April 30, A PILDAT facilitated Pakistan Delegation visited South Korea from April 20-26, 2013 to study the Korean journey of democratic control on defence and Korean transition to democracy.

The 10 member delegation was led by Mr. Shahid Hamid, Senior Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan, former Governor Punjab & Former Minister of Defece, while other members included Senator Sehar Kamran, Member Senate Standing Committee on Defence, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Humayun Bangash, Former Ambassador, Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Moinuddin Haider, Former Federal Interior Minister & former Governor Sindh, Mr. Wazir Ahmed Jogezai, Former Deputy Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan, Mr. Saleem Safi, Senior Journalist and Anchor Geo TV, Mr. Ghazi Salahuddin, Senior Analyst, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President PILDAT, Ms. Aasiya Riaz, Joint Director, PILDAT and Mr. Khurram Malik, Projects Manager, PILDAT.

The objective of the Study Visit was to facilitate an opportunity for the Pakistan delegation to interact with subject specialists, experts and counterparts in the Republic of Korea to understand the Korean journey of consolidation of democracy after repeated military rules, Korean experience of civil-military relations and the current status of democratic control of defence and national security in South Korea.

The Pakistan delegation interacted with leading Korean think tanks, members of Korean National Assembly, Defence Institutions, Korean business and media representatives while in Seoul.

The visit began with candid discussion on South Korea's transition from military rule to democracy with Mr. Ham Chaibong, President, ASAN Institute of Policy Studies and on the model of Korean economic growth with Dr. Joo-Hoon Kim, Vice President, Korean Development Institute. The delegation was given a detailed briefing on the history of civil military relations in South Korea and how the Republic achieved the basis of its economic growth and stability under the military ruleof President Park Chung Hee.

On the second day of the Visit, the delegation called on Mr. Joao, Seung-Yong, Chairman Korea-Pakistan Friendship Group in the National Assembly of South Korea and Mr. Ahn Hong Joon, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the National Assembly. The delegation also visited the National Assembly Research Service (NARS) where Mr. Koh, Hyun Wook, Chief of the Research Service, gave a detailed briefing about the working of NARS and the support it provides to the members of the Korean National Assembly.

In exclusive discussions on Korean defence, the delegation held interactions with two leading defence think tanks of South Korea, the Sejong Institute and the Korea Institute of Defence Analysis.

Pakistan delegation also visited the National Election Commission of South Korea where Mr. Moon, Sang Boo, Secretary General of the NEC, briefed the delegation about the election process and the working of the National Election Commission of South Korea. Discussing how effective is Korean National Assembly�s oversight on defence, the delegation also engaged in detail with Mr. Yoo, Seung min, Chairman, National Defence Committee.

Pakistan delegation also visited the Demilitarization Zone on South-North Korean border, where UN Command Military Armistice Commission gave a detailed briefing on the current situation of North and South Korean Conflict.

Pakistan delegation also held meetings with the two leading business houses of South Korea, the Lotte Group and the Sambu Construction, both of which have deep business ties with Pakistan. The delegation discussed in detail the avenues of furthering Pak-Korea business and economic cooperation.

Under the dynamic and able leadership of Pakistan�s Ambassador to Korea, H. E. Mr. Shaukat Ali Mukadam, the Pakistan Embassy in Seoul facilitated the PILDAT delegation with utmost professional support. The East Asia and Pacific Division at the Pakistan Foreign Office, Islamabad, as well as the Republic of Korea Embassy in Islamabad also deserve our special thanks for their support and facilitation for the Study Visit.

A detailed report of the Study Visit, carrying experiences and learning by individual delegates, will soon be compiled and published. A Twitter account of various meetings during the visit can be seen at http://www.twitter.com/PILDAT while details on facebook can be accessed at http://www.facebook.com/PILDAT.