On August 4, 2008, Dr. Charles Armstrong, director of the Center for Korean Research at Columbia University, presented a two-part overview of Korean history at The Korea Society in New York.  In this first lecture, he provides a general introduction to contemporary Korea before delving into Korean history, starting with the founding myth of Tangun and progressing up to the late nineteenth century when Korea opened up to modern diplomatic relations with Japan and the West.

On August 4, 2008, Dr. Charles Armstrong, director of the Center for Korean Research at Columbia University, presented a two-part overview of Korean history at The Korea Society in New York. In this second lecture, Dr. Armstrong discusses modern Korean history, beginning in 1876 with Korea’s first formal diplomatic treaty with Japan.

Cathy Spagnoli, a professional storyteller from Seattle, narrates seven tales of Korea. Spagnoli has traveled extensively through India, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan and Korea gathering indigenous stories and music. During her numerous trips to Korea, she has met with an extensive network of storytellers and collected a wide range of stories that beautifully illustrate Korean culture. TALES OF KOREA, PART I. The seven tales in this selection are appropriate for younger students (grades 1-5), and include: Grain of Millet, Green Frog, The Two Brothers, A Trick or Two, Princess Pyongkang and Ondal, Abandoning the Old Ones, and The Serpent's Revenge. This selection gives a glimpse of Korea and Korean values through the art of storytelling. For example,"Grain of Millet" demonstrates delightfully how cleverness with a little luck can turn into fortune. Other popular Korean themes presented include: filial piety, geomancy, diligence, kindness rewarded vs. greed punished, and revenge vs. gratitude. All of these stories are fun to listen to and are fun to learn from. For example, students gain insight into another culture through Korean animal sounds (Korean dogs bark "mong, mong," not "bow wow"), and learn a few vocabulary words from a talking turtle. This Part, 1A, includes: Grain of Millet, Green Frog, The Two Brothers, A Trick or Two.

Cathy Spagnoli, a professional storyteller from Seattle, narrates seven tales of Korea. Spagnoli has traveled extensively through India, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan and Korea gathering indigenous stories and music. During her numerous trips to Korea, she has met with an extensive network of storytellers and collected a wide range of stories that beautifully illustrate Korean culture. TALES OF KOREA, PART I. The seven tales in this selection are appropriate for younger students (grades 1-5), and include: Grain of Millet, Green Frog, The Two Brothers, A Trick or Two, Princess Pyongkang and Ondal, Abandoning the Old Ones, and The Serpent’s Revenge. This selection gives a glimpse of Korea and Korean values through the art of storytelling. For example,"Grain of Millet" demonstrates delightfully how cleverness with a little luck can turn into fortune. Other popular Korean themes presented include: filial piety, geomancy, diligence, kindness rewarded vs. greed punished, and revenge vs. gratitude. All of these stories are fun to listen to and are fun to learn from. For example, students gain insight into another culture through Korean animal sounds (Korean dogs bark "mong, mong," not "bow wow"), and learn a few vocabulary words from a talking turtle. This Part, 1B, includes: Princess Pyongkang and Ondal, Abandoning the Old Ones, The Serpent’s Revenge.

Cathy Spagnoli, a professional storyteller from Seattle, narrates seven tales of Korea. Spagnoli has traveled extensively through India, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan and Korea gathering indigenous stories and music. During her numerous trips to Korea, she has met with an extensive network of storytellers and collected a wide range of stories that beautifully illustrate Korean culture. TALES OF KOREA, PART II. The twelve tales in this selection are appropriate for older students (grades 6-12). Several of these stories are folktales illustrating long-held Korean values of cleverness, filial piety, friendship and fidelity. Others present mathematical brainteasers. Some are true-to-life and based on history, from the pages of the diary of a 16th century admiral, to the poetry of war crimes committed on the peninsula during the 20th century, to the autobiographical account of a Korean American immigrant. What all of these tales share is the wit, verve and love of all things Korean. This Part, 2A, includes: Kim Sondal & the River, The Farmer & the Tokaebi, The Stone Bell, A Faithful Dog, A Cup of Rice, The Extra Won.

Cathy Spagnoli, a professional storyteller from Seattle, narrates seven tales of Korea. Spagnoli has traveled extensively through India, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan and Korea gathering indigenous stories and music. During her numerous trips to Korea, she has met with an extensive network of storytellers and collected a wide range of stories that beautifully illustrate Korean culture. TALES OF KOREA, PART II. The twelve tales in this selection are appropriate for older students (grades 6-12). Several of these stories are folktales illustrating long-held Korean values of cleverness, filial piety, friendship and fidelity. Others present mathematical brainteasers. Some are true-to-life and based on history, from the pages of the diary of a 16th century admiral, to the poetry of war crimes committed on the peninsula during the 20th century, to the autobiographical account of a Korean American immigrant. What all of these tales share is the wit, verve and love of all things Korean. This Part, 2B, includes: Admiral Yi Sun-shin, A Wise Monk, "Suni’s Thimble" by Itsuko Ishikawa, Sad Memories, A Silent Debate, Quiet Odyssey, excerpts from the book by Mary Paik Lee.

On November 6, 2007 The Korea Society hosted a lecture titled "The Case of Arirang: How the Anthem of Korean Resistance Became a Japanese Pop Hit" by E. Taylor Atkins, an associate professor of history at Northern Illinois University.

On April 3rd, 2007, Yoo Jang-hee, a professor of international studies at Ewha Women's University, delivered a lecture titled "The Korean Economy in the New Industrial Revolution" to a group of American educators touring Korea as part of The Korea Society's 2007 Spring Fellowship in Korean Studies program. Professor Yoo spoke about Korea's role in the increasingly knowledge-based global economy. Surveying Korea's advantages-such as its highly trained workforce and advanced information infrastructure-and what he sees as its disadvantages-low levels of R&D funding and an unproductive education system-Yoo concluded that the Korean government needs to resume pro-growth policies and encourage private-sector initiatives in order to compete in this world's new industrial revolution.

Part 1 of 2. On July 25th, 2005, The Korea Society hosted a lecture titled "The Origins of Koreans and Their Culture" with Mark Byington, a post-doctoral fellow in Korean Studies at Harvard University. The lecture—which was given as part of The Korea Society’s continuing education program for teachers—addressed the important early sources of Korean language, art, religion and custom.

Part 2 of 2. On July 25th, 2005, The Korea Society hosted a lecture titled "The Origins of Koreans and Their Culture" with Mark Byington, a post-doctoral fellow in Korean Studies at Harvard University. The lecture-which was given as part of The Korea Society's continuing education program for teachers-addressed the important early sources of Korean language, art, religion and custom.