Seoul to host 18th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in 2020

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, left, alongside Ekaterina Zagladina, president of the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates (WSNPL), announces Seoul's hosting of the summit in 2020 at City Hall, Thursday. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government.

By Kim Hyun-bin

Seoul has been selected to host the 18th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates (WSNPL) in 2020, the city government said, Thursday.

About 1,000 participants ― Nobel Peace laureates, international experts on peace, young activists and officials from relevant international organizations ― will discuss ways to improve inter-Korean relations and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula.

Seoul will become the second Asian city to host the WSNPL, following Hiroshima, Japan, in 2010.

“We hope that the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates will help us to promote Seoul as a symbol of peace beyond war and division in order to attract global attention to peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a press conference at City Hall.

The city government and the Permanent Secretariat of the WSNPL formed a joint preparation committee and plan to hold the event in the third week of October 2020.

“Through the summit, we aim to share Korea's experience of overcoming past conflicts and divisions, and provide a fresh and inspiring vision about Seoul that it is no longer a symbol of division but of peace,” Park said.

On the sidelines of the summit, various programs, events and initiatives will be held, including a concert, exhibition of the Nobel Peace Prize winners' activities and a cultural event in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The WSNPL will also operate its official education program for university students, “Leading by Example,” which was launched in 2012 as a means for students to interact with Nobel Laureates to learn and promote peace. Six hundred overseas and 400 Korean students are expected to take part in the program.

“Choosing the destination for the next summit, we were attracted by the strong commitment that South Korea has shown for working toward world peace. We all have been watching the great transformation of the Korean Peninsula in recent years, from a region of tension and many concerns, to exchanges and cooperation between the two Koreas,” said Ekaterina Zagladina, president of the Permanent Secretariat.

“We firmly believe that the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates and the inspiring energy of Nobel Peace laureates will bring a solid impact for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asian region.”

Park expressed hopes that the summit will accelerate the peace process and gain international support for Seoul and Pyongyang's joint hosting of the 2032 Olympics.

The summit started in 1999 following an initiative by former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. It was held in Rome almost every year until 2007, and since 2008 it has been hosted in different cities.