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Author: Yurim Oh

Navigating Trade Uncertainty: Tariffs, Supply Chains, and US-Korea Strategy

Posted on by Yurim Oh

In light of the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the use of IEEPA for tariffs, The Korea Society is hosting a closed-door discussion to examine the evolving architecture of U.S. trade enforcement authorities and the implications for U.S.–Korea economic relations. The conversation will explore the expected trajectory of U.S. tariff policy following the February 20 ruling, including potential policy pathways involving Sections 122, 232, and 301 and the broader strategic considerations shaping intergovernmental coordination between Washington and Seoul. The discussion will also consider how this period of uncertainty may present an opportunity to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation in ways that advance mutual benefit.

Please note that this event will not be broadcast, press coverage is not permitted, and all discussions will be conducted under the Chatham House Rule. Any press members may contact us for further inquiries at corporate@koreasociety.org

 

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While TKS members have first priority, we encourage all interested attendees to apply. You’ll receive a confirmation once your RSVP has been submitted. For information on membership, please refer to the webpage here. 

  

 

For information on membership, please refer to this webpage.

 

Navigating Trade Uncertainty: Tariffs, Supply Chains, and US-Korea Strategy

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 | 4:00 PM

By Invitation

 

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About the Speakers

Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute

Wendy Cutler is Senior Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), based in Washington, D.C. In this role, she focuses on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade, investment, economic security, and innovation, as well as women’s empowerment in Asia. She joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), where she also served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. During her USTR career, she worked on a range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade negotiations and initiatives, including the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S.-China negotiations, and the WTO Financial Services negotiations. She has published a series of ASPI papers on the Asian trade landscape and serves as a regular media commentator on trade and investment developments in Asia and the world.

 

 

Lauren Mandell, Partner, International Trade, Investment, and Market Access Practice, WilmerHale

Lauren Mandell is a partner in WilmerHale’s International Trade, Investment and Market Access Practice. He helps companies and governments navigate a broad range of issues related to international trade and investment, including digital trade, foreign investment protection, tariffs and supply chain management, international arbitration, and State-to-State dispute settlement. He is particularly adept at handling issues involving China, such as the new US outbound investment security program and other measures restricting US economic engagement with China.

Prior to joining WilmerHale, Mr. Mandell served in the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) under the Obama and Trump administrations, where he negotiated the investment chapter of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and played a key role in the revival of Section 301 as a trade enforcement tool.

 

 

Troy Stangarone, Non-Resident Fellow, Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology

Troy Stangarone is a non-resident fellow with the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology. Previously he was the Director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy and the Deputy Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the Wilson Center. Mr. Stangarone specializes in economic and foreign policy relations on the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region.

Mr. Stangarone is also currently a columnist for The Korea Times and The Hankook Ilbo, as well as a contributing author for The Diplomat. He is co-chair of the Steering Committee for the North Korea Economic Forum at the George Washington Institute for Korean Studies and a member of the Korea-America Student Conference’s National Advisory Committee.

Prior to joining the Wilson Center, Mr. Stangarone was Senior Director and Fellow at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) where he oversaw the Institute’s programmatic initiatives and focused on issues pertaining to economic and foreign policy on the Korean Peninsula. During his time at KEI, he was a 2012-2013 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow in South Korea, sponsored by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, and a Posco Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center. Mr. Stangarone also previously worked on Capitol Hill for Senator Robert Torricelli on issues relating to foreign affairs and trade.

Mr. Stangarone holds an MSc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Memphis.

Policy Director Jonathan Corrado Speaks at Conference to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Hungnam Evacuation

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Policy director Jonathan Corrado appeared in the spring/summer edition of the American Merchant Marine Veterans magazine.

Corrado participated in a conference commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Hungnam Evacuation, during which time U.S. and South Korean forces collaborated to rescue nearly 100,000 civilians and deliver them from harm’s way at the height of The Korean War to the safety of Geoje Island in South Korea.

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

Posted on by Yurim Oh

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.

 

RSVP LINK FOR TKS MEMBERS

 

For information on membership, please refer to this webpage.

 

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.

 

Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared | The Curatorial Roundtable

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Chaekgado: Scholar’s Accoutrements in a Bookcase
Joseon dynasty, 19th century
© National Museum of Korea | 

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art presents Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared, the first U.S. exhibition of significant works from the renowned Lee Kun-Hee Collection. On view through February 1, 2026,  Korean Treasures features over 200 works, including a dozen National Treasures designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, the exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.

