Kyung Hee University Peace BAR Festival

Kyung Hee University Peace BAR Festival

Peace BAR Festival 2025

Peace BAR Festival KYUNG HEE UNIVERSITY logo

The Moment of Chaos, The Quest for Planetary Politics

Since the United Nations established the International Day of Peace in 1981, the Kyung Hee University System has annually hosted the ‘International Conference in Commemoration of the UN International Day of Peace-Peace BAR Festival(PBF)’, guided by the vision of “Academe and Peace.” Now in its 44th year, the conference will explore the civilizational crises confronting humanity and the possibilities for transformation under the theme, “The Moment of Chaos, The Quest for Planetary Politics.”

The global community is now facing an unprecedented moment of chaos. The climate crisis is shaking the very foundation of life, while a turbulent international order is heightening the risk of nuclear conflict. Unparalleled advances in science and technology have brought convenience to human life, while posing existential threats to all living beings on Earth. In light of this global crisis and civilizational disorder, we must ask ourselves the most fundamental questions of our time. What actions must humanity take to ensure its survival and prosperity? What new horizons of consciousness, imagination, and planetary practice must be explored?

In today’s hyperconnected world, where global challenges and opportunities are intricately interwoven, ‘planetary consciousness’ could be an essential foundation for addressing these pressing questions. A comprehensive and holistic thinking—connecting humanity with nature, civilization with the Earth, and the planet with the cosmos—is no longer optional; it is essential for navigating the complex and civilizational crises of our time. ‘International Conference in Commemoration of the 44th Anniversary of the UN International Day of Peace-PBF’ aims to explore the transformative possibilities required by this unprecedented era of crisis and opportunity. It seeks to provide a forum for reexamining humanity’s social and planetary responsibilities.

The Kyung Hee University System is a comprehensive academic and educational institution dedicated to realizing the value of “Academe and Peace.” We hope this event will be a meaningful forum for reflection on and exploration of a better future for humanity and generations to come. We cordially invite you to PBF 2025.

In this moment of chaos, we embark on a journey toward a new path to peace.

International Conference in Commemoration of the 44th Anniversary of the UN International Day of Peace

Card News of Peace BAR Festival

1 /

Program of Peace BAR Festival 2025

Brochure Download

The Moment of Chaos, The Quest for Planetary Politics

Date: September 18(Thu) ~ 19(Fri) 2025

Host Kyung Hee University System
Organizer Miwon Peace Institute, Kyung Hee University Institute of Global Academy for Future Civilizations, Kyung Hee Cyber University Institute of Global Academy for Future Civilizations, Kyung Hee University Medical Center Institute of Medical Science Civilization

Commemoration Ceremony for the 44th International Day of Peace

Friday, September 19, 2025
09:00~10:20(Korean Standard Time)

The International Day of Peace offers a moment of reflection on peace—the most fundamental value that humanity must uphold—and an opportunity to reaffirm its meaning. Since the UN designated this day, Kyung Hee University has hosted an annual forum that bridges academia with the pursuit of peace.

Today, humanity stands amid a period of profound global turmoil, facing existential threats such as the climate crisis, nuclear war, and the uncertainties of a rapidly evolving technological civilization. What kind of consciousness and action can guide us through this age of transition?

With this urgent question in mind, Inwon Choue, Chair of the Kyung Hee University System, will deliver a commemorative address titled "The Moment of Chaos: A Quest for Holistic Engagement" His remarks will reflect on the crises of our era and the possibilities that lie ahead, offering new perspectives on peace.

The Keynote Address will be delivered by Professor Naomi Oreskes of Harvard University under the tentative title, "From Global to Planetary Society: A New Pathway toward Human Civilizations." Her address will explore the transformative directions humanity must take to overcome current global crises and reimagine civilization on a planetary scale.

The 44th Commemoration of the UN International Day of Peace will be a meaningful occasion to seek new pathways toward peace and coexistence — beyond the chaos of our times.

