The Korea Society is pleased to announce a special forum on the emerging international economic landscape and industrial strategy in today’s shifting global environment: U.S.-Korea Economic Relations in a New Tariff Era: Economic and Industrial Perspectives. Co-hosted with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York, this forum will examine how rising tariffs and currency fluctuations are reshaping global value chains, trade, and investment between the two nations. 

The program will feature a keynote address by Dr. Maurice Obstfeld, former Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund and one of the most influential voices in global macroeconomics. A panel discussion will follow, featuring insights from Tony Davis (The Manufacturing Institute-FAME USA), Scott Gorski (Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP), Yoonie Kim (AtkinsRéalis), and Steve (Sang Soo) Son (SK Americas) on strengthening supply-chain resilience through strategic localization and cross-border management strategies.

This program is invitation-only. TKS Individual members interested in attending are invited to RSVP; participation will be confirmed based on limited seating availability. If you are interested in becoming a member, please find more information here.

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RSVP LINK FOR TKS MEMBERS

 

For information on membership, please refer to this webpage.

 

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Program Agenda 

3:00 – 3:10 PM		Welcoming Remarks
3:10 – 4:00 PM		Keynote Lecture The Dollar and Global Finance in the Age of Tariffs  By Dr. Maurice Obstfeld, Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics Moderated by Thomas Byrne, President and CEO of The Korea Society
4:00 – 4:15 PM		Break
4:15 – 5:00 PM		Panel Discussion Challenges Ahead & How to Respond: Industrial Perspectives and Onshoring Insights   Panelists  Tony Davis, National Director, Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) USA, The Manufacturing Institute Scott Gorski, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (US) LLP Yoonie Kim, Director of Business Development/ Foreign Direct Investment & Economic Development, AtkinsRéalis  Steve (Sang Soo) Son, Senior Vice President of SK Americas
5:00 – 6:00 PM		Networking Reception

 

 

 

U.S.-Korea Economic Relations in a New Tariff Era: Economic and Industrial Perspectives

Tuesday, December 9, 2025 | 3 PM (EST)

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

 

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About the Speakers

Maurice Obstfeld is the C. Fred Bergsten Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the Class of 1958 Professor of Economics Emeritus at UC Berkeley. He joined Berkeley in 1989 as a professor, following appointments at Columbia (1979-1986) and the University of Pennsylvania (1986-1989). He was also a visiting professor at Harvard between 1989 and 1991. He received his Ph.D. from MIT in 1979, following degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Cambridge. In 2014-2015 he was a Member of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, and from 2015-2018 he served as chief economist at the International Monetary Fund. Before that, he was an honorary adviser to the Bank of Japan’s Institute of Monetary and Economic Studies. Obstfeld joined the Peterson Institute as a nonresident senior fellow in 2019. Among his honors are the Frank Graham Memorial Lecture at Princeton, the inaugural Mundell-Fleming Lecture of the International Monetary Fund, the Bernhard Harms Prize and Lecture of the Kiel Institute for World Economy, the L. K. Jha Memorial Lecture at the Reserve Bank of India, the Richard T. Ely Lecture of the American Economic Association, the Harry Johnson Lecture of the Money Macro and Finance Society, and the Andrew Crockett Memorial Lecture at the Bank for International Settlements. Professor Obstfeld is a Fellow of the Econometric Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2023, he was named a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association. He is active as a Distinguished Fellow of the Paris-based Centre for Economic Policy Research and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

 

 

Tony Davis is a mission-driven leader with deep experience at the intersection of workforce development, education, and economic growth. As the first-ever National Director of FAME USA at The Manufacturing Institute, Tony has led the expansion of the employer-driven training network to 45 chapters in 17 states—supporting nearly 500 manufacturers and helping thousands of students launch careers in modern manufacturing.

Under his leadership, FAME USA has secured millions of dollars in philanthropic support and implemented systems that have improved quality, scaled impact, and strengthened partnerships across the country.

