Leaders from the Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Union (SCEF)–Myanmar’s premier resistance coalition—held a town hall discussion in South Korea on Sunday after a meeting with the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Peace Forum in Seoul on Nov. 5.
Zin Mar Aung, the National Unity Government (NUG) Foreign Minister and SCEF secretary, said that the discussion focused on “advancing a federal democratic transition,” and ways South Korea could support these efforts underway in Myanmar.
The SCEF delegation also included the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) Secretary No. 1 Neineh Plo, the Chin National Front (CNF) General Secretary Salai Thla Hei, and the NUG Planning, Finance and Investment Minister Tin Tun Naing.
The four met with South Korean lawmakers Lee Yong-seon of the Democratic Party and Kim Jun-hyung of the Rebuilding Korea Party at the National Assembly in Seoul, according to a statement released on Nov. 6.
The SCEF praised Seoul for maintaining its position of not providing legitimacy to the regime in Naypyidaw and for using its relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to strengthen support for a return to democracy in Myanmar.
Zin Mar Aung and the new SCEF policy adviser Naw May Oo is scheduled to attend the Paris Peace Forum on Nov. 10–11 and is preparing for a meeting on the sidelines with French President Emmanuel Macron, diplomatic sources told the BBC.
The Paris Peace Forum was established in 2018 to promote international cooperation on global challenges. Its ninth edition this year is being held under the theme “Joining Forces on What Matters Most.”
The SCEF represents lawmakers elected in 2020 but ousted in the 2021 coup such as the NUG and the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH). It also includes the KNPP, CNF, the Karen National Union (KNU), and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).
Since establishing the SCEF on March 30, it has expanded to include the Sagaing Federal Unit and the Mandalay Region Interim Administrative Council—two civilian-led governing bodies formed by elected lawmakers ousted in the 2021 coup, as well as resistance groups and civil society organizations opposed to the coup in central Myanmar.
