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Author: Yurim Oh

Paper Soldiers: How the Weaponization of the Dollar Changed the World Order

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Join us for a discussion with the Senior Washington Correspondent for Bloomberg News Saleha Mohsin on her newly released book Paper Soldiers: How the Weaponization of the Dollar Changed the World Order, in cooperation with the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP). As the global order continues to evolve, it seems that the dollar’s dominance may find itself waning for the first time in 70 years. In a world dividing into two camps, one led by China and the other by the U.S, Mohsin investigates America’s strong dollar policy and how it has shaped the world order, the effects of America’s heavy-handed sanctions on its adversaries, and how American allies like South Korea view the dollar in today’s global financial system. The conversation will be moderated by former CBS White House Correspondent and NCAFP Board Member, Jacqueline Adams.

Purchase the book here

Paper Soldiers: How the Weaponization of the Dollar Changed the World Order

Tuesday, April 2, 2024 | 12:00 PM (EDT)


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

 

Join our membership program here!

 

 

About the Speakers:

 

Saleha Mohsin is the senior Washington correspondent for Bloomberg News. In her role, she covered the final months of the Obama Treasury Department, then the transition into the Trump presidency. Her work as a Treasury reporter encompassed Trump’s trade war, economic sanctions, parts of the Federal Reserve and Capitol Hill, and the government’s response to the worst public health crisis in nearly a century. Saleha also covered the transition into the Biden White House, including the stronger focus on economic statecraft and the ‘Buy America’ agenda that carried over from the previous administration. She also reported on the U.S. response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
 

Jacqueline Adams has had a long career as a journalist, author and convener.  She launched a second career as a communications strategist after more than two decades as an Emmy Award-winning CBS News correspondent. Through her boutique consulting firm, J Adams: Strategic Communications, LLC, she counsels corporate and non-profit clients. An alumna of Harvard Business School, Ms. Adams serves on the Board of Directors of the HBS Club of New York,  the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and the senior community, Brookhaven at Lexington. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Advisory Committee of the United States Institute of Peace, and the Advisory Council of the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream.

Starry Field with Margaret Juhae Lee and Grace M. Cho

Posted on by Yurim Oh

 

In her intimate and touching debut, Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History, journalist Margaret Juhae Lee uncovers her family’s lost history that had been buried in the darkness of Korea’s colonial decades.

Growing up in Houston, Margaret Juhae Lee was never told about her grandfather, Lee Chul Ha. His memory was submerged in 1936 Korea, when Lee Chul Ha died a disgraced communist rebel, leaving Margaret’s grandmother widowed with their two young sons. To his surviving family Lee Chul Ha was a criminal. As an act of unearthing her own identity, Margaret needed to understand why.

Margaret began investigating the truth of her grandfather’s story. After many trips to Korea, she located her grandfather’s interrogation records, and began a series of long-form interviews with her grandmother. Through her research, Margaret discovered an extraordinary young man, Lee Chul Ha – a student revolutionary imprisoned in 1929 for protesting the Japanese government’s colonization of Korea. Lee Chul Ha was a hero and eventually honored as a Patriot of South Korea almost 60 years after his death. With this new knowledge came Margaret’s realization that her grandmother had old wounds she needed to heal.

Starry Field weaves together Margaret’s family story against the backdrop of Korea’s tumultuous modern history, with a powerful question at its heart. Can we ever separate ourselves from our family’s past—and if the answer is yes, should we?

In her conversation with Grace M. Cho, Margaret Juhae Lee discusses her memoir.

During the event, Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History will be available for purchase.

 

Starry Field with Margaret Juhae Lee and Grace M. Cho

Wednesday, March 27, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)


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

 

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About the Speaker:

Margaret Juhae Lee is an Oakland-based writer and a former literary editor of The Nation magazine. She has been the recipient of a Bunting Fellowship from Harvard University, and a Korean Studies Fellowship from the Korean Foundation. She is also a Tin House scholar, and has been awarded residencies at the Mesa Refuge, the Anderson Center, and Mineral School. In 2020, she was named “Person of the Year” by the Sangcheol Cultural Welfare Foundation in Kongju, South Korea, for her work in honoring her grandfather, Patriot Lee Chul Ha. Her articles, reviews, and interviews have been published in The Nation, Newsday, Elle, ARTnews, The Advocate, The Progressive and The Rumpus.

