On 22 June 2017, the Jagiellonian University hosted the first Korea Forum Seminar, entitled "Polish Experience in Transformation and Possible Implications for the Korean Peninsula", organised by the JU Institute of the Middle and Far East in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Poland.
After a shot welcome by the JU Rector’s Proxy for Internationalisation Prof. Adam Jelonek, the meeting participants were addressed by the Rector of the Jagiellonian University Prof. Wojciech Nowak and the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Poland Sung-joo Choi. The JU Rector stressed the importance of cooperation between the Jagiellonian University and Korea and expressed his conviction that the present seminar will be an important step towards further development of this fruitful partnership. Then Ambassador Sung-joo Choi presented the goal of Korean Forum, whose objective is to hold seminars on various topics related to Poland, Korea, and cooperation between these two countries and to discuss issues of mutual interest. The Korean Ambassador pointed to the historical similarities between both countries, such as the experience of losing and regaining independence as well as being under external threat. He expressed his belief that the success story of Polish transformation could be a source of valuable knowledge the Republic of Korea, which should brace itself for the moment of reunification and subsequent integration of the entire Korean Peninsula into a democratic system with a market economy.
The opening of the seminar also featured the keynote speech by Tomasz Szpikowski, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Korea in Wrocław, who briefly discussed the dynamically developing relations with Korea, both in the context of Wrocław and the entire country. Commenting on the topic of the seminar, he referred to solidarity and forgiveness as the values crucial for national and international reconciliation.
The central part of the seminar consisted of two sessions devoted to the ways in which the Polish experience in different aspects of transformation can be useful to Korea in the future. The first panel was devoted to the politico-military reform, whereas the second one focused on lustration from the perspective of transitional justice.
