Now in its 41st year, the PAFTAD conference serves as a scholarly forum for in-depth discussions on trade, development issues, and economic policy in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Since its inception in 1968, PAFTAD has brought together leading scholars to address global economic issues and, in particular, the major economic challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region, and to provide policy recommendations.

After hosting the 26th PAFTAD conference from June 13th to 16th, 2000, KIEP organized this conference again after a gap of 23 years.

The three-day event featured a total of nine sessions, where scholars from around the world gathered to discuss recent developments such as the U.S.-China power competition, supply chain restructuring, and the convergence of business, technology, and security in the changing global economic order.

During this conference, experts in politics, diplomacy, security, and economics engaged in academic analysis and debate, providing policy insights into global cooperation and competition in the era of economic security.

Prominent figures who participated in this academic conference included President Siwook Lee of KIEP, Chair Mari Pangestu of PAFTAD and Professor at the University of Indonesia (former Indonesian Minister of Trade), Professor John Ikenberry of Princeton University, Senior Fellow Chad Bown of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Professor Danny Quah of the National University of Singapore, Honorary Professor Peter Drysdale of the Australian National University, Honorary Chairman Soo-gil Ynag of SDSN (former Chairman of the Green Growth Committee), Secretary General Byung-il Choi of the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (Professor at Ewha Womans University), Professor Il-hyung Lee of the Free University of Brussels (former Member of the Monetary Policy Committee), Senior Vice President for External Affairs Chul Chung of KIEP and others.

Mari Pangestu, Chair of PAFTAD, emphasized the timeliness of this conference in a period of heightened uncertainty, highlighting its potential to facilitate discussions on academic analyses of the global economic order and the expansion of economic, technological, and security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Siwook Lee, President of KIEP, emphasized the importance of sharing scholars’ knowledge and insights on the challenges facing the global economy and their potential contribution to strengthening regional cooperation and enhancing global economic security.

President Lee expressed his satisfaction to host this meaningful conference after more than 20 years, where global scholars gathered to discuss solutions to the economic crisis.

The final day of the event featured a public session on "The Future of the Global Economic Order." Professor Mari Pangestu chaired this special public session, and participants included Professor Myung-hee Yoo of Seoul National University (former ROK Trade Minister), Senior Fellow Chad Bown of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Professor Danny Quah at the National University of Singapore, Professor Barbara Stallings of Brown University, and others.

In attendance at this international conference, both domestic and international experts in politics, economics, and trade expressed deep understanding of the growing interconnectedness of economics, technology, and security. This understanding was particularly important in the context of prolonged geopolitical tensions resulting from the post-pandemic Russia-Ukraine conflict c and the intensification of U.S.-China technological competition. These experts collectively assessed that this international PAFTAD conference had made a substantial contribution to enhancing cooperation among Pacific region countries and deriving policy implications for the establishment of a new international order.