 

About the Moderator:

Grace M. Cho is the author of Tastes Like War (Feminist Press, 2021), a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award in nonfiction and the winner of the 2022 Asian Pacific American Literature Award in adult nonfiction. Her first book, Haunting the Korean Diaspora: Shame, Secrecy, and the Forgotten War (University of Minnesota Press, 2008), received a 2010 book award from the American Sociological Association. Her writings have appeared in The Nation, Catapult, The New Inquiry, Poem Memoir Story, Contexts, Gastronomica, Feminist Studies, Women’s Studies Quarterly, and Qualitative Inquiry. She is Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the College of Staten Island, CUNY.

You May Also Enjoy:
Author Talks: Hwang Bo-reum Author Talks: Bora Chung & Anton Hur Djuna: Counterweight with translator Anton Hur Author Talks: Yu Miri

Colloquy: Translating Korean Poetry

Posted on by Yurim Oh

 

The Korea Society is delighted to present Colloquy: Translating Korean Poetry, featuring five poets and translators –Stine An, Eunice Lee, Seo Jung Hak, Megan Sungyoon, and Soje– for an evening of poetry reading and conversation.

Colloquy: Translators in Conversation is an event series presented by World Poetry Books in collaboration with Montez Press Radio and a partnering New York City institution. Since 2022, Colloquy event series provides a forum for translators to engage with live audiences in an exploration of the art of translation. Each Colloquy event presents a group of two to four translators of recently published works (or works-in-progress) for short readings and moderated conversations, followed by Q&A’s with the audience.

 

Colloquy: Translating Korean Poetry

Monday, March 25, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)


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

 

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About the Speakers:

Stine An is a poet, translator, and performer in New York City. Her work has appeared in Best Literary Translations 2024, World Literature Today, The Southern Review, Chicago Review, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Literary Arts from Brown University and a BA in Literature from Harvard College, and is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, PEN America, and The Poetry Project.

Eunice Lee is a researcher, translator, and poet. Her translations of Korean poetry have appeared in The Margins (Asian American Writers’ Workshop), Asymptote Journal, chogwa, Circumference, Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture, Columbia Journal, and more. She is a Ph.D. candidate in English at Harvard University, and is currently translating the poets Kim Myŏng-sun and Kim Sono.

A native of Seoul, poet Seo Jung Hak made his debut with four poems in the Winter 1995 issue of Literature and Society. His first poetry collection, The King of Adventure and Aristocrats of Coconut was published in 1998 by Moonji Publishing, one of the most important literary publishers in South Korea. The Cheapest France in Town (World Poetry, 2023), originally published by Moonji in 2017, marks his debut in English translation.

Megan Sungyoon translates between languages and across genres. Sungyoon’s work has appeared in World Poetry Review, Copper Nickel, Asymptote, Columbia Journal, SAND Journal, and The Margins, among others. Based in Seoul and New York, Sungyoon holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA in Poetry and Literary Translation from Columbia University. The Cheapest France in Town (World Poetry) is her first book of translation.

Soje is a poet and the translator of Lee Hyemi’s Unexpected Vanilla (Tilted Axis Press), Lee Soho’s Catcalling (Open Letter Books), and Choi Jin-young’s To the Warm Horizon (Honford Star). They also make chogwa, a zine that features one Korean poem and multiple English translations per issue.

You May Also Enjoy:
Starry Field with Margaret Juhae Lee and Grace M. Cho Snowglobe with Soyoung Park and Joungmin Lee Comfort Author Talks: Hwang Bo-reum Author Talks: Bora Chung & Anton Hur

The Dynamic U.S.-ROK Trade and Investment Relationship: Current Issues and Prospects

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Explore insights into the dynamics of the U.S.-ROK economic relations and the critical issues impacting trade and investment between the two nations in our inaugural program, “The Dynamic U.S.-ROK Trade and Investment Relationship: Current Issues and Prospects” kicking off the new series, U.S.-ROK New Economic Paradigm. Join a distinguished panel of experts consisting of the Hon. Diane Farrell, Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade at the United States Department of Commerce, Mr. Frank Ahrens, Principal of BGR Group, and Dr. Hyun-jung Je, President & Chief Representative of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) Washington DC Office, in conversation with The Korea Society’s President & CEO Tom Byrne. Each speaker brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the discussion, offering insightful perspectives on foreign investment in the U.S., investment-friendly U.S. states, and how U.S.-Korea economic relations might be shaped by the upcoming US Presidential election.

