Hundreds of friends of The Korea Society-including many of the most prominent members of the business and diplomatic establishments in the U.S. and the ROK-gathered in the main ballroom of The Pierre hotel in New York City to celebrate the organization and those who have done outstanding work in carrying out its mission of forging ever closer, deeper U.S.-Korea ties. At this year's annual dinner, Lee Kun-Hee, chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics, was honored with The Korea Society's 2006 James A. Van Fleet Award. Madeleine Albright, former U.S. secretary of state, delivered the keynote address.

Introduced by Donald P. Gregg, president and chairman of The Korea Society, Albright spoke in rousing defense of the U.S.-Korea alliance. Recounting her experiences in dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue in the 1990s, Albright decried the current administration's hard-line posture towards Pyongyang, urging that the U.S. conduct direct and unconditional talks with the North and cement a comprehensive plan for denuclearization and development on the Korean peninsula. "It is important that all concerned focus less on process and debating points than on progress and results," she said.

The 2005 annual dinner was one of, if not, the largest Korea-related event ever held in New York City. The dinner was held in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria. It drew nearly 1,000 guests. No doubt, the turnout was a reflection of the high profiles of the guests for the event: Roh Moo-hyun, president of the Republic of Korea and the dinner’s keynote speaker, as well as George H.W. Bush, former president of the U.S. who was the recipient of the 2005 Van Fleet Award. Both delivered very personal and uplifting messages that were well-received by the dinner guests.