The KJ Forum was founded in 1999 to promote cross-cultural and intellectual exchange between Korea and Japan. To actively build Korea-Japan relations, KJ Forum regularly cooperates with local Japanese authorities and organizations. The KJ Forum also is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) registered with Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 Welcome to Asia Hope Camp

1. Past achievements of Korea-Japan Forum.

The Korea Japan Society and Culture Forum (hereinafter called “Korea-Japan Forum”) is an non profit organization registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2003 and established in 1999 as a conference body for the free exchange of various opinions and information in terms of Japan-South Korea relations. Korea-Japan Forum has hosted conferences such as the Korea-Japan Journalist Forum, the Korea-Japan Politicians Forum, to achieve direct discussions in terms of Japan-Korea issues by various groups.

As another example of our achievement, right after the East Japan Great Earthquake occurred in 2011, we immediately began recruiting volunteers in South Korea to support recovery of disaster areas in Northeast Japan. We eventually succeeded in bringing 50 Korean student volunteers to assist in the recovery effort which was filmed as a documentary and broadcast in S.Korea. We believe that instances such as this one help prove that an unbreakable tie of friendship exists between our two countries, despite sometimes acrimonious government relations.

once a year, since 2010 for a week during the middle of summer, Korea Japan Forum has been holding a volunteer opportunity for Korean and Japanese high school students at the Izumo shore in the Shimane Prefecture. our partner in Japan is the Shimane prefecture office International section. We have selected 20 applicants in Korea, and plan to hold a workshop once a month from April to June. The workshop will be divided into 3 parts such as "Global environment", "Volunteer", "International exchange" and each group will study individually for each topic. The project will culminate in the "Korea-Japan High School Student Forum" held once a year in Shimane in July. 

Recently We have been holding regular cultural exchanges and camp programs once or twaice per a month in Japan and South Korea, as well as introducing opportunities for paid and unpaid internships.

2. New attempt : Asia Hope Camp

Post 2011, We have focused our efforts on a new "Asia Hope Camp" project for international youth, which is represented by the slogan "Beyond natural disasters, to the world, to the future," in cooperation with several other Japanese and Korean organizations, our organization has the following goals for the Asia Hope Camp.

① Creation of "world volunteer map," created by Korean teenagers, showing volunteer opportunities around the world. many Korean teenagers have already expressed interest in taking part.

② Subsequently we would like to increase our interactions with other international volunteer organizations to facilitate information and culture exchange.

③ To provide more opportunities for young Japanese and Koreans to interact and find common ground by working together to heal poverty and disaster damaged regions in Asia. one potential example is an Asia Hope Camp to achieve these ends in North Korea post reunification.

Furthermore, as peace in Asia cannot be achieved by the will of Asian nations alone, we do not wish to restrict participant to those of Asian nationalities. Rather all youth who wish to take part will be welcomed, regardless of citizenship.

We hope to take new steps in our mutual journey this year, and into the future as well.