Sunday Times 2
Journalists from 60 nations gather for world peace in South Korea
View(s):From Damith Wickremasekara in South Korea
Journalists from more than 60 countries, including Sri Lanka, took part in the World Journalists conference 2017 held this month in South Korean in a bid to promote world peace at a time when war clouds were gathering over the Korean peninsula over North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests. The conference held against the backdrop of preparations for the 2018 Winter Olympics Games also sought to promote cultural exchanges and tourism.
The journalists were taken to various places of interest to witness South Korea’s culture and economic development.
The UN memorial cemetery
The United Nations memorial cemetery, the Gwangmyeong Cave, regarded as South Korea’s best cave theme park, and the city of film in Busan were among the attractions the journalists visited. During the eight-day programme, they also exchanged views and interacted with each other. The programme organised by the Journalists Association of Korea began at the international convention hall in Seoul with Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Ahn Chong-ghee participating as chief guest.
Mr Ahn noted that the nuclear threat from South Korea’s neighbours was of ‘paramount national security concern’ for South Korea. Describing nuclear weapons as a major threat to world peace, he called for the global nuclear disarmament.
“Coupled with recklessness, weapons of mass destruction would be a recipe for catastrophe. It is precisely for this reason that North Korea now tops the list of global security concerns,” Mr. Ahn said.
Besides the security concerns over North Korea, the visiting journalists were also briefed about South Korea’s economic development. During their visit to Busan, South Korea’s second largest city and the largest coastal, the journalists were able to see how this city had turned into a major tourist attraction.
Cruise tours, visit over bridges, yacht clubs, eco cruises, gallery tours, night market tours were some of Busan’s tourist attractions. We also saw preparations for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to be held in Gangneung in February and March respectively. A spokesman for the Games Organising Committee said about 75 per cent of the preparations had been completed.
We also visited the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan – a memorial for troops from 21 nations which sent troops to the UN contingent. The exhibits included the first UN flag used by the UN Command during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 and photographs depicting various stages of the war. The cemetery set up in 1951 houses memorial service hall (built in 1964) and the UN forces monument (built in 1978). Troops from the 53rd Division of the Korea Army have been guarding the main gate since 2007. Except on Mondays, a UN Flag Raising/lowering ceremony is held throughout the week and a large number of local and foreign tourists visit the cemetery to watch this ceremony.
Busan the city of many bridges
The journalists also visited the Gwangmyeong Cave, an abandoned mine which has been turned into a theme park, combining the historic value of the industrial heritage and the cultural value of art.
The theme park set up under the project ‘Gwangmyeong Cave, rising to the World’ depicts the process, where minerals such as gold, silver, copper and zinc are extracted from the ore. Harmony of lights, lasers, performance of art and culture, fashion shows and sing-along dramas are among the highlights of the theme part.
The world Class City of Film in Busan attracts tens of thousands of tourists. Mega and mini movie festivals are held throughout the year. The venue also hosts the world famous Busan International Film Festival.
Busan’s City of Film is Asia’s first one-stop filming support system and it is on par with any other top film city in the world, officials said.
Jung Kyu Sung, President of the Journalists Association of Korea, said that besides promoting media related cooperation, working towards world peace is one of the objectives of the association.
Beautiful Busan: Old palaces depicting traditional architecture
Journalists for world peace at the Seoul conference