Wednesday 12 July 2017

2017 Seoul International Forum on Elections


In line with the early presidential election held on May 9, the Administration and International Affairs Division here at the NEC moved forward its other major annual event, the Seoul International Forum on Elections, or SIFE for short. This year’s forum also included a large-scale cultural event in the evening, including an election-related fashion show put on by world-class designer Lei Sang-bong, as part of the NEC’s ‘Beautiful Elections, Happy Korea’ drive during the election.

The forum itself was attended by over 120 election officials and experts that were in Korea for the 19th presidential election as part of our own Election Visitor Program, training programs held by the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) and other training programs developed by the Korean Civic Education Institute for Democracy (KOCEI). This gave us a very diverse set of participants from around the world which contributed to an atmosphere of learning and sharing of knowledge throughout.

2017 SIFE was split into three different sessions that covered three different topics that the NEC considers the most pressing issues facing to election management bodies around the world today. The schedule was carefully devised and world-renowned presenters and panelists were chosen according to their expertise to put forward ideas and initiate discussions.

The schedule looked like this:

09:30–10:00
Opening Ceremony

Opening Remarks
Yong-deok Kim, Chairperson of the National Election Commission
Congratulatory Remarks
Sye-kyun Chung, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea
Eric Walsh, Canadian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
Yong-Hi Kim, Secretary General, Association of World Election Bodies
10:00–12:00
Session One: Current Trends and Measures to Develop Policy-focused Elections

Moderator
Mr. Hans Schattle, Professor of Political Science, Yonsei Unviersity
Speakers
Mr. Hyung-jun Kim, Professor of Political Science, Myongji University
Mr. Tim Pyne, First Assistant Parliamentary Budget Officer, Australian Parliamentary Budget Office
Mr. Michael Svetlik, Vice President of Programs, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
Mr. Andres D. Bautista, Chairperson of the Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA)
12:00-13:30
Lunch
13:30-15:00
Session Two: Expanding the Freedom of Expression in Politics: Potential Measures and Challenges

Moderator
Mr. Myoungho Park, Professor, Dongguk University
Speakers
Mr. Gerardo Antonio de Icaza, Director, Organization of American States (OAS)
Mr. Bakary Fofana, President, Independent National Electoral Commission of the Republic of Guinea (CENI)
Mr. Régis Dandoy, Assistant Professor, Waseda University
Ms. Leena Rikkilä Tamang, Director for Asia and the Pacific, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)
15:00-15:30
Coffee Break
15:30-17:00
Session Three: Improving Civic Participation in Politics and Elections for the Development of Democracy

Moderator
Mr. Cuz Potter, Associate Professor, Korea University Graduate School of International Studies
Speakers
Mr. Tim Meisburger, Director of Elections and Political Processes, The Asia Foundation
Mr. Namui Moon, Director of Programs, Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB)
Ms. Ketevan Karenashvili, International Relations Specialist, Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC)

As you can see from the list of moderator and presenters, there was a diverse and experienced lineup for each session. Our first session, which focused on how to make elections more focused on policies than image, mixed four experts from diverse backgrounds. Hyung-jun Kim, Professor of Political Science, at Myongji University, brought his expertise from an academic standpoint, while Tim Pyne discussed his experience as a senior member of the Australian Parliamentary Budget Office, which scores political parties’ manifestos and policies to support them in presenting policies to the public that have been costed and financially tested.  Meanwhile Michael Svetlik, Vice President of Programs at the world-renowned International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and Andres D. Bautista, Chairperson of the Association of Asian Election Authorities (AAEA) and the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) provided their opinions based on their work at an international organization and an EMB respectively. 


Session two took place after lunch and also featured a panel with a similar make-up to discuss the freedom of expression in politics, specifically how to expand it and how to deal with some of the side-effects of this expansion.  This time the academic among the panel was Regis Dandoy from Waseda, who has previously worked with A-WEB before during their program in Ecuador. He was joined by Leena Rikkila Tamang, the Asia and Pacific Director for International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), and Gerardo Antonio de Icaza, Director of the Organization of American States (OAS), who brought their experience from working in two of the major democracy and election-related organizations from around the world. Completing the panel was Bakary Fofana, President of the Independent National Electoral Commission of the Republic of Guinea (CENI), an organization that has participated in training programs in Korea in the past and has developed a good relationship with the NEC. 

The final slightly shorted session was a discussion on civic participation and included three representatives well-known to the NEC. Tim Meisburger, Director of Elections and Political Processes at the Asia Foundation, started off the panel with his extension experience in the field of strengthening elections and civil society in Asia and a regular participant in various NEC EVP programs. He was joined by Namui Moon, Director of Programs at A-WEB and Ketevan Karenashvili from the Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC), who also host an annual forum themselves and have regularly invited the NEC to speak and attend. 

Each session consisted on either three or four presentations followed by a discussion period based on  what had been said by the panel of experts. This allowed for structured and focused discussions on the topics at hand and allowed the gathered experts and election officials to share their knowledge and experience throughout the sessions.  We feel confident that everyone that participated left the forum with a few ideas to expand upon in their own work. 

But this year’s forum did not end there. Our division worked closely with other parts of the NEC including the media division to host a cultural event in the evening, including an election-related fashion show developed by world-class designer Lei Sang-bong. This event was part of the NEC’s ‘Beautiful Elections, Happy Korea’ drive during the election, encouraging participating in the vote through various promotional and cultural programs. 

This cultural event held a dual purpose. Firstly, it introduced Korean election culture and elements of Korean culture in general to the delegates from the forum in an interesting and innovative way using dance, fashion and music. Secondly, this event promoted the election to a wider Korean audience, hopefully informing the general public more about the election system and the election itself. 

The highlight was the main fashion show, showcasing Lei Sang-bong’s designs inspired by traditional Korean culture and the Hangul alphabet. He added designs specifically related to the election that impressed the audience, and other musical and dance showcases from some of Korea’s most talented performers contributed to a fascinating and enjoyable evening! 

We want to thank everyone who participated in and contributed to both the forum and the cultural event, we were delighted in the outcome and look forward to continue to host this important event in the future. 

Enjoy some more great photos below!

Author: Luke Butcher, Administration and International Affairs Division










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