Tony brings more than two decades of experience in building cross-sector collaboratives that drive lasting change. He has served two terms on Louisiana’s state board of education, launched regional economic and workforce initiatives, and worked closely with higher education, industry, and nonprofit leaders to create opportunity-rich environments for students and communities.

He is passionate about the role philanthropy plays in building equitable, scalable solutions—and about designing systems that work for people. Tony lives in Fishers, Indiana with his wife, their two children, and an enthusiastic golden retriever.

 

 

Scott A. Gorski works on the full range of employment-based business immigration matters. He advises multinational corporations, startups, nonprofits and other organizations seeking immigrant and nonimmigrant visas on behalf of their employees and guides clients seeking to hire, transfer and retain foreign talent. His work includes obtaining temporary work authorization and securing permanent residence status for a client’s foreign employees. Scott also counsels clients on their internal immigration policies as well as the immigration implications of corporate reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions. He also advises on employer sanctions, I-9 / E-Verify compliance and other immigration obstacles across the U.S. immigration system. In addition to his work with corporate clients and organizations, Scott assists high-net-worth investors seeking permanent residence based on a substantial investment under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. He also assists individuals seeking permanent residence through marriage.

Chambers USA has recognized Scott as “Up and Coming” (2024-2025), a “Rising Star” (2023) and one of the “Associates to Watch” in the immigration practice area in New York (2020 – 2022).

Scott is an elected member of the executive committee of the New York Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the national bar association of lawyers and law professors who practice and teach immigration law, and has served in a number of leadership roles, currently as chair and previously first and second vice chair, treasurer and secretary.

 

 

Yoonie Kim joined AtkinsRéalis in May 2024, a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, as its new Director of Business Development – Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Development in the United States and Mexico. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Yoonie leads the firm’s effort to expand its industrial-sector footprint, with a focus on attracting foreign investments from South Korean, Japanese and Chinese clients.

Yoonie is recognized for her FDI acumen connecting foreign investors, primarily South Korean companies, with American based projects over the past 19 years. Prior to joining AtkinsRéalis, she was the Director of Korean Investment for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Yoonie is credited with recruiting more than 130 FDI projects to Georgia, representing over $11 US billion in capital investment and creating 22,600+ jobs, including the $5.5 US billion Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America. She earned high praise for her “instrumental” work securing Hyundai’s first dedicated Electric Vehicle mass-production plant during Georgia’s 2023 State of the State address from Governor Brian Kemp.

Yoonie earned her Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering and a Master of Arts in International Relations from Hanyang University in South Korea. She is fluent in English, Korean and Japanese. She loves classical music and plays piano and cello. Yoonie is a member of the South Economic Development Council. She has been selected 25 Most influential Asian Americans in Georgia in 2019.

 

Steve Son serves as the Senior Vice President of SK Americas, Inc., SK Group’s U.S. headquarters based in Manhattan, New York. In this role, he helps oversee the Group’s business strategy as well as its public and government engagement across key sectors—including semiconductors, batteries, and energy—as SK Group continues to expand its industrial and investment footprint throughout the United States.

As Head of the Strategic Planning and Coordination Center, Mr. Son manages the overall operations of SK Americas and serves as the principal liaison with SK Group headquarters. Drawing on his expertise in international trade and export controls, he also works closely with the Government Relations Team in Washington, D.C., supporting the Group’s policy, regulatory, and strategic initiatives.

Previously, Mr. Son served as Head of Government Relations at SK Americas and as Head of International Trade and Regulatory Affairs at SK hynix’s Washington, D.C., office. He has also held key leadership positions, including General Counsel at SK hynix’s U.S. manufacturing facility in Eugene, Oregon, and Chief Financial Officer at the company’s R&D center in San Jose, California. Mr. Son is an attorney admitted to the New York State Bar.

Mr. Son holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. Prior to his legal studies in the United States, he earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Yeungnam University in South Korea.