From January 15th to January 17th, 2009, the KDI School’s Center for Executive Education organized The Fourth Senior Government Officials'' Policy Program as a continuation of the KDI School’s Workshops on National Agendas for the 21st Century. The program was hosted in Tokyo, Japan, with 15 senior officials from key bureaus in Korea, 14 Japanese officials and professors, and Dean Sang Moon Hahm and six professors from the KDI School gathering to contribute to the workshop. Some of the Korean participants in the program included Young-Kon Chin (Vice-Minister of Gender Equity), Eun-Bo Jeong (Director General of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance), and other senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Financial Services Commission, Ministry of Unification, and Ministry of National Defense. The general theme of the program was titled "Economic, Security, and Environmental Cooperation between Korea-Japan for Northeast Asia’s Peace and Prosperity." The workshop was divided into domestic and overseas programs. The domestic program was held in Ambassador Hall at the KDI School, where an overall preview of the entire workshop was given. The overseas program, hosted in Tokyo, was divided into three different sessions. In the first session Rintaro Tamaki, Director General of the International Bureau in the Ministry of Finance, and several distinguished experts, gave presentations regarding, "Financial Crisis and Cooperation between Korea and Japan." Some of the main topics covered in the discussions addressed the global financial crisis and its impact on the Asian financial situation. In the second session Kazuhide Ishikawa, Deputy Director-General of the Asian and Oceanic Affairs Bureau, along with other distinguished experts, presented, "Current Trends in Northeast Asian Politics and the State of Korean- Japanese Relations," covering the topics of security and international political issues in Northeast Asia and also discussing some of the limitations to cooperation between Korea and Japan. In the final session, Masatoshi Shinagawa, Senior Policy Advisor for Energy and Environment Policy in the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry,  with other distinguished experts, covered the topic of, "Energy and Environment Policies in Korea and Japan." Development of new energy sources and the cooperation between Korea and Japan in the environmental and energy sectors were discussed. The professors from the KDI School acted as moderators for all three sessions. The objective of the workshops through the domestic and overseas programs was to broaden perspectives, emphasizing interaction and exchange of information among senior government officials, professors, and experts. The workshop also aimed to enable government officials to use their experiences to initiate greater efficiency in policymaking and strengthen international cooperation. The Fifth Senior Government Officials* Policy Program is scheduled for July 25th, 2009 for the domestic preview and it will be continued in China from July 30th through August 2nd, 2009. Registrations for the program will begin in June.

By Jun Hyun PARK (2009 MPP, Korea)