Alpaslan Özerdem, dean of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, opened the 2025 Korea-U.S.-Japan Young Trilateral Leaders Regional Workshop Series, held in May at the Hiroshima Bunka Koryu Kaikan.
The opening ceremony featured a welcome from Özerdem, as well as remarks by Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, U.S. Consul General for Osaka/Kobe Jason Cubas, and Republic of Korea Consul General for Hiroshima Hojeung Kang.
Özerdem also led a workshop session that focused on the opportunities new technologies offer for peacebuilding, designed to help the 26 young leaders from Japan, South Korea, and the United States deepen their understanding of conflict resolution, inter-group reconciliation, and international relations from historical and cultural perspectives.
The young leaders have been working in four multi-national teams to develop plans that will utilize emerging technologies to cultivate a new generation of leaders equipped to navigate and address the complex challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region, with a particular focus on big data and artificial intelligence, the challenges of mis/disinformation, the future of cybersecurity, the transformative power of peace-oriented technology, and technological platforms for social reconciliation activities between Japan and Korea.
“We believe that empowering young people with the tools and skills of peacebuilding—especially through the innovative use of technology—unlocks tremendous potential for transformative change across societies,” Özerdem said. “I am especially honored that this workshop is taking place in Hiroshima, a city whose history powerfully reminds us of the critical need for peace and reconciliation. We view this U.S. Department of State-funded project as a timely and valuable opportunity to build lasting partnerships with local peacebuilders in Hiroshima and beyond.”
The workshop series comprises four phases. The Hiroshima session was the third phase. Phase one began with four weeks of online pre-learning, conducted from March 10 to April 4. The second phase featured the first in-person workshop, held in Incheon, South Korea, from May 11 to 14. The series will conclude with a fourth and final session, an online evaluation scheduled for early June.
Özerdem’s outreach work ties to George Mason’s recently launched Grand Challenge Initiative and the work being done across the university to strengthen trust and engagement in democratic institutions and foster global stability by bridging economic divides and advancing strategic alliances and diplomacy.
The Carter School was also recently named a United Nations Academic Impact Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Hub Chair for Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. As chair, Özerdem and his team will be responsible for education and training, research, community engagement, developing partnerships, and working with other SDG hubs to strengthen and further the United Nations’ mission of peace and justice.