This program will be recorded at The Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI), Washington, D.C.

  

The Dynamic U.S.-ROK Trade and Investment Relationship: Current Issues and Prospects

Wednesday, March 20, 2024 | 6 PM (EDT)


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

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Diane Farrell is the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade. In this role, she plans, determines, and coordinates policy; directs the International Trade Administration (ITA); and oversees the daily operations of ITA, which has an annual budget of $613 million with approximately 2,100 trade and investment professionals—based in more than 100 U.S. cities and 70 markets around the world. Within the Department of Commerce, Diane Farrell also serves currently as Co-Chair of the Equity Council, alongside Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves.

Prior to becoming the Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia, where she was the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Global Markets on all matters concerning international economics, trade, investment, and commercial policy programs and agreements with respect to Asia. In this role, she also oversaw planning and execution of Department of Commerce commercial diplomacy and export promotion strategies at United States Missions in Region Asia.

Previously, Farrell worked at the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC). As Executive Vice President, she oversaw business advocacy policy and government relations.

Farrell served on the Board of Directors at the Export Import Bank of the United States (U.S. EXIM Bank) before joining USIBC. A Presidential appointee, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, she was responsible for voting on transactions in excess of $10 million as well as significant policy matters. Her portfolio responsibilities included small business, India, Southeast Asia, and portions of Latin America. In addition, she was named a member of the White House Business Council. During her tenure at U.S. EXIM Bank, Indian transactions expanded and diversified as aircraft sales and conventional and green energy projects, among others, led to India becoming the second largest country by U.S. dollar allocation in the bank’s overall portfolio.

Before serving at U.S. EXIM Bank, Farrell was elected as the First Selectwoman (mayor), in Westport, Connecticut. In this role she managed multimillion-dollar budgets within the Consumer Price Index and maintained the town’s AAA bond rating at a time when significant infrastructure investment was taking place. She oversaw the construction of schools, a municipal wastewater treatment plant, affordable housing, and other necessary facilities.

Farrell also served as Chairwoman of the Southwestern Connecticut Regional Planning Agency Metropolitan Planning Organization that was responsible for federally funded transportation infrastructure in a vital commercial corridor. As a select member of the National League of Cities Transportation and Infrastructure Steering and Policy Committee, she helped set policy goals for transportation and infrastructure initiatives in support of cities and towns across the United States.

Frank Ahrens, a Principal and Head of BGR Analytics, joined the firm in 2014. He uses data analytics to help individuals, corporations and governments identify winning strategies and employs the full range of earned- and paid-media tactics to improve clients’ profiles and protect their reputations. Working with terrific BGR colleagues, Frank builds relationships with top-tier U.S. media, creates print, digital and video content and deploys the latest SEO tactics. He helps clients land high-profile op-ed placements, score coveted TV news show bookings and produce positive, fact-based content designed to win Page 1 of Google search – an indispensable skill when crisis hits. Working with BGR’s Data Science Team, Frank established BGR Analytics in 2023, which creates data-based rankings of countries and states that give clients the intelligence they need for the most important decisions they make.

Frank has arranged client interviews with Fox News, CNN, The Washington Post and major wire services. Client op-eds have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. Frank’s clients have included the governments of South Korea, Panama and India, top-tier brands such as CJ Group, Bose and LSG Sky Chefs; and high-net-worth individuals in Hollywood, Europe and the Middle East.

Before coming to BGR, Frank was Vice President of Global Corporate Communications for Hyundai Motor at the automaker’s Seoul, South Korea, headquarters. He worked closely with Hyundai Motor government affairs offices in Washington and Brussels on breaking and long-range issues including labor, energy and trade. During Frank’s tenure, Hyundai was named “Fastest Growing Brand” by Interbrand in 2011 and 2012.

Frank is the author of “Seoul Man: A Memoir of Cars, Culture, Crisis, and Unexpected Hilarity Inside a Korean Corporate Titan,” the story of his three years as the only American at Hyundai Motor headquarters. It was named a Best Book of 2016 by the New York Post.

Prior to Hyundai, Frank worked for 18 years as an editor and reporter at the Washington Post. He covered the global financial crisis of 2008-2010 as well as the media and entertainment industries. Frank appeared frequently as a media industry expert on CNBC, MSNBC, PBS and other networks. He continues to write on international and industry matters, with articles appearing in Foreign Policy, Forbes, Automotive News, PR News and The Diplomat.

