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Home Special Events 50th Anniversary Events
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50th Anniversary Events |
2007 marks the 50th anniversary of The Korea’s Society’s founding by General James A. Van Fleet in 1957. To commemorate the achievements of these past five decades of the Korean-American partnership, and our commitment to continue working on making the partnership more mutually beneficial, we have planned a series of special events throughout 2007. We have already begun by holding a joint conference on the future of U.S.–ROK relations and a 50th anniversary gala dinner in Seoul in early February. We will continue the commemoration by holding dinners in New York City and Los Angeles and presenting other programs throughout the year. Please check this section of the website for information on all our 50th anniversary events and how you can be a part of them.
Overview of the 50th Anniversary of The Korea Society
Joint Conference on the Future of U.S.-ROK Relations (Feb. 2, 2007)
50th Anniversary Gala Dinner in Seoul (Feb. 3, 2007)
2007 Dinner in Los Angeles
2007 Annual Dinner in New York (May 15, 2007)
2007 Year-End Party (December 18, 2007)
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The Korea Society turned 50 in 2007, and the year was an eventful one, as we celebrated our anniversary by hosting a series of high-profile guest speakers, important conferences and galas. As the year drew to a close, The Korea Society threw a special year-end party to thank all those who had made 2007 such a success.
Over 250 guests attended the party, at The Korea Society’s offices in New York, meeting and mingling over drinks, Korean food and live jazz. Drawing a mixed crowd of members and those who were visiting The Korea Society for the first time, the reception provided an excellent forum for guests to network and to meet old friends and make new ones. It also offered those who haven’t recently been to The Korea Society a chance to see our newly expanded and renovated space, including our new gallery.
As the party got underway, Ambassador Donald P. Gregg, chairman of The Korea Society, greeted the guests and thanked all those who had supported The Korea Society and its mission.
Following Ambassador Gregg’s remarks, Evans J.R. Revere, president and CEO of The Korea Society, described the numerous changes that The Korea Society had undergone during its anniversary year, highlighted key initiatives for the coming year, and urged all those who weren’t yet members of The Korea Society to join as The Korea Society prepared for an even more exciting and successful year in 2008.
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The 50th anniversary of The Korea Society will be highlighted during a dinner in Los Angeles on April 26 2007.
Keynote Speaker
Ambassador Donald P. Gregg
KAC Bridge Builders Award
The Korea Society
Martin Luther King Legacy Association
Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites
404 South Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
phone: (213) 624-1000
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This year marks the 50th
anniversary of the establishment of The Korea Society in 1957, under the
leadership of General James A. Van Fleet. As the commander of the U.S. Eighth
Army during the final phase of the Korean War, Van Fleet had developed a strong
admiration for the history and culture of Korea as well
as a deep respect for the Korean people. Realizing how little known and poorly
understood Korea was among Americans, Van Fleet welcomed the opportunity to
help bridge the chasm of ignorance between Korea and the United States by
serving as the first president of The Korea Society.
A survey of the gradual development of
U.S.-Korea relations over the last half century would suggest that The Korea
Society might be likened to a palimpsest upon which the history of these
relations has been recorded. For the most recent decade, from 1997 to the
present, the story of these relations emerges in bold strokes that reflect its
vital and unique features and serve as a harbinger of a bright future. The
Pyongyang Summit in 2000 was the pivotal event of this decade, and the
transformational process it set in motion is creating a new foundation for
U.S.-Korea relations, just as it already has provided a new focus for the
efforts of The Korea Society.
The story of the previous decade, 1987
to 1997, also emerges clearly from just under the surface. This decade began
with the triumph of the pro-democracy movement in Korea, signaled by the dramatic acceptance of
the demand for democratic reforms by President Noh Tae Woo. The stunning
successes of this decade also left strong traces in the activities of The Korea
Society as it began a process of renewal and expansion in response to the
changed perception of Korea in the United States due to the spectacular execution of the
1988 Seoul Olympics. For The Korea Society, the highpoint was the
reorganization carried out in 1993 following the appointment of Ambassador Donald P. Gregg as president and chairman.
