Eco-Peace in the Korean DMZ: An Alternative Perspective

Jae Sung Lee Visiting Scholar, CEAS, Stanford University; Professor, Division of Int’l Studies, Korea University

In the past years, the Korean DMZ has been one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world and symbolized the division and military confrontation. However, this natural isolation of the DMZ has also created a precious wildlife preserves which is now recognized as one of the most well-preserved areas of temperate habitat in the world. The DMZ has its varied biodiversity with untouched mountains, prairies, swamps, lakes and tidal marshes. There has been a strong hope that this area should be used peacefully and conserved as a valuable wildlife refuge. 

Recognizing the invaluable ecological value of the Korean DMZ, there has been a new approach to the peace-building and reconciliation in the Korean Peninsula by focusing on the ecological cooperation in the Korean DMZ. This approach will also have a global consonance in dealing with environmental preservation and restorations of other DMZs or conflict-related environmental degradations. This talk provides an alternative perspective to look at the Korean DMZ in terms of “reconciliation and peace-building through environmental and ecological cooperation.”