Following the November 23 artillery exchange between North and South Korea that caused the tragic killing of and injuries to the people of Yeonpyeong Island, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) Northeast Asia issued a statement calling for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

Members of regional and international civil society organizations, including the Global Article 9 Campaign, came together to "categorically condemn the attack" and call on "the people of Northeast Asia [to] be united in calling for peace."

The statement urges the governments and people concerned to stop military activities and immediately work to start dialogue, including the resumption of the Six-Party Talks. It further insists that the incident must not serve as an excuse for military build-up or an increase of military expenditure - instead that "regional cooperative disarmament measures and security arrangements should be developed". As part of such measures, the document highlights the Joint Statement of the North-South Summit of October 4, 2007, in which the parties agreed to work towards establishing a sea-based demilitarized Peace and Cooperation Zone in the West Sea/Yellow Sea.

The statement also warned the media against any provocation in its reporting of the crisis and insisted on its responsibility to "promote a balanced analysis and facilitate dialogue."

Read the full GPPAC-Northeast Asia Statement for Peace on the Korean Peninsula here.

On November 17-18, People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the Center of Peace and Law of the Institute of Legal Studies of Inha University, in partnership with the Pacific Freeze, Peace Network and Civil Peace Forum, organized an international workshop as part of the Asia-Pacific Freeze Campaign, aimed at reducing military spending in a region characterized by remnant Cold War tensions and a constant arms race.

Panelists from South Korea, Japan, China, the US and Europe critically analyzed the situation from their respective perspectives and provided recommendations towards creating a civil movement for conflict prevention, disarmament, reconciliation and peace in the Asia Pacific region.

The event took place a few days before the deadly exchange of artillery between North and South Korea in the Yellow Sea, which epitomizes the urgent need to address the ongoing tensions in the Korean Peninsula, reduce military spending in the Asia-Pacific and reallocate resources towards establishing dialogue, sustainable development and peace promotion.

During the different sessions, the positive role of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution was recalled by several speakers and its potential to serve as a basis for peace in the region explored at a few occasions.

Kawasaki Akira of Peace Boat / Global Article 9 Campaign analyzed Japan's defense policies, based on Japan's 2010 Defense White Paper and the most recent report by an advisory panel to Japan's Prime Minister entitled "Japan's Vision for Future Defense Capabilities in the New Era". The latter, while recommending that the country aim to become a "peace creation country" promoting international cooperation, non-traditional security and human security, questioned Japan's "exclusively-defense oriented policy" as set forth under Article 9 of the country's constitution and advocated it revise its longstanding ban on arms export.

Kawasaki described how the marking of the 50th anniversary of the Japan-US Security Treaty and the current debate on security arrangement between the two countries could be used as an entry for civil society engagement towards the creation of an East Asia Peace Community, through economic cooperation and the creation of new arms control, disarmament and confidence-building mechanisms. He underlined the innovative role civil society can play in developing and putting forward new approaches to security that do not rely on the military, but instead contribute to curbing the militarization of the economy, keeping military spending under control and freeing resources for social and economic development and peace.

John Feffer from the US-based Institute for Policy Studies/Pacific Freeze Campaign called for "a coordinated freeze and then reduction in military spending among the countries that were involved in the Six Party Talks." Colin Archer from the International Peace Bureau encouraged participants to participate in the Global Day of Action on Military Spending, to be held on April 12, 2011. This day aims to focus public, political, and media attention on the costs of military spending and the need for a shift of priorities.

Yuasa Ichiro from Peace Depot called for a Northeast Asian "common security" to be shaped through multilateral dialogue and cooperation. Based on the example of how Article 9 of Japan's constitution allowed the country to enjoy 65 years of pacifism, helped Tokyo to advance its diplomacy and raised Japan's international reputation, Yuasa called on the Japanese government to "declare a demilitarized diplomatic policy under cooperation with international organizations such as the United Nations."

Debates put a strong emphasis on the need to build a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and a Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) in Northeast Asia. On the second day, in a dedicated workshop on the topic, several lawmakers (including Park Sunsook, Park Eunsoo, Kwon Younggil and Cho Seungsoo) stressed how the efforts to establish such a NWFZ in Northeast Asia should go hand in hand with the Six-Party Talks.

The event ended with a call for Peace and Disarmament in the Asia-Pacific Region and the Establishment of a Northeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone.

Looking at setting the ground for a new civil society movement for peace and disarmament in the region, the document called on "parliaments, municipal governments, intellectuals, and civil society [to] each play a creative role."

It also emphasized that "the Japanese Peace Constitution has provided a great contribution to the peaceful rise of Northeast Asia and such initiatives should be continued." Based on this, they also urged "all the countries in the Pacific region to actually implement the peace principles and standards suggested in their constitutions and various laws and policies."

Read the full text of the Call for Peace and Disarmament in the Asia-Pacific Region and the Establishment of a Northeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, here.

Read Peace Boat/Article 9 Campaign's Kawasaki Akira's presentation on Japan's security policies here. 

Read Peace Depot's Yuasa Ichiro's call for civilian control of the security sector, here.

Other presentations and papers from the event can be found on the PSPD website here.