Exploring the feasibility of establishing a University for Peace office in Goseong: towards integrated peace curriculum on the Korean Peninsula

• In Event: Roundtable Session 8
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Higher Education in Comparative Perspective: Global Trends, Institutional Governance, and Peace-Oriented Innovation

Proposal

More than seventy years after the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, the Korean Peninsula remains divided. Initiatives such as the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the Mt. Kumgang Tourist Region held promise but ultimately showed the fragility of cooperation when not supported by durable international institutional frameworks. This study examines how higher education can contribute to peacebuilding in this context, focusing on the feasibility of establishing a University for Peace (UPEACE) office in Goseong, Gangwon State, a county on the Korean Peninsula divided by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Goseong’s location, with its ecological, cultural, and historical importance, makes it a symbolic site for peace-centered academic engagement.

The guiding research question is: How can an academic institution serve as a long-term peace initiative in a divided region? To explore this, the study draws on Johan Galtung’s (1996) Positive Peace framework, which stresses building systems that reduce direct, structural, and cultural violence. It combines with institutional peace theories that emphasize inclusive governance and academic diplomacy. Comparative insights are taken from cases such as the German Green Belt, the UN City in Copenhagen, and the University for Peace in Costa Rica. Stage One (2025–2026) will serve as the feasibility and design phase. The research will use a qualitative, multi-method approach, including semi-structured interviews with policymakers, UN officials, peace education specialists, and civil society leaders. Local perspectives will be captured through community consultations in Goseong, while multi-stakeholder forums in Seoul and New York will be used to assess feasibility and governance models. These findings will be synthesized into an institutional blueprint outlining potential academic programs, governance arrangements, and strategies for long-term sustainability.

The study makes three main contributions. First, it provides evidence of stakeholder priorities and governance needs, as well as the feasibility of a peace-oriented higher education institution in a divided region. Second, it adapts and tests Positive Peace and institutional peace theory in university design. Third, it offers a transferable model for embedding peacebuilding into higher education in other divided or geopolitically sensitive regions. A key outcome of this stage will be the preparation of a formal proposal to be presented to the UPEACE Council. If accepted, the council could review the initiative at its June 2026 session, marking the shift from feasibility to institution-building and positioning Goseong within UPEACE’s global framework. By combining grounded research, comparative analysis, and participatory design, this study highlights the potential role of higher education in supporting sustainable peace infrastructure. While the project is rooted in the Korean Peninsula, its findings offer broader lessons for how universities can contribute to conflict transformation and long-term peace in divided and conflicted regions.

References:
Galtung, J. (1996). Peace by peaceful means: Peace and conflict, development and civilization. Sage.
Son, K., & Kim, D. et al. (2009). Measures to revitalize inter-Korean exchanges through the creation of a peace zone in the border area. Korea Institute for National Unification.

Authors

• Jin Ha Joe Kim, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Jamie Marshall, Columbia University Teachers Colleg