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Author: Yurim Oh

Korean-American Directors: A Roundtable

Posted on by Yurim Oh

After the success of Crazy Rich Asians and Parasite, the demand for representation of Asians and Asian-Americans on screen is rising. But what about behind the camera? Listen to our conversation with three Korean-American directors – Andrew Ahn, So Yong Kim, and Lee Isaac Chung– as they discuss their films and careers, their experience of working within and outside of the Hollywood system, and the challenges they face when they try to bring their own story to the screen.

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

 

Korean-American Directors: A Roundtable
with
Andrew Ahn, So Yong Kim and Lee Isaac Chung 

Thursday, October 29, 2020 | 6 PM (EDT)

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

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Andrew Ahn is a Korean-American filmmaker born and raised in Los Angeles. An alumnus of Film Independent’s Project Involve, Ahn participated in the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab with his feature screenplay Spa Night, which received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award. His latest film, Driveways starring Hong Chau and Brian Dennehey, was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards. 

Lee Isaac Chung was born in Colorado and grew up on a small farm in Lincoln, Arkansas. His debut feature Munyurangabo was an Official Selection at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. His latest film, Minari, won both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

So Yong Kim was born in Busan, Korea, and grew up in Los Angeles. Kim received the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for her debut feature In Between Days. Since then Kim has directed three feature films (Treeless Mountain, For Ellen, and Lovesong) and countless television series episodes, including Transparent, American Crime, The Good Fight, and On Becoming a God in Central Florida.

 

 

New Views on Korean Peace Regime and Unification

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Join us for this discussion on prospects for a peace regime and inter-Korean social integration with Frank Aum, United States Institute of Peace, Hannah Song, President & CEO at Liberty in North Korea, Rachel Minyoung Lee, former intelligence analyst for the U.S. government, and Joseph Kim, Human Freedom Initiative, George W. Bush Institute. How might the U.S. and South Korea cooperate with regional partners to pursue a long term peace process? How do generational dynamics and social changes in North and South Korea affect inter-Korean cooperation? 

This program is supported by a grant from the UniKorea Foundation.

 

 

New Views on Korean Peace Regime and Unification 
with
Frank Aum, Hannah Song, Joseph Kim and Rachel Minyoung Lee   

Thursday, October 15, 2020 | 11 AM

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

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Frank Aum is the senior expert on North Korea at the U.S. Institute of Peace. He oversees the Institute’s work on North Korea and focuses on ways to strengthen diplomacy to reduce tensions and enhance peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. From 2010 to 2017, he worked at the Department of Defense, including as special counsel to the Army General Counsel, special assistant to the assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, and senior advisor on North Korea in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. During this time, he advised four secretaries of defense on issues related to Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula. Aum also served as head of delegation for working level negotiations with the Republic of Korea on U.S.-ROK Alliance matters, and received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service.

Hannah Song is President and CEO of Liberty in North Korea (LiNK). She joined in 2006 as Deputy Director, managing day-to-day operations and coordinating overseas programs, including underground shelters and refugee resettlement efforts in the United States and in South Korea. At the end of 2008, she became President/CEO, helping to re-found the organization with a new mission focused on building international support for the North Korean people, providing direct assistance to North Korean refugees, and developing long-term, people-focused strategies to accelerate positive change inside the country. Hannah regularly speaks at international fora and to the media on North Korea-related issues.

Joseph Kim is an assistant and Expert in Residence on the Human Freedom Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. He was born and raised in North Korea. In 2006, Joseph escaped North Korea and went to China. In China, he connected with an international NGO called Liberty in North Korea (LiNK). A year later, he left China for the United States and claimed refugee status under the North Korean Human Rights Act, signed by President George W. Bush in 2004. In 2013, Joseph delivered a TED Talk on the importance of hope and published a memoir, “Under the Same Sky”. Joseph interned as a research assistant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Korea Chair.

Rachel Minyoung Lee is a former North Korea analyst and collection specialist at the CIA’s Open Source Enterprise (formerly OSC). For two decades, she collected and analyzed open source information and wrote time-on-target reports on the gamut of North Korean domestic and foreign policy issues for US policymakers. She strategized and led collection and analysis from OSE’s Seoul office in some of the most momentous years in recent North Korean history, including the years leading up to and following Kim Jong Un’s succession, the series of missile and nuclear tests, and the two Kim-Trump summits. She is currently an independent researcher of North Korea.  

Looking Toward the US Presidential Election and Korea and Northeast Asia Policy

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Daniel Russel, Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, and Susan Thornton, Project Director of the Forum on Asia-Pacific Security at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale University, join Senior Director Stephen Noerper for a discussion on the upcoming US Presidential election, with an eye to US policy implications for Korea and Northeast Asia. This all-star session draws on the vast foreign service experience of both Russel and Thornton, who helped lead US policy respectively as Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Looking Toward the US Presidential Election and Its Impact on Korea and Northeast Asia Policy
with
Daniel Russel and Susan Thornton

Thursday, October 1, 2020 | 12 PM

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

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Daniel Russel is Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). Previously he served as a Diplomat in Residence and Senior Fellow with ASPI for a one year term. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State, he most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary on July 12, 2013, Mr. Russel served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for Asian Affairs. During his tenure there, he helped formulate President Obama’s strategic rebalance to the Asia Pacific region, including efforts to strengthen alliances, deepen U.S. engagement with multilateral organizations, and expand cooperation with emerging powers in the region.

