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2016 Kyoto-Seoul Joint Student Seminar in International Law
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Seminar Report by Kento Nisugi (Kyoto)
On 13-14 December 2016, Kyoto-Seoul Joint Student Seminar in International Law was held at Seoul National University (SNU), co-hosted by Professors Jaemin Lee (SNU) and Shotaro Hamamoto (Kyoto). It was the third of the meeting of this kind, where students of the two universities got together to discuss various questions on international law. It is great to see our annual conference continue and develop sustainably and successfully.
The symposium started with the opening remarks by the co-host professors. Professor Lee stated that this should be a place to enjoy and nurture friendship and Professor Hamamoto encouraged all participants to join the discussion to learn a lot. This time, we had eleven master and Ph.D. students, five from Kyoto and six from SNU, who made a 20-minute presentation each, covering various international law issues. As usual, every presentation was followed by a five-minute comment from a student of the other school and discussions (35 minutes).
Probably thanks to our two years’ experience, and doubtlessly to the cordial hospitality of SNU students, discussions were quite active from the very first session and lasted even during coffee breaks. Many constructive comments also came from special advisors, including Professor Keun-Gwan Lee (SNU), Dr. Machiko Kanetake (a Kyoto alumnus currently teaching at the University of Utrecht) and Dr. Yohei Okada (one of the participants in the first seminar in 2014, currently teaching at Kobe University).
An innovation in this third seminar was that for the first time we also had an online presentation via Skype. Despite our last minute request, the incredible flexibility of SNU students made it possible, and it has opened up a possibility that even members studying in other parts of the globe could join the event. Nonetheless, it goes without saying that the physical presence is indispensable for enjoying authentic Korean cuisines and delightful conversations, which are essential parts of the program!
Some say, everything that happened twice will happen a three time. In reality, however, many things would not happen, much less continue, unless we have a sincere will and energy to make it happen. We are much obliged in this respect to the initiative of the two organizing Professors Lee and Hamamoto. I am also grateful to and proud of every student who contributed to the event by any means. I believe the next session in Kyoto will also bring about a great success.