The story of the third decade, from 1977
to 1987, is more obscure as very few Americans were paying attention to
developments in Korea and The Korea Society also went through
a period of ups and downs. Still, this decade marked the beginning of Korean
immigration to the U.S. on a large-scale, and the Korean
American community gradually became an important stakeholder in the development
of The Korea Society.
The second decade, from 1967 to 1977,
also left only faint traces due to the dispiriting struggle underway in Korea between an oppressive military regime
and an emergent civil society. The hallmark of this period was the chilling
affect Yushin had on U.S.-Korea relations. On the other hand, the
economic ties between the two countries were enhanced significantly during this
decade, and The Korea Society came to play an increasingly significant role as
a liaison between Korean and American business leaders.
Not surprisingly, only the barest of
traces remain from the first decade of The Korea Society's existence. From 1957
to 1967, Korea was still struggling to recover from
the devastation of war and the tragedy of national division. While one of the
reasons for the establishment of The Korea Society was to contribute to the
reconstruction efforts in Korea, there is no evidence to suggest major
contributions were made to these efforts. All the same, it is very striking
that a group of very prominent Americans conceived the idea of establishing the
first nonprofit organization in the United States dedicated to the promotion of friendly
relations between the people of the United States and Korea "through mutual understanding and
appreciation of their respective cultures, aims, ideals, arts, sciences and
industries." Improbable as it must have seemed to most Americans at the time,
the future of U.S.-Korea relations fully warranted the establishment of this
ambitious goal that remains a perfect expression of the mission of The Korea
Society today.
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The Korea Society's year-long commemoration of its 50th anniversary began on February 2, 2007 with
a joint conference on the future of ROK-U.S. relations held at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul.
Co-organized by the Security Management Institute, the conference drew a distinguished audience of analysts and other observers of ROK-U.S. relations
from both countries. One of its objectives was to set the agenda for the future of ROK-U.S. relations by exploring the parameters of a consensus on the
challenges and tasks that Koreans and Americans must tackle in pursuit of their mutual interests. For the conference schedule and participants, click here.
The morning session was chaired by Dr. Chungin Moon who is the ambassador for international security and
a professor at Yonsei University. The session was open to the public. It got underway with two keynote presentations: The
South Korean-United States Alliance: Vagaries of a Future Relationship-A Personal View by David I. Steinberg of Georgetown University; and
Vision
and Tasks for the Future of the ROK-U.S. Alliance: A Korean View by Sung-han Kim of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National
Security. These presentations were followed by a panel discussion between American and Korean experts.
The discussion was continued during an afternoon session that was closed to the public. Other leading experts on ROK-U.S.
relations joined with the panelists from the morning session to explore in depth issues such as the DPRK's nuclear weapons
program, wartime operational control of ROK armed forces and security in Northeast Asia. The participants offered a
number of policy recommendations, including principally a recommendation that a blue-ribbon panel should be established to study in depth the issues confronting
the U.S.-ROK relationship. There was a follow up discussion of this recommendation during a subsequent meeting of the members of a blue ribbon panel
steering committee.
A summary of the discussion during the conference and the recommendation to establish a blue ribbon panel can be found in the rapporteur's
report prepared by Dr. Leon Sigal of the Social Science Research Council.
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The Korea Society's 50th anniversary commemoration continued on February 3, 2007 with a gala dinner held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul. The dinner drew approximately 600 guests, including the current U.S. ambassador as well as four of his immediate predecessors, the prime minister, the foreign minister, the unification minister and a couple of other current cabinet-level officials, several prominent members of the ROK National Assembly, many former cabinet-level officials (including PM Kang Young Hoon), former legislators and other public figures. And, of course, the academic and corporate sectors also were well represented by prominent figures past and present.
The 50th anniversary commemoration was chaired by Lee Hee-Beom, chairman and CEO of the Korea International Trade Association and the Korea-U.S. Economic Council. Stanley C. Gale, chairman of Gale International, who served as the chair of the gala dinner committee. Opening remarks were delivered by the co-hosts of the gala dinner, Donald P. Gregg, chairman of The Korea Society, and Alexander Vershbow, the current U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Korea. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Song Min-soon introduced Prime Minister Han Myeong Sook who delivered a congratulatory message.
Gala Dinner Program
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