We are pleased to announce the conference “Conscientious Objection in Asia”, which will be held on 18th to 20th November in Seoul, South Korea. The event will gather conscientious objectors (COs) and campaigners of conscientious objection (CO) from across Asia to discuss the problems COs are facing today and how to counter these problems. The event is organised by World Without War in cooperation with Connection e.V. and War Resisters’ International.

Conference outline

• On day one, we will look at the problems with the current alternative service system in South Korea from the perspective of those currently serving, and explore alternatives.
• On day 2, we will host a strategy meeting with campaigners of conscientious objection from different countries to explore ways to collaborate.
• On day 3, we will focus on CO movements outside South Korea, hearing from  CO activists from different countries across Asia. Linked with an ongoing campaign to support Russian COs seeking asylum in South Korea, one of the focuses will be Russia alongside other countries. We will also present information on the ongoing #ObjectWarCampaign, which promotes the protection of conscientious objectors from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

We will announce the specific content with a detailed programme, time and place of the forums soon. More information will be available on our websites as well as:

• https://www.facebook.com/withoutwar.org
• info@wri-irg.org 
• peace@withoutwar.org 
• office@Connection-eV.org

The international conference is part of the activities for the 20th anniversary of World Without War, a South Korea organisation supporting conscientious objectors. This event is organised in cooperation with War Resisters' International, an international anti-militarist network, and Connection e.V., an international support organisation for conscientious objectors and deserters. It is supported financially by Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS) (Germany), Ev. Kirche in Hessen und Nassau (Germany) and Daum Foundation (South Korea).