session for the official opening of the forum.

Three sessions will be held in the afternoon, one each organized by Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of Unification, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The first peace session, organized by the Ministry of Unification, will be moderated by former Vice Minister of Unification Choi Young-joon. Under the theme “Peaceful Use of the DMZ and Measures for Cooperation,” presentations and discussions will feature AFP journalist Roland de Courson, Director Felix Glenk of the Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea Office, and Director Kang Min-jo of the Center for Korean Peninsula and East Asia Research at the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, among others.

The second peace session—organized by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation—will be moderated by Moon A-young, head of PEACEMOMO. Themed “Dialogue for Peaceful Coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia: Perspectives from Asia and Europe,” the roundtable discussion will feature Choi Jong-kun, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Dan Smith, Senior Researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research; Sayo Saruta, Director of the New Diplomacy Initiative; and other key figures.

Gyeonggi Province will also hold the “Domestic Seminar on Smart Ecological Cities in Northeast Asia” in conjunction with the forum as its ecology session. Themed “Ecological Peace Cooperation on the Korean Peninsula: From the DMZ to Siberia,” discussions will feature Honorary Research Fellow Choo Jang-min of the Korea Environment Institute and Research Fellow Ko Gyeong-taek of the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, among others.

The forum will provide a venue for members of the public and young people attending in person to experience the ecological and peaceful value of the DMZ firsthand and engage in dialogue. In particular, the event venue will feature a “DMZ Big Game” experience zone developed by the Ministry of Unification, and it is open to all visitors. Various on-site activities will also be held, with commemorative gifts offered to participants.

Those wishing to attend can register in advance through the official DMZ OPEN Eco-Peace Forum website at www.dmzepf.co.kr.

“This forum is a meaningful occasion, made possible by close cooperation among domestic and international organizations including Gyeonggi Province, the Ministry of Unification, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, to translate the value of the DMZ into academic and policy action,” said Woo Byeong-bae, Director of Gyeonggi Province’s Peace Cooperation Division, adding, “We hope that many members of the public and young people will take part and envision a future of peace and coexistence together.”