Global Policy Experts to Converge in Seoul

Global policy experts from the U.S. and other countries are set to converge in Seoul at a moment when summits between the two Koreas and North Korea and the U.S. are just around the corner.

The Chosun Ilbo is hosting the 9th Asian Leadership Conference from May 16-17 at the Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul under the theme, "Globalization in Crisis: Navigating the World with New Opportunities."

Around 150 leaders from around the world are set to attend. They include former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (77), who supported the hawkish approach to Iraq along with then assistant state secretary John Bolton, who is now the national security adviser. Bolton and other members of Cheney's old team are expected to make up the Trump administration's new security and diplomatic teams.

Former U.S. defense secretary William Perry (91) will take the stage too. He was behind the "Perry Process" of resolving the first North Korean nuclear crisis in 1994. Perry played a role in the Clinton administration's decision to consider a surgical strike on North Korean nuclear facilities, but has more recently been calling for a diplomatic solution.

Other U.S. experts at the conference will include Bruce Klingner, Walter Lohman and Anthony Kim from the rightwing Heritage Foundation, Victor Cha and Sue Mi Terry from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Jung H. Pak from the Brookings Institution. Atlantic Council CEO Frederick Kempe, senior vice president Barry Pavel and senior fellow Oh Mi-yeon will also discuss the North Korean nuclear standoff.

Globalization faces fresh challenges from protectionists and increasing skepticism among voters. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder will deliver a keynote speech on May 16 sharing his experience in pursuing drastic labor and welfare reforms in the early 2000s to prompt an economic resurgence.

Former Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende will share his experience in pension reforms and other steps to boost competitiveness. Also attending will be some 20 young innovators, who will share their views on virtual currencies. James Rothchild (33), co-founder of West Arrow and scion of the famous banking family, will deliver his forecast for the global financial markets.

And Hu Hao, a senior executive vice president of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, will deliver a speech explaining Chinese President Xi Jinping's "One Belt and One Road" economic initiative. He is considered among Xi's closest economic advisers.

Separate sessions led by Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley will also be held with professors lecturing on leadership values.

For more information, visit www.alcchosun.com.

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