  1. Opening Proclamation

    • Hyun Kim : Secretary General of the Kyung Hee University System

  2. Progress Report

    • Kim Won-soo : Permanent Advisor of the Miwon Peace Institute at Kyung Hee University System and Rector of the Global Academy for Future Civilizations at Kyung Hee University

  3. Commemorative Address

    • Inwon Choue Chancellor of the Kyung Hee University System
      “The Moment of Chaos: A Quest for Holistic Engagement”

  4. Keynote Address

    • Naomi Oreskes, Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University
      “From Global to Planetary Society: A New Pathway toward Human Civilizations”

  5. Commemorative Music Screening

    • Symphony No.9 'From the New World', IV. Allegro Con Fuoco
      (Composed by Dvořák, Performed by the Vienna Philharmonic)
[Special Dialogue]

“The Moment of Chaos, The Future of Planetary Politics”


September 19 (Fri) 10:20~12:00

The Special Dialogue seeks to explore how humanity can initiate a fundamental transformation in political imagination, civic consciousness, and civilizational paradigms in response to the turbulence of our times. Beyond the widely acknowledged diagnoses of crisis, we now face a more essential question: What kind of civilization should we aspire to create?

Where is the starting point of a new civilization — and how do we begin again?

Grounded in these critical questions, the dialogue invites reflection on the political imagination and civic engagement required to shape a future civilization, and on the emergence of a shared planetary consciousness. In this age of profound transition, we ask: How can we think anew—and where do we begin again?

Moving past crisis diagnosis, the session will explore pathways for concrete action and offer a space for deep reflection—toward articulating a tangible vision for a planetary civilization of the future.

  1. Theme

    • “The Moment of Chaos, The Future of Planetary Politics”

  2. Moderator

    • Francis Jae-ryong Song Former Dean of Graduate School at Kyung Hee University, Professor by Special Appointment of Sociology at Kyung Hee University

  3. Panelists

    • Naomi Oreskes Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University
    • G. John Ikenberry Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, Eminent Scholar at Kyung Hee University
    • Inwon Choue Chancellor of the Kyung Hee University System

  4. Commemorative Music Performance

    • <What Though Life Conspire to Cheat You>(Original poem by Pushkin, Music by Hyogun Kym)
    • <Magnolia>(Lyrics by Young Seek Choue, Music by Dong Jin Kim)
[Roundtable Discussion]

“Breakthrough or Breakdown:
The Future of Planetary Consciousness and Transformative Politics”


September 19 (Fri) 15:00~17:00

This roundtable discussion is convened to ask a fundamental question at a pivotal moment in our civilizational transition: Where should humanity begin again? Amid overlapping global crises—climate change, nuclear threats, and artificial intelligence—we must move beyond the boundaries of individuals and groups, nations and states, and cultivate a planetary consciousness rooted in shared human awareness. The goal is to explore new directions for future politics and civic engagement.

This conversation is not merely a diagnosis of crisis. It represents a first step toward envisioning a new form of global solidarity—grounded in profound interconnectedness and a collective sense of responsibility for our planetary community. Drawing on the insights from this discussion, Kyung Hee University system aims to help shape the direction of an upcoming open letter to future generations—scheduled for release next year—and to lay the foundation for an international network committed to concrete action.

Creating a planetary society where world peace is realized is the shared responsibility of all humanity.

  1. Theme

    • “Breakthrough or Breakdown: Planetary Consciousness and Transformative Politics”

  2. Moderator

    • Kim Won-soo Senior Advisor of the Miwon Peace Institute at Kyung Hee University System Rector of the Global Academy for Future Civilizations at Kyung Hee University

  3. Keynote Presentation

    • Gro Harlem Brundtland Norway's first woman Prime Minister, Founding member of The Elders
    • Paul Shrivastava Co-President of the Club of Rome

  4. Presentation

    • Yokoi Atsufumi Vice President of Okayama University UNESCO Chair in Research and Education for Sustainable Development
    • Alistair Fernie Chief Executive Officer of The Elders
    • Tomáš Sedláček Director of the Václav Havel Library
    • Gyorgyi Szabo Former Executive Director of the Laszlo Institute of New Paradigm Research
    • Dean of Graduate School at Ubiquity University

