America’s premier institution for U.S.–Korea partnership.
Korea is now tied to America’s economy, technology, security, culture, and communities. Our strategic plan is how we meet that moment.
Vision & Mission
By 2031, The Korea Society will be America’s premier institution for U.S.–Korea leadership and partnership.
Connecting Leaders. Deepening Partnerships. Shaping Our Shared Future.
Mission
To strengthen the U.S.–Korea partnership by connecting leaders, advancing trusted knowledge, and deepening cultural understanding.
Vision
To be the institution American and Korean leaders turn to first — in policy, business, education, culture, and community.
Our Aim
Where leaders meet, understand one another, solve problems together, and decide what comes next.
A Statement to the Public
Alliances are not inherited. They are cultivated.
The global order that held for seventy years is being rewritten, and a technological revolution is remaking work, security, and daily life. Through it all, the U.S.–Korea relationship has only grown more consequential.
For nearly seven decades, The Korea Society has been the place where Americans and Koreans come to understand each other. Our task now is to widen that circle — beyond New York and Washington, to every region where Korea has become part of American life.
This plan is our commitment: a clear vision, shared values, and a focused set of priorities that we will be measured against.
Our Values
Six commitments that govern how we work.
They apply to every program, partnership, and decision we make.
Trust
Nonpartisan, accurate, and reliable in everything we publish and host.
Excellence
Programs worthy of the leaders and audiences we convene.
Service
We exist for our members, communities, and both publics.
Leadership
We develop the people who will carry the relationship forward.
Collaboration
We build with partners rather than duplicate their work.
Innovation
We adapt formats, technology, and reach to meet people where they are.
Key Priorities
Five priorities for the years ahead.
Each one is a capability we are building, not a calendar of events.
Convene leaders
Build a durable network of American and Korean leaders across policy, business, and culture — and keep them connected between meetings.
Advance trusted knowledge
Deliver clear, nonpartisan analysis of Korea and the alliance that policymakers, executives, and journalists can rely on.
Reach the whole country
Extend our work beyond New York and Washington to the regions where Korean investment, communities, and interest are growing fastest.
Teach the next generation
Equip educators and students nationwide with the resources to understand Korea’s history, culture, and role in the world.
Build an enduring institution
Strengthen our people, digital platform, and financial base so this work outlasts any single administration or news cycle.
Six Institutions
The six institutions we are becoming.
Each one names a capability, why it matters, and how we carry it out.
A Leadership Institution
The room where American and Korean leaders meet, learn, and decide together.
Alliances hold when the people running them know and trust each other.
How we carry it out
- A standing U.S.–Korea leadership network
- Off-the-record convenings on hard questions
- Delegations in both directions each year
A Community Institution
A home for members, Korean America, and everyone drawn to Korea.
Public support, not government alone, keeps the relationship durable.
How we carry it out
- Membership that people are proud to hold
- Cultural programming open to the public
- Partnerships with community organizations
A Knowledge Institution
A trusted, nonpartisan source on Korea and the alliance.
Decisions get made on whatever analysis is nearest and clearest.
How we carry it out
- Briefings for policymakers and executives
- Clear published analysis, never partisan
- A searchable library of every program
A National Institution
Presence beyond New York and Washington, in every region Korea touches.
Korean investment and communities now reach far past the coasts.
How we carry it out
- Regional chapters where Korea is growing
- Traveling programs and campus visits
- Local business and civic partners
A Digital Institution
A platform that reaches people wherever they are.
Our audience is national; our rooms are not.
How we carry it out
- Every program livestreamed and archived
- An open, well-indexed digital library
- Modern member and education systems
A Sustainable Institution
The staff, systems, and reserves to do this for decades.
Ambition without a financial base is a wish.
How we carry it out
- Multi-year commitments from partners
- A growing endowment
- Disciplined operations and clear reporting
The Flywheel
Our engine of growth.
Each turn makes the next one easier: reach earns trust, trust earns support, support widens reach. Select a stage to see what powers it.
Lead
Convene the people who shape the relationship, and keep them connected between meetings.
Carried by
A Leadership Institution
On this page
Nothing here works alone. The flywheel is the plan.
The Next Five Years
What progress will look like.
One clear goal per year, each building on the last.
Foundation Base built
Launch the leadership network, modernize our systems, and secure the first multi-year commitments.
- Leadership network launched
- Member and CRM systems modernized
- First multi-year partners committed
Regional Reach Beyond the coasts
Establish our first regional programs in states where Korean investment is growing fastest.
- First regional chapters seated
- Traveling program series on the road
- Local business partners in three states
National Scale Fifty states
Take education and digital programming to all fifty states and double our reach.
- Educator resources in all fifty states
- Digital audience doubled
- Program archive fully open
West Coast Coast to coast
Open a sustained West Coast presence connecting technology, entertainment, and Korean America.
- Standing West Coast presence
- Technology and entertainment partnerships
- Bi-coastal leadership convenings
Premier Institution Vision met
Be the institution American and Korean leaders turn to first — with the endowment to keep it that way.
- First call for leaders in both countries
- Endowment secured for the decade ahead
- Public scorecard on every priority
The Platform Today
We are not starting from zero.
Nearly seven decades of convening give this plan a running start.
Our advantage is relationships — in New York, Washington, Seoul, and Korean America — and the trust that comes with them.
Partner With Us
Three ways to help build it.
This plan works only if the people who care about the relationship carry it with us.
Join
Become a member or corporate partner and help sustain the work year over year.
Convene
Host, co-sponsor, or bring your network into a program with us.
Invest
Fund a priority you believe in — leadership, knowledge, national reach, or education.