Susan A. Thornton is Project Director of the Forum on Asia-Pacific Security at the NCAFP, Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School and Senior Fellow at the Paul Tsai China Center. In 2018, she retired from the State Department after a 28-year diplomatic career focused primarily on East and Central Asia. In leadership roles in Washington, Thornton worked on China and Korea policy, including stabilizing relations with Taiwan, the U.S.-China Cyber Agreement, the Paris Climate Accord and led a successful negotiation in Pyongyang for monitoring of the Agreed Framework on denuclearization.

A Conversation with Hee Seo

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Photo credit: Ruth Hogben for ABT

Listen to our conversation with Hee Seo, the first Asian ballerina to be named principal dancer – ballet’s highest title – at the American Ballet Theatre, as she discusses her illustrious career and thoughts on the future of performing art.

Her dancing and fluid line exude an unhurried purity that sums up all that is lovely about ballet. – The New York Times

 

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Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

A Conversation with Hee Seo
Thursday, September 24, 2020 | 6 PM

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

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Hee Seo began her ballet training in her hometown at the Sun-hwa Arts Middle School. She continued her training at the Universal Ballet Academy in Washington, D. C.and at the John Cranko Ballet Academy in Stuttgart. She is the recipient of the 2003 Prix de Lausanne Award and the 2003 Grand Prix at the Youth American Grand Prix in New York. Seo joined the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in 2004 and the main Company as an apprentice in May 2005. Seo was appointed a Soloist in August 2010 and a Principal Dancer in July 2012. In 2015, Seo established Hee Seo Foundation in Korea to help underprivileged prospective ballet dancers.

 

 

Prospects for Diplomacy with North Korea

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Join us for a discussion on challenges and opportunities for continued nuclear negotiations with North Korea, featuring Markus Garlauskas, former U.S. National Intelligence Officer for North Korea, Soo Kim, RAND, and Ankit Panda, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. What are the chances that North Korea denuclearizes and what can the U.S. and South Korea do to increase those chances? Should an interim deal with snapback measures be considered good progress, or should a comprehensive deal be pursued?

This program is supported by a grant from the UniKorea Foundation.

 

 

Prospects for Diplomacy with North Korea
with
Markus Garlauskas, Soo Kim and Ankit Panda  

Wednessday, September 16, 2020 | 12 PM

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

 

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ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Markus Garlauskas is a nonresident senior fellow with the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Asia Security Initiative. He is an independent author and consultant, specializing in Northeast Asian security issues and strategic analysis.Garlauskas served in the US government for nearly twenty years. He was appointed to the Senior National Intelligence Service as the National Intelligence Officer (NIO) for North Korea on the National Intelligence Council from July 2014 to June 2020. As NIO, he led the US intelligence community’s strategic analysis on North Korea issues and expanded analytic outreach to non-government experts.

Soo Kim is a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation and adjunct instructor at American University. At RAND, her research covers a broad range of defense and foreign policy issues for the Department of Defense, including North Korea’s nuclear strategy and conventional military threat, Russia’s foreign policy, US-China competition, and security cooperation. She began her career as a North Korea analyst in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where she specialized in decision-making and regime propaganda.

Ankit Panda is the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. An expert on the Asia-Pacific region, his research interests range from nuclear strategy, arms control, missile defense, nonproliferation, emerging technologies, and U.S. extended deterrence. He is the author of Kim Jong Un and the Bomb: Survival and Deterrence in North Korea (Hurst Publishers/Oxford University Press, 2020).

US-Korea Relations: Defining the Alliance Anew

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USC Professor and Korean Studies Institute Director David Kang joined Senior Director Stephen Noerper to discuss progress and challenges in Korea-US relations. They weighed the fallout from the host nation support talks, shifts in joint military exercises, and priorities in US-ROK relations, with an eye toward invigorating the alliance seventy years since the start of the Korean War.

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will now be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the first people to sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

With the kind participation of the Center for Korean Research.

 

 

US-Korea Relations: Defining the Alliance Anew
 with
David Kang

Thursday, September 10, 2020 | 12 PM

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

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

David C. Kang is Maria Crutcher Professor in International Relations, Business and East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Southern California, with appointments in both the School of International Relations and the Marshall School of Business. At USC he is also director of the Korean Studies Institute. Kang’s latest book is American Grand Strategy and East Asian Security in the 21st Century (Cambridge University Press, 2017). He is also author of East Asia Before the West: Five Centuries of Trade and Tribute (Columbia University Press, 2010); China Rising: Peace, Power, and Order in East Asia (Columbia University Press, 2007); Crony Capitalism: Corruption and Development in South Korea and the Philippines (Cambridge University Press, 2002); and Nuclear North Korea: A Debate on Engagement Strategies, co-authored with Victor Cha (Columbia University Press, 2003). He received an A.B. with honors from Stanford University and his Ph.D. from Berkeley.