  5. Video Message

    • Maher Nasser Assistant Secretary General of United Nations
    • Mirian Vilela Executive Director of Earth Charter International
[Colloquium]

“Climate Justice and Intergenerational Justice: A Road Toward Planetary Citizenship”


September 18(Thu) 13:00~14:40

“Climate Justice and Intergenerational Justice: A Road Toward Planetary Citizenship”

Today, humanity faces an era in which the very foundation of global community is under threat. Now is the time to reconsider new ways of life and civic solidarity. The upcoming colloquium, "“Climate Justice and Intergenerational Justice: A Road Toward Planetary Citizenship,” is designed to explore the vision of a "planetary society"—a concept fundamentally distinct from traditional notions of "globalization."

A planetary society goes beyond mere economic globalization or a state-centered international order. It is rooted in the awareness that we all share a single planet as our common home. Such a society calls for new understandings of planetary responsibility and planetary citizenship.

The purpose of this dialogue is to move beyond national or local frameworks and to articulate the values and practices of a planetary society, grounded in a shared consciousness of humanity’s collective future.

This colloquium, held to commemorate the International Day of Peace, brings together experts from the fields of religion, science, civil society, and sustainable development, as well as young people, to engage in a substantive discussion on new citizenship, new communities, and a new society.

  1. Theme

    • “Climate Justice and Intergenerational Justice: A Road Toward Planetary Citizenship”

  2. Moderator

    • Jungwon Park Professor of College Of Freign Language&Literature at Kyung Hee University

  3. Panelist

    • Seo Jae Young Rector of Buddhist Institute of Sungchol Thought, Visiting Professor at Sungkyunkwan University
    • Woo-Kyun Lee Chair of Sustainable Development Solutions Network Korea(SDSN Korea)
    • Myung-heon Rhee Chief Executive Officer of Science Bookstore GALDAR
    • Shin, Chung-shig Vice Rector of Kyung Hee Institute for Human Society
    • Hwang Ju Gyeok Member of the UNSA-ROK
[Havel Dialougue]

“Revisiting the Havel Spirit for Civic Values and Engagement”


September 18 (Thu) 15:00~16:40

The Havel Dialogue offers a space to revisit the thought and spirit of Václav Havel—an enduring symbol of Czech democratization who stood against totalitarianism through his ethical commitment to “Living in Truth.”

In 2015, Kyung Hee University conferred upon Havel an honorary doctorate and convened a roundtable in recognition of his moral political philosophy and civic ethics.

A decade later, in a world more complex and more deeply in crisis than ever before, we once again turn to Havel.

Planned as an event to commemorate the International Day of Peace, the Havel Dialogue seeks to explore, with Václav Havel, how civic values—truth, conscience, responsibility, and hope—can once again return to the center of our lives.

  1. Theme

    • “Revisiting the Havel Spirit for Civic Values and Engagement”

  2. Moderator

    • Alex Taek-Gwang Lee Professor of College of Foreign&Literature at Kyung Hee University

  3. Panelists

    • Tomáš Sedláček Director of the Václav Havel Library
    • Martin Ritter, Deputy Director of Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences (IP CAS)
    • Yong Shin Park Former Kohwang Fellow Emeritus at Kyung Hee University System
    • Shin Jin-sook Vice Rector of the Global Academy for Future Civilizations at Kyung Hee University

Miwon Peace Prize Selection Committee

Direction

Peace Hall, Kyung Hee University

  • 26, Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
  • +82-2-961-0995~6

Kyung Hee University System

Kyung Hee University Global Academy for Future Civilizations

Kyung Hee Cyber University Global Academy for Future Civilizations

Kyung Hee University Healthcare System Global Academy for Medical Science and Civilization

26, Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02447
Tel : 02.961.0995~6 Fax : 02.961.0997

Copyright ⓒ Global Academy for Future Civilizations. all right reserved
TOP
로딩중