Hyun-jung Je is Chief Representative of KITA Washington Center in Korea International Trade Association. She is now in charge of advising and supporting Korean trade companies which are involved in trade and investment issues in the U.S. and also connects and plays a bridging role between Korean businesses and the US governments, congress and think tanks. Since she joined the KITA in 2001, she has worked as a researcher for most of her career years at the Institute for International Trade (IIT), a branch of the KITA. She published many research and policy papers focusing on Korea’s trade policies, free trade agreements and diverse trade issues involving Korean companies. From 2016 to 2018, she served as a private advisor for trade negotiations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and participated in the negotiations on market access during the Korea-US, Korea-Canada and the Korea-India FTAs. From 2020 to 2021, she also served as a member of the Presidential Commission on Policy Planning. Based on her own experiences and academic research, she published a book titled as “Public-Private Relationships in Trade Policy-making” in 2018. Hyun-jung Je holds Ph.D. in International Studies (major in international commerce) and B.A. and M.A. in International Relations from Seoul National University.

 

The Republic of Korea and the UN Security Council with ROK Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Joonkook HWANG

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Please join us for a timely discussion on the Republic of Korea’s membership in the United Nations Security Council for the 2024-2025 term, featuring the ROK Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Joonkook HWANG, in conversation with Korea Society President and CEO Thomas Byrne. The Republic of Korea, which has a special history and bond with the United Nations, aims to actively contribute to world peace and security and fulfill the expectations of the international community during its tenure as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. This event will offer a valuable opportunity for the audience to gain insights into Ambassador Hwang’s perspective on the ROK’s vision for its Security Council activities, highlighting its interests and priorities among more than 60 regional and thematic agenda items on the Council. Moreover, Ambassador Hwang is anticipated to address the current status and future prospects of the Korean Peninsula, including recent changes and implications of North Korea’s nuclear and inter-Korean policies. This event will also serve as a platform for shedding light on new Security Council dynamics in recent years amidst ongoing global geopolitical changes, in particular the enhanced roles of non-permanent Council members, referred to as the Elected 10.

This event is co-hosted by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) and features introductory remarks by Chairman of the Board of Trustees Jeffrey R. Shafer. 

*Please note that the opening remarks from Ambassador Hwang will be livestreamed and On the Record. The following Q&A will not be livestreamed and will be Off the Record. 

**Please note that in-person attendance at this program is By Invitation Only. Online registration for the livestream is open to all.

***Please note that the date and time of this program is subject to change if there is an urgent UNSC meeting

 

 

The Republic of Korea and the UN Security Council

with ROK Permanent Representative to the United Nations

Ambassador Joonkook HWANG

Friday, March 15, 2024 | 4:30 PM (EDT)


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

 

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About the Speakers:

 

Ambassador Joonkook Hwang was born in Seoul in December 1960. He assumed his current position of Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in July 2022. Ambassador Hwang joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of Korea in 1982. Throughout the majority of his distinguished diplomatic career, he has assumed key responsibilities on political and security matters both at the bilateral and multilateral levels. He has held various senior positions in the Government of the Republic of Korea, including, among others, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (2016-18), Special Representative (Vice Foreign Minister) for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs and Head of Delegation to the Six-Party Talks (2014-16), Chief Negotiator for the ROK-US Defense Burden-sharing arrangement (2013), Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister for Political Affairs at the ROK Embassy in Washington DC (2010-13), and Ambassador and Director-General for North Korean Nuclear Issues (2008-10). Ambassador Hwang returns to New York after previously serving as Counsellor (2003- 06) and First Secretary (1995-97) at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations. He retired from the government in 2018, and taught courses on the North Korean nuclear crisis and Politics in Northeast Asia as a visiting professor at Yonsei University and Hallym University in Korea. Ambassador Hwang graduated from Seoul National University in 1982, majoring in Economics. He obtained his Master’s degree in Public Affairs at Princeton University in 1986. Ambassador Hwang is married to Shil Rhee and they have two daughters.

