Conference to discuss N. Korea’s openings to the west

UW–Madison will host 15 world experts on North Korea April 12-13 at a conference on recent efforts by the government to open up its economy to outside trade and investment.

The free public conference, “North Korea’s Engagement with the Global Economy: Prospects and Challenges,” will be in 2260 Law Building, 1-5 p.m. Friday, April 12. and 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, April 13.

The conference will bring together international experts in law, international finance, economic development and political science to assess the North Korea’s initiative to engage the global economy through trade, investment and development cooperation.

Some experts have direct experience working with the North Koreans on these initiatives; others have studied North Korea for many years. Major questions to be addressed include:

— How extensive and serious are North Korean efforts to open to the global economy, and what are the prospects that they will succeed?

— Can trade and investment help reduce tensions where politics have failed?

With 37,000 U.S. troops stationed on the front lines in South Korea, the issues are of vital interest to all Americans.

“It is true that many North Koreans are suffering from shortages of food and other necessities and that the government has invested heavily in its military,” says Edward Reed, associate director of the Center for East Asian Studies.

But Reed says North Korea also is seeking foreign investment and trade. “The pace of change has been slow and uneven, but the direction toward engagement seems clear. As probably the last socialist state to begin this process of change, North Korea can benefit from the experience of other states further along this path,” Reed says.

Reed served in South Korea as a Peace Corps volunteer and later conducted research on agricultural change. In 1991, he and UW–Madison sociology professor Joseph Elder traveled to Seoul and North Korea to explore possibilities for a non-governmental role in promoting reconciliation and peace on the Korean peninsula. From 1994-2000, he led the efforts of Quakers, and later World Vision International, to provide emergency and agriculture assistance to the people of North Korea.

The conference is sponsored by the Center for East Asian Studies, a program of the UW–Madison’s International Institute, and the Korean Economic Institute of America, Washington, D.C. Co-sponsors include the Center for International Business Education and Research, the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy, the and the Land Tenure Center.

For information, contact Rebekah Robinson, (608) 262-3643.