 

Soonchoel Byun Eternal Family

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@Byun Soonchoel. Courtesy of the artist and ARARIO GALLERY

September 8 – February 26, 2021|

Exhibition extended through February 26, 2021

The Korea Society presents Soonchoel Byun: Eternal Family, his first solo exhibition in New York in two decades. In his Eternal Family series, Byun imagines and digitally creates a reunion between family members separated by the Korean War. Created with utmost sensitivity and respect for the personal and historical tragedy, Byun’s art is a poignant reminder of the devastating consequences of the war that still remains today.

Soonchoel Byun (b. 1969) studied at the School of Visual Art in New York, and he has exhibited widely since then. Known for his vivid portraits of people from diverse backgrounds, Byun presents a candid yet sincere depiction of contemporary Korean life as it evolves with time.

The Korea Society Gallery will be closed December 12, 2020 – January 3, 2021.

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), our gallery is open only by appointment. The appointment must be made at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled visit. To make an appointment, please contact info@koreasociety.org. All visitors will be required to wear a mask as well as complete the safety questionnaire upon arrival.

 

Soonchoel Byun
Eternal Family

September 8 – February 26, 2021

@ The Korea Society 
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor, NYC

Gallery hours: (M-F) 10 AM – 4:30 PM by appointment

**Pre-registration is now required for all Korea Society events, and an ID is required for security.**

For more information, please contact info@koreasociety.org or call (212) 759-7525.

 

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BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears with Tamar Herman

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America’s leading authority on BTS, K-Pop, and East Asian entertainment, Tamar Herman returns to the Korea Society with her book BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears.

BTS has conquered Western music charts and social media on their way to being the biggest band in the world. With record-breaking firsts and three Billboard No. 1 albums within a year, their music and messaging has gone on to transcend the limitations of language, geography, and genre.

Going behind-the-scenes of today’s biggest pop band and focusing on the members, the music and the fans, Tamar Herman brings the extraordinary story of BTS to life.

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. This live session will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

 

To buy BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears, please visit:
 https://www.viz.com/read/book/blood-sweat-tears-bts-their-music/product/6380

BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears
with Tamar Herman

Wednesday, August 12, 2020 | 6 PM

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

 

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About the Speaker:

Tamar Herman is a New York City-based journalist specializing in international music and media with a focus on the Asian pop culture market and its trends. In addition to her role as pop correspondent at Billboard, she has written for outlets including NBC News, Forbes, and Entertainment Weekly, and appears in the “K-Pop” episode of Vox’s Explained docu series on Netflix. She serves as the managing editor of K-Pop blot KultScene and is a co-host of the Nice Jewish Fangirls podcast.

 

The Korean War at 70: Annual Armistice Day Salute

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The Korea Society honors the service and sacrifice of veterans on the anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, signed on July 27, 1953. This live, virtual ceremony combines historic video with remarks from Korea Society President Tom Byrne, the Korean Consul General to New York, Ambassador Won-sam Chang, Korean War Veterans Area Commander Salvatore Scarlato, and Korean War Veteran and retired US Congressman Charles Rangel. Scarlato and Rangel will receive the James A. Van Fleet award on behalf of American veterans who served during the Korean War at the Korea Society upcoming annual gala.

The Korean War at 70
Annual Armistice Day Salute

Monday, July 27, 2020 | 12 PM

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

 

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Side by Side: Streaming and A Director’s Talk

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Side by Side: Out of a South Korean Orphanage and Into the World weaves the stories of nine inter-country adoptees—selected out of 100 original interviews— as they recall their families of origin, their relinquishment to orphanages, and their adoptions and lives abroad. Starkly minimalist, Side by Side is composed entirely of intensely intimate, first-person narratives, filmed in Seattle, Chicago, Boston, New York City, Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Melbourne.

This extraordinary documentary will be available for free streaming for three days, July 18-20.

Co-director and Producer Glenn Morey will join the Korea Society for a director’s talk on July 20.

Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), this program will be conducted virtually. Streaming and live webcast will be provided free of charge at the specified date and time. A limited number of viewing links will be provided to the people who sign up through the form below. Those unable to view the live session will have the opportunity to watch the recorded video or listen to the podcast soon after.

 

Sign up here to receive the viewing link

 

Side by Side: Streaming and A Director’s Talk

Monday, July 20, 2020 | 6 PM

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

 

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About the Speaker:

Glenn Morey has worked in film since 1981 as a writer, creative director, commercial and documentary filmmaker, including as an Executive Producer for the Mustapha Khan documentary film, House on Fire: Black America Responds to AIDS, featuring Julian Bond, Rep. Maxine Waters, Kweisi Mfume, Maya Angelou, and many other African-American leaders; awarded Best Documentary for the Houston International Film Festival, broadcast on PBS and selected for a number of international film festivals. As the CEO of the Morey Group of branding, advertising, and online publishing companies, he is the recipient of hundreds of creative advertising awards, as well as recognition by Adweek and Advertising Age magazines. Glenn’s personal story as an inter-country adoptee from South Korea, was the initial motivating and creative force behind Side by Side.