Jang – The Soul of Korean Cooking

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Like the foundational role of butter in French cooking or olive oil in Italian cuisine, jangs stand as the cornerstone of Korean cooking, infusing every dish with a symphony of flavors and complexity. Chef Mingoo Kang, often referred to as South Korea’s best chef, invites readers on a gastronomic journey in Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking to discover the deceptively simple |
Excerpted from Jang by Mingoo Kang (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2024. Photographs by Dong Gil Yun. |

Like the foundational role of butter in French cooking or olive oil in Italian cuisine, jangs stand as the cornerstone of Korean cooking, infusing every dish with a symphony of flavors and complexity. Chef Mingoo Kang, often referred to as South Korea’s best chef, invites readers on a gastronomic journey in Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking to discover the deceptively simple, yet utterly unique and complex Korean sauces that have been near secret ingredients until now.

Chef Kang is celebrated for his dedication to the exploration of jangs at his two-Michelin star restaurant, Mingles, in South Korea. In his new book, he demystifies the art of cooking with these soulful sauces through 60 home-cook-friendly recipes that showcase the versatility and depth of the umami-rich flavors in both Korean and Western preparations.

In addition to providing delicious preparations and flavor notes customized for home kitchens, Jang delves into the history and methods behind the three jangs—ganjang, doenjang, and gochujang. Jang is not merely a cookbook but a timeless addition to every culinary enthusiast’s collection, bridging cultures through the universal language of exquisite flavor.

Chef Kang and his two co-authors, Joshua David Stein and Nadia Cho, discuss jang, Korean food, and their new cookbook.

Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking will be available for purchase during the program.

 

Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking

Wednesday, March 13, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)


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

 

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About the Speakers:

 
Photo by Dong Gil Yun
 

Mingoo Kang is the chef and owner of Mingles, located in Seoul, which has been named one of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and holds two Michelin stars. Kang’s approach at Mingles of presenting innovative hansik has earned him both domestic and international acclaim, and he frequently collaborates with chefs around the world. Most recently, in 2021, he was awarded the Inedit Damm Chefs’ Choice Award—the only accolade voted for by the other chefs on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. In addition to Mingles, Chef Kang runs a retail market in Seoul called MamaLee Market; Hansik Goo, which offers creative Korean cuisine in Hong Kong; and the popular fried chicken brand Hyodo Chicken.
 
 
Photo by DeSean McClinton-Holland
 

Joshua David Stein is a writer based in New York City. He is the author of Cooking for Your Kids: At Home with the World’s Greatest Chefs and the coauthor of Notes from a Young Black Chef and My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef, both with Kwame Onwuachi; The Nom Wah Cookbook, with Wilson Tang; Il Buco: Stories and Recipes, with Donna Lennard; Vino: An Essential Guide to Real Italian Wine, with Joe Campanale; and Food & Beer, with Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø and Daniel Burns. He is also the author of To Me He Was Just Dad: Stories of Growing Up with Famous Fathers and a number of award-winning children’s books, including Can I Eat That?, What’s Cooking?, and Solitary Animals.
 
 
Photo by Diane Kang
 

Nadia Cho is the founder of Jeong Culture and Communication, which is dedicated to promoting Korean food in the United States. She has been a liaison for chefs and journalists to Korean food and has worked with Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, and the New York Times and T Magazine to bring chefs and journalists to Korea. She was the producer of the “Jeong Kwan” episode of Chef’s Table and helped produce episodes for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown and other shows on the Cooking Channel, NBC, ABC, and many others. She has produced and directed Korean food content on Eater.com.

 

About the Moderator:
 

Juliana Sohn is a photographer and skilled storyteller known for her intimate portraiture. Her work centers on creating and preserving memories and observations of culture. She is co-host and co-founder of K-Pod, a podcast featuring Korean Americans in arts and culture for Korean American Story, where she has interviewed Korean chefs Eunjo Park, Jenny Kwak, Ed Lee, and food writer Eric Kim. She is the paper flower artist behind Pirrly.

You May Also Enjoy:
The Korean Cookbook with Chef Junghyun Park Peter Serpico: Learning Korean with Eric Kim Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home with Eric Kim The Korean Art of Fermentation

Korean Unification: A Fading Prospect?

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Join us for this conversation about prospects for Korean Unification with Jeongmin Kim, Lead Correspondent at NK News / Editorial Director at Korea Pro, Dr. Lee Sang-shin, director of the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy at Korea Institute of National Unification (KINU), and Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt, the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), in conversation with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado. This panel will explore recent policy shifts towards unification in South Korea under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and in North Korea announced by Chairman Kim Jong Un at the ninth plenary meeting of the eighth central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party. What are the consequences of Kim’s announcement that North Korea’s long standing policy goal of unification (one nation, two systems) will be dropped? The expert panel will also discuss changing public opinion in South Korea, including demographic and ideological splits in policy preferences for the future of the Korean Peninsula. Plus, in addition to discussing the well-understood challenges and obstacles to practically embarking on a process of unification, the panel will cover some of the potential benefits of Unification, including demographic, sociocultural, geopolitical, and economic factors.

