Though once described by Mao Zedong as being as close as "lips and teeth," the sixty-year history of the Sino-DPRK alliance has been littered with instances of tension and conflict. According to James Person, this history accounts for Pyongyang's deep mistrust of China and its interest in developing a relationship with the United States, despite appearances to the contrary. Newly obtained documents from the archives of North Korea's former communist allies shed light on past and present challenges to the Sino-DPRK alliance. Based on his research, Person believes new opportunities will emerge for the United States to engage with Pyongyang as 2012—the year by which the DPRK leadership has promised to deliver to its people a prosperous nation—approaches.

Policy Forum

with

James Person
Coordinator
North Korea International Documentation Project (NKIDP)
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Wednesday, June 24, 2009


About the Speaker

Statement by

Evans J.R. Revere
President, The Korea Society

U.S. Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations
June 11, 2009

with

Joseph V. DeMarco
Partner
DeVore & DeMarco LLP

Thursday, May 28, 2009

At the leading edge of the digital revolution, both the U.S. and South Korea have been radically transformed by widespread Internet use. Not only has this revolution changed the way people live and do business, it has also expanded the spectrum of illegal activity. Cybercrime has many faces: from computer hacking and online piracy of copyrighted content, to spam, spyware and malware, or any of a host of other issues unimaginable a few decades ago. How is the law faring against this ever elusive opponent?

Joseph DeMarco will share his perspective on the Internet revolution, evolving trends in cybercrime, and how developments on both sides of the law have forever affected the way businesses, individuals and criminals interact in the global economy. DeMarco will explain how American and Korean experiences of these problems are similar, in what ways they differ, and how each country can learn from the other in addressing the challenges presented by the darker side of the digital revolution.

About the Speaker

Implications for the Six-Party Talks

Luncheon Forum

with

Chung-in Moon
Professor of Political Science, Yonsei University
Former Ambassador for International Security Affairs, Republic of Korea

Monday, April 20, 2009

Defying international concerns and pressures, North Korea launched a long-range missile on April 5. Although Pyongyang claims that the Unha-2 rocket was designed to put a communication satellite into orbit, the international community has denounced the launch citing its technological implications for intercontinental ballistic missiles and its defiance of U.N. Security Resolution 1718. The Lee Myung-Bak government reacted quickly by calling for a new tough U.N. Security Council resolutionto sanction the North as well as by making a full commitment to the Proliferation Security Initiative. The general public in South Korea, however, appears nonplussed by the launch. Chung-in Moon will analyze the motives and consequences of the missile launch and explore its implications for the Six-Party Talks process and inter-Korean relations.