Donated to the Republic of Korea in 2021 by the family of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-Hee, the collection reflects more than 70 years of generational collecting and comprises more than 23,000 works, a testament to a decades-long commitment to preserving and sharing Korea’s artistic legacy and cultural heritage. Korean Treasures presents a remarkable selection from the collection to American audiences for the first time, alongside additional loans from the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, Korea, shown exclusively in Washington, D.C.

In a conversation with The Korea Society, three curators from the National Museum of Asian Art–Carol Huh, J. Keith Wilson, and Sunwoo Hwang–explore the depth and diversity of Korean art and reflect on the practice of collecting in Korea.

 

 

 

Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared | The Curatorial Roundtable

Tuesday, December 2, 2025 | 6 PM (EST)


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

 

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About the Speakers:

 
 

Carol Huh, the Associate Curator of Contemporary Asian Art, became the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art’s first curator of contemporary art in 2007. As the curator of contemporary art at the National Museum of Asian Art, Carol Huh focuses on current artistic production related to Asia and the Asian diaspora through exhibitions, acquisitions, and public programs. She spearheaded projects such as the groundbreaking series of contemporary art installations in the Sackler Gallery, and organized Moving Perspectives, the museum’s first series of exhibitions focusing on video art from Asia. Huh is a founding member of the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship Committee and a member of the Smithsonian Networks Review Committee. She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
 
 

A specialist in Chinese antiquities, J. Keith Wilson received his BA in Chinese Studies from Williams College and completed his PhD coursework at Princeton University after receiving MAs in Chinese art and archaeology from both the University of Michigan and Princeton. He was also a research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at the University of Tokyo. He was appointed curator at the Cleveland Museum of Art and chief curator of Asian art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art before joining the staff of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.
 
 

Sunwoo Hwang, Korea Foundation Assistant Curator of Korean Art and Culture, became the first curator of Korean art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in 2024. Her research interests focus on Korean and Chinese Buddhist art, with a particular emphasis on medieval Buddhist wall paintings and their iconographic significance. Hwang holds an MA in Humanities from the University of Chicago and a PhD in Art History from Dongguk University in South Korea.

You May Also Enjoy:
Modern Architecture in Korea: Travels through Terra Incognita Future Present: Contemporary Korean Art with Andy St. Louis The Flow of Ink and Color: A Journey of Korean Ink Painting by Sunglim Kim The Rise of Korean Contemporary Art with Peter Kahng

Modern Architecture in Korea: Travels through Terra Incognita

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Photo by JongOh Kim | 

Modern architecture in Korea is characterized by open and dynamic attitudes formed through a unique set of historical circumstances. Through colonial rule, war, and poverty, it was cut off from its older building traditions, emerging only in the latter half of the twentieth century as part of a condensed process of modernization. It is enigmatic in that its build first, think later (if at all) condition has rebuffed holistic narratives of its disjunctive evolution. Long dominated by the construction sector and state bureaucracies, it is now an amalgam of large corporate firms, creative studios, and diverse communities in the culture industry. It is now in crisis for its uncertain response to the challenges of climate change and Korea’s turn to structural low-growth. Neither affirming nor negating traditions and theories, Korean architecture is most interesting when it raises questions and belies unfulfilled ambitions.

This lecture, presented by 2025 Korea Foundation LAB Series, features Pai Hyungmin, a distinguished architect and scholar.

 

 

 

Modern Architecture in Korea: Travels through Terra Incognita

 Monday, November 17, 2025 | 6:30 PM (EST)


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

 

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About the Speaker:

 
 

Pai Hyungmin, Professor at the University of Seoul, is an architectural historian, critic, and curator. Twice a Fulbright scholar, he received his Ph.D from the History, Theory, and Criticism program at MIT. His numerous publications include The Portfolio and the Diagram, Key Concepts of Korean Architecture, and Sensuous Plan: Architecture of Seung H-Sang. He was artistic director of the inaugural Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism and the 5th Gwangju Folly. He was twice curator of the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, which in 2014, was awarded the Golden Lion for Best National Pavilion. His recent work has focused on climate change, particularly the material networks of production, consumption, and waste. His Climate Museum: Life and Death of our Home received the Red Dot Award for its innovative and sustainable exhibition design.

You May Also Enjoy:
Future Present: Contemporary Korean Art with Andy St. Louis The Flow of Ink and Color: A Journey of Korean Ink Painting by Sunglim Kim The Rise of Korean Contemporary Art with Peter Kahng Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution | A Curator’s Perspective

Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values: Misook Doolittle with Ambassador Kathleen Stephens

Posted on by Yurim Oh

With the ever-growing need to understand ourselves and humanity as a whole, it is necessary to examine the concepts of morality, ethics and universal values as guiding principles of the human condition. With generous support from Y.T. Hwang Family Foundation, The Korea Society presents a Series on Ethics and Common Values.

