International symposium to commemorate the launch of the Foundation

On November 29, 2006, in the Grand Ballroom of the Seoul Plaza Hotel, the Foundation held its first international academic symposium: "Overcoming Historical Issues for Co-Prosperity in 21st-century Northeast Asia." Some 150 world-renowned scholars from France, Germany, Poland, China, Japan, and Korea, attended. The participants examined the state of Northeast-Asian historical conflicts, and searched for resolution through European examples.

Among the notable participants were the following: Sakamoto Yoshikazu, honorary professor at University of Tokyo);
Yejui Holzer, former chairman of the German-Polish Commission for History Textbooks; Jo Byeong-han, professor at Seogang University, South Korea; Takahashi Tetsuya, honorary professor at the University of Tokyo; Bu Ping, director of the Institute of Modern History under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Wang Gung-wu, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore; Falk Pingel, acting director of the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research; Jeong Jae-jeong, professor at the University of Seoul; Edouard Husson, professor at the University of Paris; Jeong Hyeon-baek, professor at Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea.

Academic workshop on international laws involving Korean-Japanese history

On December 5, 2006, at its grand hall, the Foundation held an academic workshop on international law titled "Legal Challenges in Post-War Settlement for Peace in Northeast Asia." The conference focused on international legal approaches to ongoing historical issues and long-term research of Korean-Japanese history.

The workshop included the following topics:
"An international Legal Study of the Korea-Japan Annexation Treaty" by Professor Lee Geun-gwan of Seoul National University;
"A Study on Allowing Local Suffrage Rights to Koreans in Japan" by Professor Kim Bu-chan of Jeju National University;
"A Reconsideration of Nullification of Individual Claim Rights under the 1965 Korea-Japan Claims Settlement Agreement" by Professor Park Bae-geun of Pusan National University;
"A Reconsideration of Legal Assessment of the Comfort Women Issue" by Professor Kim Chang-rok of Kyungpook National University;
"An International Legal Study of Japan's Responsibility for War" by Professor Lee Jang-hee of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies;
"German-Polish Post-War Reparations and Challenges: Northeast Asian History Foundation's Direction and Tasks" by Professor Nam Yun-sam of Kookmin University.

All participants enjoyed spirited and thorough discussion. International-law experts voiced opinions on legal challenges of Northeast-Asian post-war peace settlements, and they clarified ongoing issues, long-term tasks, and countermeasures. This provided the Foundation with direction for its operations.

Joint event related to Dokdo

From October 26 through 29, 2006, the Foundation supported Dokdo-related organizations in a joint event attended by some 30 people including representatives from 15 Dokdo-related civic groups that keenly conduct activities at home.

This diverse function included lectures by experts, a forum for civic groups' activists, and a field trip to understand Dokdo's history. The tour group traced the achievements of inspector Lee Gyu-won who was dispatched by King Gojong in 1882 to patrol Ulreungdo and its coast. During the trip, participants recognized once again the illegitimacy of Japan's late19th century intrusion onto Ulreungdo and Dokdo. The event coincided with the Usan Culture Festival on Ulreungdo, and it established a precedent for public-private cooperation. It furthermore enabled a potential network of civic groups.

The gathering was noteworthy for improving civil activists' expertise on Dokdo and for bringing new impetus to Dokdo-relevant movements. It also induced the civic groups to adopt more politically oriented activities, and to develop fresh cultural ideas related to Dokdo.

Korea-China-Japan youth program for sharing historical perceptions 2006

On December 21, 2006, the Foundation produced the "Korea-China-Japan Youth Program for Sharing Historical Perceptions 2006." This program encouraged adolescents from the three nations to exchange their historical perceptions. Session I was attended by the three countries' youths. During Session II, young Koreans presented creative and innovative ideas for a possible resolution to historical controversies in Northeast Asia. After more than 60 teams from across the nation participated in a preliminary contest, a total of 14 teams advanced to the final competition with two from primary schools, four from middle schools and eight from high schools.

These young people demonstrated their diverse interest in history during multiple exchange activities including a history camp for Korea-China-Japan youths. This event exposed the deficiencies of history education. The findings were widely put to use at schools, and they boosted interest in developing educational materials.