Honorable Oh Young-hoon, Governor of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Honorable Gloria Makapagal Arroyo, former President of the Philippines, Honorable Danilo Turk, former President of Slovenia and President of Club de Madrid, a global organization of former presidents and prime ministers,

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies & Gentlemen,

It is my honor and privilege to deliver congratulatory remarks at this Jeju Forum 2025. Almost every year, I have participated at this time-honored Forum. However, it is regrettable that this year, I am traveling abroad and cannot join you in person.

Jeju Forum is a dynamic platform for timely dialogue that not only shares visions for peace on the Korean Peninsula, in East Asia, and the world; but also seeks creative solutions through international cooperation. I believe this year’s theme, “Harnessing Innovation for Peace and Shared Prosperity,” is both timely and relevant. Indeed, we are now facing the daunting challenges of an aggravating climate crisis, rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, and breath-taking technological innovation of artificial intelligence, robots, etc. Humanity has perpetually faced continual challenges and has eventually been successful in overcoming all of them. However, the global challenges we now face are truly unprecedented. They are multifaceted, complicated, and overwhelming in both their scale and character. Therefore, any individual or country, however strong or affluent, simply cannot solve such problems alone. We need to foster collective will, resources and wisdom. Global challenges necessitate inherently global solutions. The cascading climate crisis might represent the single most difficult transnational challenge for us all. We should not ignore the increasingly urgent warnings from the scientific evidence of the unfolding climate crisis. Doing so, humanity would face a moment of truth while we are entangled in ongoing fights for influence and resources rather than cooperating multilaterally.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Innovation is tremendously important for forging progress in every sector of our lives and for offering solutions to the problems we have, in particular, the climate crisis. Historically, innovations like the steam engine and information technology have revolutionized industries, leading to higher outputs and improved living standards. Today, innovation and advancements in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and renewable energy continue to promise economic transformation. We need to harness scientific innovation for reducing carbon emissions, including carbon capture technology and safe nuclear power plants. We need innovation in our governance for more effective implementation of people’s expectations. This includes the innovation of the UN and its Security Council. We need innovation in our way of thinking and behaviour to make peace and co-prosperity with other countries. Competition is necessary to accelerate innovation. However, without cooperation, the result of such innovation cannot serve the benefit of humanity. In this regard, we should foster global cooperation among countries through multilateralism in the fields of technology, economy, politics, and culture.

For example, the relationship between the US and China will cast a long and seismic impact on international politics. In this relationship, we can find an innovative way to encourage the US and China to cooperate with each other. This is essential to overcome the most serious collective challenges of our time, including the climate crisis, the SDGs, public health threats, and regional conflicts.

At the same time, we also need to rapidly accelerate innovation toward the implementation of the SDGs, as well as go further in establishing more regulated, safe advances of artificial intelligence, Chat-GPT, and AI-loaded robots to guide their promise while mitigating their risk.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, innovation is a powerful force with the capacity to significantly advance global peace and prosperity. However, its impact is not predetermined. Through conscious effort, international collaboration, and a firm commitment to responsible stewardship, the global community can strive to ensure that innovation serves humanity's shared aspirations for a more peaceful, sustainable, and prosperous future.

This year marks the landmark 20th anniversary of Jeju Island’s designation as an Island of World Peace, as well as the Jeju Forum itself. As such, I sincerely hope that this year’s Jeju Forum can produce a more meaningful and innovative outcome for peace and shared prosperity for the entirety of humanity.

Lastly, I sincerely commend the successful efforts of the Jeju Peace Institute in organizing and realizing this Forum, particularly President Kang Young-hoon and the Institute staff. I thank you. ​