The promotional partner for this program is Columbia University’s APEC Study Center.

 

 

Korean Unification: A Fading Prospect?

Wednesday, March 6, 2024 | 8 AM (EST)


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

 

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About the Speakers:

 

Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt is the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he researches and writes on demographics and economic development, as well as on security in the Korean peninsula and Asia. Mr. Eberstadt is also a senior adviser to the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR). He has also served as consultant or adviser for a variety of units within the US government.
 
 

Jeongmin Kim is the Lead Correspondent at NK News and Editorial Director at Korea Pro, based in Seoul. Kim covers inter-Korean and DPRK-related foreign, defense and humanitarian affairs, and has covered the 2022 ROK Presidential election on the ground. Prior to joining NK News, she worked for the CSIS Korea Chair in Washington D.C. and Reuters news agency’s Seoul bureau. Follow her on Twitter @jeongminnkim.
 
 

Dr. Sang Sin LEE is a research fellow and the director of the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU). Dr. Lee’s research areas include political behavior and elections, and public opinion in South Korea. After receiving a Ph. D. in Political Science at the University of Iowa in 2008, he worked for the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at the Seoul National University and then joined the KINU in January 2016. Dr. Lee is currently in charge of the KINU Unification Survey. The KINU Unification Survey is recognized as one of the most important polls in Korea and is cited by major media outlets around the world, including the New York Times, Newsweek, and the BBC.

Snowglobe with Soyoung Park and Joungmin Lee Comfort

Posted on by Yurim Oh

“A thrillingly and ingeniously conceived allegory about where we are, and where we’re headed.” —David Yoon, New York Times bestselling author of Frankly in Love

Snowglobe by Soyoung Park, the first book in a powerful young adult dystopian duology, is a groundbreaking exploration of personal identity, and the future of the world as we know it. The winner of the Changbi X Kakaopage Young Adult Novel Award, the novel has been translated into English by Joungmin Lee Comfort, introducing a new readership to this cutting-edge commentary on climate change, socioeconomic inequality, and personal identity.

Set in a frozen world, only the residents of Snowglobe have it all: fame, fortune, and, above all, safety from the bitter cold. Outside the domed city, citizens must face the –50-degree Fahrenheit temperatures to produce the energy that Snowglobe needs to run. Their only solace comes in the form of television programming developed from the 24/7 filming of those who live in Snowglobe. When Snowglobe’s biggest star and newly-minted weather announcer, Haeri, is found dead, look-alike Chobahm must take her place, getting the opportunity of a lifetime to join the residents inside. But she soon discovers that the society she’s idolized is hiding a frozen and dangerous heart.

Snowglobe is a powerful and layered thrill ride containing a myriad of plot twists and a shocking ending that will keep readers eagerly awaiting its sequel.

Join us for a conversation with the author and translator, moderated by Kat Cho, as they discuss the English publication of Snowglobe.

★ “Transporting and unputdownable; an appealing combination of deep and page-turning.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

 

Snowglobe with Soyoung Park and Joungmin Lee Comfort

In-Person: Tuesday, February 27, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EST)
Video Release: Monday, March 4, 2024


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

 

Join our membership program here!

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About the Speakers:

 

Soyoung Park majored in information and communication at university and has worked as a reporter. She is a winner of the Original Story Award and the Changbi X Kakaopage Young Adult Novel Award. She’s the author of the Snowglobe duology.

Joungmin Lee Comfort is a Korean–English translator based in the United States. Her translations have appeared in academic journals and Clarkesworld Magazine. Her recent publication of Kim Bo-young’s On the Origin of Species and Other Stories (co-translated with Sora Kim-Russell) was longlisted for the National Book Award for translated literature.

