South Korea is hosting an annual conference of the International Committee for Museums of Ethnography.

Hosted by the National Folk Museum of Korea, the 2009 conference opened in Seoul on Monday for a six-day run. Over 200 ethnographers and others in the field will be in attendance to participate in a series of roundtables, keynote speeches and related discussions.

The gathering will run under the theme of “Museums for Reconciliation and Peace Roles of Ethnographic Museums in the World.”

A declaration on museums’ role in promoting global reconciliation will be adopted during the conference.

The committee is part of the International Council of Museums, which is an organization committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world's natural and cultural heritage.