The contemporary issues project promotes cross-cultural understanding through public lectures, panel discussions, symposia and workshops that present the rich diversity of Korea and U.S.-Korea relations in historical and contemporary contexts. These programs feature authors, scholars, artists, practitioners from the nonprofit sector, politicians, business leaders and others who are willing to share with the American public their unique expertise on Korea and U.S.-Korea relations.
The focus of this project area is an in-depth exploration of the social, cultural, economic, political, historical and security dimensions of the U.S.-Korea relationship. The objective is to foster a greater awareness, appreciation and understanding of the complexity of these underlying factors, which fuels the power of imagination that is the indispensable wellspring of the capacity for empathy. While divergences of perspectives between Americans and Koreans on many fundamental issues may be inevitable, it is equally inevitable that these divergences must be brought within the realm of imagination to be channeled toward productive engagement based on mutual respect.
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Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty Bradley Martin, then Manship Chair in Journalism, Louisiana State University, was hoping to get some practice debating conservative skeptics when he arrived at The Korea Society to give a talk based on his recently published book, Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty. But he didn't get it. Most everyone in the audience was convinced and reassured by his point: that the U.S. can finally resolve the North Korean nuclear impasse if it reaches out directly and respectfully to Kim Jong Il. Martin was stopping in New York before heading to Washington to speak to officials whose preferred course of action on all issues related to the DPRK is regime change. What they obstinately neglect, he said, is the fact that Kim can be reasoned with. Unlike his father, Kim Il Sung, who largely believed the hyperbole of his personality cult, Kim Jong Il is in touch with North Korea's realities. When important American and South Korean officials met with Kim in 2000 and 2002, thus affording him a measure of public respect, they were able to reach deals quickly thereafter. In contrast, lower level negotiations with North Koreans often grind on for years. Eventually, Bradley added, the issue that most grates on hard liners' nerves, North Korea's inadequate human rights record, could be negotiated with Kim. Getting North Korea to let down its guard, by convincingly demonstrating U.S. friendship, is the only prerequisite. |
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In this presentation, Moon Chung-in, then chairman of the Presidential Committee on Northeast Asian Cooperation Initiative, outlined the serious constraints imposed by an array of North Korean issues on the robust implementation of the Peace and Prosperity Policy that governs the Roh Moo-hyun administration's relations with North Korea. Apart from the prolongation of the nuclear problem, he noted, many other factors also serve as constraints including the stalled inter-Korean talks and the increasing outside pressures on North Korea to address international concerns about its human rights conditions. The presenter stressed the enormously complex challenge posed by North Korea, especially in view of the narrowed scope of policy choices currently available to the ROK government. He also explored the impact of inter-Korean relations on the ROK-U.S. alliance.
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This program featured the screening of a documentary by award-winning producers Dan Gordon and John Battsek, which premiered on the PBS program, Wide Angle, on September 11, 2003. The documentary provides a rare, and surprising, glimpse into the individual and family life underneath the monolithic veneer of North Korean society. A Q&A session with Charles Armstrong, associate professor, Department of History, Columbia University, and Wide Angle Executive Producer Stephen Segaller followed the screening. Ambassador Donald P. Gregg served as the moderator for the program.
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The growing visibility of Asian Americans in mainstream media is redefining the way Americans perceive each other. But old stereotypes continue to limit the opportunities available to Asian Americans. The presenters included three reporters from major media outlets in the Northeast: Nydia Han from ABC Action News Philadelphia, Tina Kim from Fox Good Day Philadelphia and P.J. Joshi of New York Newsday. Together they explored such issues as where Asian Americans stand on the barometer that measures balanced representation, whether America is ready to accept Asian Americans in roles that go beyond the clichés of the past and what the average consumer can do to combat inaccurate portrayals. |
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Contemporary Issues