 

About the Moderator:
 

Kat Cho is the New York Times and international bestselling author of the Gumiho duology and Once Upon a K-Prom. She loves to incorporate her Korean heritage in her writing, especially if it involves describing food. She likes anything that encourages nerding out, including reading, K-dramas, K-pop and anime. Find her at KatChoWrites.com or say hi on TikTok and Instagram @katchowrites

You May Also Enjoy:
Author Talks: Hwang Bo-reum Author Talks: Bora Chung & Anton Hur Djuna: Counterweight with translator Anton Hur Author Talks: Yu Miri

Deterring North Korea: A Conversation with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Join us for a discussion on deterrence and North Korea with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, United States Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Together in conversation with US Air Force Reserve Major Jessica Taylor and Korea Society Policy Director Jonathan Corrado, Ambassador Jenkins will discuss the US-ROK Alliance and the growing threats posed by Pyongyang’s evolving nuclear, missile, and space capabilities as well as its proliferation and procurement activities, including its growing ties and trade with Russia.  

 

Deterring North Korea: A Conversation with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins
United States Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security

Thursday, February 22, 2024 | 12 PM (EST)


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

 

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About the Speakers:

 

Ambassador Bonnie Denise Jenkins, PhD, has served as the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security since July 22, 2021. As Under Secretary, she leads three bureaus: the Arms Control, Compliance and Verification Bureau; the International Security and Nonproliferation Bureau; and the Political-Military Affairs Bureau. In addition, as of May 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken named Under Secretary Jenkins as the senior official to lead the Department’s efforts on AUKUS implementation.

U/S Jenkins previously served in the Obama Administration as Special Envoy and Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) from July 2009 until January 2017. Ambassador Jenkins coordinated U.S. efforts on threat reduction globally and U.S. government programs in chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological (CBRN) security. She was the State Department lead for all four of the Nuclear Security Summits held from 2010 to 2016, as well as the U.S. Representative to the G7 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction.

Before serving as Coordinator, she was a Legal Adviser to the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency where she provided advice to U.S. ambassadors and delegations negotiating arms control and nonproliferation treaties. Ambassador Jenkins also provided legal advice to treaty implementation bodies including the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the Open Skies Treaty, the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). She has worked with international institutions such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Health Organization, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Office of Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, Interpol, and the BWC Implementation Support Unit.

From its inception in 2017 until April 2021, Ambassador Jenkins was the Founder, Executive Director, and Board Chair of Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security (WCAPS), a leading advocacy organization supporting women of color in the security and peace-building sector that believes global issues are best approached from a variety of perspectives.

Ambassador Jenkins has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law School, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and George Washington Elliott School of International Affairs. Ambassador Jenkins has a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Virginia; an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law from the Georgetown University Law Center; an M.P.A. from the State University of New York at Albany; a J.D. from Albany Law School; and a B.A. from Amherst College. She also attended The Hague Academy for International Law. Jenkins is a retired U.S. Naval Reserve Officer and received numerous awards for her military service. She is a member of the New York State Bar.

 
 

Major Jessica Taylor, US Air Force Reserve, is a nonresident fellow in the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. She is currently pursuing her PhD in international relations with a focus on the Indo-Pacific as a part of the Security Studies program at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs. In addition, Taylor is a logistics readiness officer in the US Air Force Reserve. Taylor has served in the US Department of Defense in both military and civil service capacities for nearly twenty years. She most recently served in South Korea from 2019 to 2021 as an international relations strategist where she provided geopolitical analysis and advice to the headquarters command staffs of United Nations Command, ROK/US Combined Forces Command, and US Forces Korea. In addition to experience in East Asia, Taylor has had assignments in South Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Taylor holds a BA in biology from Baylor University and an MS in foreign service from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service.

Author Talks: Hwang Bo-reum

Posted on by Yurim Oh

 

The charming slice-of-life novel Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by debut novelist Hwang Bo-reum became an instant smash hit with Korean readers. Now, the irresistible bestseller is available to English readers for the first time with an effervescent translation by Singaporean translator Shanna Tan.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop brings to life the escapist fantasy of ditching the corporate grind in pursuit of passion, daring to ask the question that all book lovers dream about: what if I quit my job and opened a bookstore?

In this episode of Author Talks, Hwang Bo-reum discusses her career and her English debut.

 

Author Talks: Hwang Bo-reum

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

 

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

 

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About the Speaker:

Author photo credit: Seong Ji Min/Clayhouse Inc. | 

Hwang Bo-reum studied computer science and worked as a software engineer. She wrote several essay collections: I Read Every Day, I Tried Kickboxing for the First Time and This Distance is Perfect. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is her first novel, which has sold over 150,000 copies in Korea and has been sold into nine territories.