Asia Future Forum Opens - 500 Participants from Korea, China and Japan East Asian countries have reached a social consensus: We need to cooperate to overcome the crises of the environment, growth and distribution and further develop a blueprint for a new future together. 500 participants, many of whom were entrepreneurs, scholars and social activists, put their heads together to ponder over the decisions that East Asia need to make in the wake of multiple crises at Asia Future Forum 2011 at Lotte Hotel, Sogongdong, Seoul on the 15th. It is the second Asia Future Forum in succession from last year that Hankyoreh Media Group hosts and Hankyoreh Economic Research Institute has organized. The Forum will take place for two days until the 16th. Sangwoo Yang, the President of Hankyoreh Media Group, elaborated at the opening ceremony that, “This year in particular, we have felt the dire need for the regional communities to cooperate in the wake of global financial crisis and the Great Earthquake in Japan. Asia used to be on the periphery of the international community. However, Asia has gained a new status. The international community is now demanding Asian countries and their corporations as well as civil organizations to take responsibilities. I hope Asia Future Forum becomes a cauldron of wisdom for them in response.” At the forum on the 15th, through keynote speeches and integrative sessions, participants engaged in heated discussions on a broad range of topics, including Fukushima nuclear accident, global financial crises that have driven Europe and America to a recession, Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPP) and Economic Union. Numerous influential figures in politics and business world attended the opening ceremony: Sohn Kyung-shik, the chairperson of the Korean Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Hong Jun-pyo, the representative of the Grand National Party; Sohn Hak-gyu, the representative of the Democratic Party; Lee Jeong-hee, the representative of Democratic Labor Party; Park Won-soon, the Mayor of Seoul; Park Jae-wan, the minister of the Ministry of Strategy and Finance; Kwak Seung-jun, the chairperson of Presidential Council for Future&Vision; Jeong Jun-yang, the president of Posco; Eo Yun-dae, the president of KB Financial Group; Lee Pal-sung, the president of Woori Financial Group; Han Dong-woo, the president of Shin-han Financial Group; Chung Un-chan, the chief of the Win-win Growth Committee; and Oh Yeon-cheon, the former dean of Seoul National University. At the following award ceremony for Korean CSR Performers 2011, 5 Korean corporations including Hynix Semiconductor, Inc received honorary awards.