Dialogue for Peace: A North Korean visit to GPPAC in The Hague

Last week, GPPAC hosted four representatives of the Korean National Peace Committee (KNPC) from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), for an exchange visit in The Hague. This was the second exchange visit by the KNPC to the GPPAC global secretariat in The Hague, the first having taken place in 2014.

The Korean National Peace Committee has been an active partner of GPPAC since 2010, including regular participation in Northeast Asian regional meetings, and several GPPAC international delegations visiting the DPRK to convene various seminars and roundtables. This engagement led to the 2015 launch of the Ulaanbaatar Process, GPPAC's civil society dialogue for peace and stability in Northeast Asia, in which the KNPC consistently participates. GPPAC sees this relationship as crucial for building trust and confidence for ongoing cooperation.

This second exchange visit, which took place between 13 and 19 May, 2018, was a unique opportunity to further strengthen the relations between GPPAC and the KNPC. It took place at a key historical moment, as a window is now opening for diplomatic engagement towards the resolution of the conflict on the Korean Peninsula. During their stay in the Hague, participants joined a range of programmes including capacity building, internal planning sessions, discussions on the current situation on the Korean Peninsula with other key stakeholders, and engagement with various international organisations based in the Hague. At this significant moment, the exchange visit was an important week to further develop the mutual understanding and trust necessary to continue collaboration to contribute towards the ongoing peacebuilding process in such a complex region as Northeast Asia.