Experts have called for global cooperation for a peaceful Korean unification during an international conference in Seoul.

In the conference jointly hosted by the Unification Ministry and the Presidential Committee for Unification Preparation, experts from home and abroad also stressed the South Korean government's leading role in this effort.

Giving a keynote speech on Friday, former Foreign Minister Han Seung-joo said that it will be difficult to persuade China and Japan regarding unification without active cooperation and support from the United States.

He stressed that in order to achieve unification, it is indispensable that Seoul coordinate the issue with the four foreign powers surrounding the Korean Peninsula while it takes a leading role.

Seoul National University Professor Chun Chae-sung pointed out that criticism on what is referred to as South Korea's "opportunist diplomacy" between the U.S. and China can undermine unification policies. He said it's more important to emphasize the fact that a unified Korea will be more beneficial to American and Chinese interests.

In the inaugural conference on global cooperation for Korean unification, participants also discussed the need to aid North Korea's economic development through the establishment of the Northeast Asia Development Bank, proposed by South Korea.