The “Seoul World Summit 2013” has commenced at the Walker Hill Hotel in Seoul Korea amid tension in Northeast Asia area after North Korea’s recent nuclear test. Approximately 300 former heads of state, religious leaders, politicians, economic leaders, NGOs, women leaders and student leaders from around the world will debate proposals for bringing peace and security to the Korea peninsula.

In the United States in 2005, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) was launched and has been working in multiple countries, including Korea, where it currently has 32,000 leaders working in various functions.

For this World Summit, world leaders will discuss how to reduce the conflicts between countries and how to help them become partners. Discussion topics include the root causes of conflict, peace-making, international disputes, freedom and democracy, global economic crises and a millennium development plan.

The World Summit 2013 is a three-day event; February 23, 2013 will feature a keynote address from a guest speaker and the aforementioned debates. February 24, 2013 will feature an awards ceremony, during which significant contributors to social wellness will be recognized. Past awardees have included Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan; Pierre Nkurunziza, the president of Burundi; Raila Odinga, the prime minister of Kenya; Johnson Toribiong, the president of Palau; Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom; Nakasone Yasuhiro, the former prime minister of Japan; Steingrímur Hermannsson, the former prime minister of Iceland; and Abdurrahman ad-Dakhil Wahid, the former president of Indonesia.

World Summit 2013 Schedule

February 22, 2013

                7:30 PM: Welcoming Banquet

February 23, 2013

                10:00 AM: Session One – Special Guest Speech

                2:30 PM: Session Two – Debate on Regional Problems

                5:00 PM: Session Three – Debate on the Future of the Korean peninsula

February 24, 2013

                10:00 AM: Global Assembly

                1:00 PM: Congratulatory Luncheon

                3:00 PM: Business and Media meeting

                6:30 PM: Award Ceremony

Translated by Lymhwa Kim and edited by Ariana Moon.