Second Discussion Forum

July 14, 2003 "Crisis in the Korean Peninsula -- How do ROK/Japan deal with it?"
 At CSIS 4F Conference room 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Many see the current Bush administrationfs rigid policy stance as the source of the disagreement among the ROK, Japan and the U.S.  As the crisis situation escalates, wefre increasingly curious as to how the ROK and Japan will deal with the situation. Ultimately, wefd like to gain a sense of what Koreans/Japanese want to see in the future regarding the regional economy and security. As always, wefre aiming to build confidence among Asians and to seek common values through discussion. This time, we would like to have off-the-record discussions by having regional experts present their respective ideas and views.

 We're hoping to hear some answers to the following questions from panelists as well as attendees.

 -   How do you see the crisis? (very serious or?) and Why?
 -  What does ROK/Japanese public want to see?
 -  What can ROK/Japan do if the crisis escalates? (options)
 -  What are the mistakes/successes in the past?
 -  Are we sharing the same objectives? (China, the U.S., Russia, ROK, and Japan)
 -  How do you want to see Japan/ROK handle this crisis?
 -  How do you see the future of regional security and/or each nationfs position in Asia?

    Speakers:
     Jae Ho CHUNG, Professor of International Relations at Seoul National University and CNAPS Fellow
                                   at the Brookings Institution
     Katsuhisa FURUKAWA, Senior Research Associate at Center for Nonproliferation Studies
                                   Monterey Institute of International Studies
    Moderator:
     Tsuneo WATANABE, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies

First Discussion Forum
June 18, 2003 "Why Free Trade Agreements Now? ROK-Japan FTA"
 At CSIS 4F Conference room 6:30pm - 8:30pm

In recent years, many nations have been pursuing free trade agreements ("FTA").
Japan is not an exception. One such agreement was concluded with
Singapore, but Japan's FTA talks with South Korea, Thailand and Mexico have
made little progress thus far.  Since we know many of us who are involved in
this issue, we would like to have off-the-record discussions by having key
players present their respective ideas and views.

We're hoping to hear some answers to the following questions from panelists
as well as attendees.

- Why has there been little progress?  
- What needs to be done to overcome obstacles?  
- What is Japan/South Korea trying to achieve through these FTAs?
- What is Japan's/South Korea's overall strategy? 
- Who will benefit from these FTAs? 
- How does Korea see its possible FTA with Japan and other countries?
- What does Korea think Japan should be doing to form successful FTAs with Korea
and other countries?

To answer these questions, we will have off-the-record and, hopefully, frank
discussion with Korean and Japanese participants.  We will proceed
discussion with the following agendas.

1. Today's Challenges
2. How Japan and South Korea See Their Bilateral FTA
3. Significance of FTAs in an Overall Asian Economy/Regional Security in the Future

Panelists are:
Wonkyong Kim, First Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Korea
Katsuhiko Umehara, Minister, Embassy of Japan

RSVP required: Please RSVP to pranj3@hotmail.com by a day before the event (first-come, first-served basis). Please state your name, affiliation, and contact information.
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