2019 SDF: Planung einer Democracy Memorial Hall

19.-20.11.2019
Eine Veranstaltung des SEOUL DEMOCRACY FORUM (SDF)


About Korea Democracy Foundation & Background of 2019 SDF

Korea Democracy Foundation(KDF) was established to contribute to the development of democracy by carrying out projects to memorialize the democratization movement and inherit its spirit in accordance with the Korea Democracy Foundation Act passed into legislation on June 28, 2001.

KDF carries out support projects and organizes events to develop the democracy movement, such as the 
establishment and operation of the Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall. It also collects, digitizes, manages, and researches documents for the historical organization of the democratization movement as well as the democratization movement artifacts preservation, management, and publication. Especially, the construction project has been accelerated in the place of the ‘Namyoung‐dong anti‐communist interrogation office’ building which used to be a camouflaged torture site under the dictatorship in the 1970‐80s.

In accordance, KDF seeks to draw out the following outcomes through the 2019 Seoul Democracy Forum: 
20191119 sdf democracy memorial museum 400First, prior to the start of the construction project as per KDF's plan to build the Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall, KDF would like to hear from International Memorial Museum experts to learn from their experiences.
Second, 2019 SDF aims to become an open‐learning ground for Korean civil society, giving them an opportunity to learn from globally renowned experts. Likewise, since it is important to educate the future generation on history, concrete examples of violations against human rights during the dictatorial era may be seen through the unveiling of the Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall project.
Third, two main themes that KDF aims to realize through the Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall are democracy and human rights. KDF intends to reflect on the experiences of the overseas memorial museums including their successful cases and lessons learned from the mistakes. It will be about the whole process of the establishment including planning, management, exhibition, and education programs.

Outline of 2019 SDF
‐ Date and place: 19th November 2019, Press Conference Hall (19 F), Korea Press Center, Seoul
‐ Theme: 'The Present Status and the Task of Building the Democracy Memorial Museum'
‐ Participants: Experts, researchers, students 100
‐ Hosted by: Korea Democracy Foundation
‐ Sponsor: Ministry of Public Administration and Security, (German Embassy, Korea Museum Association)
‐ Main events
         Opening Ceremony and Session 1, 2 (Nov. 19, Press Conference Hall)
         Welcome Dinner (Nov 19, New Seoul Hotel Banquet Hall)
         Historical Site Field Trip (Nov. 20, Democracy and Human Rights Memorial Hall, Moran Park)

Main Forum (19th Nov.)
‐ Opening Ceremony (10: 00 ~ 12: 00)
‐ Welcoming speech: Minister of the Interior and Safety, Chairperson of the Korea Democracy Foundation
‐ Keynote Speech: “Meaning and mourning. Commemoration of death in the 20th century war” by Prof. Dr.
Manfred Hettling (Halle Martin Luther Univ., Germany)

‐ Session 1: ‘Principles and Directions for the Memorial Museum’ (13:00 ~ 14:30, Moderated by Prof. Jeong

Keun‐sik, Seoul Univ., Korea)
  “How to get orientation from the past to the future. Aspects of memory and education at former
places of the police in Germany” by Prof. Dr. Alfons Kenkmann (Univ. of Leipzig, Germany)
“A New mode of history education: Orientation for the Memorial Museum of Democracy and Human
Rights” by Prof. Lee Dong‐ki (Gangneung Wonju Univ., Korea)
Discussion by Prof. Choi Ho‐geun (Korea Univ., Korea), Ronald Chin‐Jung TSAO (President, President
– TAIWAN ART-IN DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD. Taiwan)

‐ Session 2: ‘Exhibition and Civic Education of the Memorial Museum’ (15:00 ~ 17:00, Moderated by Prof. Kim

Dong‐chun, Soungkonghoe Univ., Korea)
“Humanization in Memorialization: Characters In The Movements‐ Heroes, Perpetrators and Victims”
by Brian Tolleson (Board Member and Former Interim President & CEO, National Center for Civil and
Human Rights, Atlanta, Georgia, USA)
“The civic education of the memorial museum: the case of the Armenian Genocide Memorial
Museum” by PhD. Harutyun Marutyan (Director, Armenian Genocide Memorial, Armenia)
Discussion by Prof. Jin‐Sung Jun (Busan Univ. for Education, Korea), Man Sokkoeun(Executive Director,
Youth For Peace, Cambodia)

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