This series promotes the understanding of central themes of our human existence through a series of lectures by distinguished speakers and conversation with extraordinary individuals who exemplify the universal values in line with the mission of Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation and The Korea Society.

The Korea Society and Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation is proud to present Misook Doolittle, a fashion pioneer and philanthropist, in a conversation with Ambassador Kathleen Stephens.

 

 

 This program is made possible by the support from Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation

 

Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation
Series on Ethics & Common Values
Misook Doolittle with Ambassador Kathleen Stephens

Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 6 PM (EDT)


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

 

Join our membership program here!

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About the Speaker:

Misook Doolittle uplifts the arts, cultural pride, and human services with a deep belief in the beauty of everyday impact. Born in Seoul, Korea, Misook followed her creative passions to the United States, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Southern Indiana. Inspired to design sophisticated clothing made for women by women, she founded her eponymous fashion label, Exclusively Misook, in 1985. The brand became an international success, invigorating the high-end women’s knitwear market with refined aesthetics, sustainable materials, innovative technology, and uncompromising style.

The label allowed Misook to fulfill a personal mission she continues today: empowering women and international communities through thoughtful creativity, with an eye toward making a lasting impact. Misook continues this legacy in her philanthropic work, which honors the extraordinary in the everyday — including women, music, education, and diversity — to enrich our society. Driven by her deep commitment to social responsibility, she founded the Harry and Misook Doolittle Foundation in 2001 to support Korean heritage, arts and culture, education, and healthcare, among other initiatives. The organization now serves as a living tribute to her late husband, an acclaimed author and visual artist. Misook is a board member of the New York Philharmonic and American Friends of Covent Garden and serves on advisory boards for the Metropolitan Opera, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and City Harvest, among others.

Through her business entrepreneurship and indelible impact, Misook has elevated the cultural world and redefined Korean-American elegance; she is admired today as a testament to the enduring power of creative vision, resilience, and generosity.

 

About the Moderator:
 

Ambassador (ret) Kathleen Stephens was a career diplomat in the United States Foreign Service, 1978-2015. She was U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea 2008-2011, the first woman and first Korean-speaker in that position. Other overseas assignments included postings to Trinidad and Tobago, China, Korea, former Yugoslavia, Portugal, Northern Ireland, where she was U.S. Consul General in Belfast during the negotiations culminating in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, and India, where she was U.S. Chargé d’affaires (2014-2015). She also served in Washington-based policy positions at the State Department and National Security Council.

Ambassador Stephens was William J. Perry Fellow for Korea at Stanford University’s Shorenstein Asia Pacific Research Center, 2015-2018. She has served as President and CEO of the Korea Economic Institute of American (KEIA) from 2018 to 2023. She is board vice-chair of The Asia Foundation and board chair of Pacific Century Institute. Ambassador Stephens’ U.S. government awards include the Presidential Meritorious Service Award (2009) and Linguist of the Year (2010). Other awards related to Korea include the Kwanghwa Medal of Diplomatic Merit, the Sejong Cultural Award, the Korean-American Friendship Association Award, the Kevin O’Donnell Distinguished Friend of Korea, AmCham Korea’s Outstanding Achievement Award, and in 2022 the First Baek Bum Kim Koo Award.

 

You May Also Enjoy:
Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values: A Conversation with Ilyon Woo Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values: A Conversation with Minister Kyung-wha Kang Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values: A Conversation with Min Jin Lee Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values Inaugural Lecture by Dr. Jim Yong Kim

Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values: Nicholas Harkness

Posted on by Yurim Oh

With the ever-growing need to understand ourselves and humanity as a whole, it is necessary to examine the concepts of morality, ethics and universal values as guiding principles of the human condition. With generous support from Y.T. Hwang Family Foundation, The Korea Society presents a Series on Ethics and Common Values.

This series promotes the understanding of central themes of our human existence through a series of lectures by distinguished speakers and conversation with extraordinary individuals who exemplify the universal values in line with the mission of Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation and The Korea Society.

The Korea Society and Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation is proud to present Nicholas Harkness on the importance of global and regional studies in higher learning in relation to Korean Studies in the United States.

 

 This program is made possible by the support from Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation

 

Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation
Series on Ethics & Common Values
Nicholas Harkness

Friday, October 17, 2025 | 6 PM (EDT)


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

 

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About the Speaker:

Nicholas Harkness is the Modern Korean Economy and Society Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Korea Institute at Harvard University. At Harvard, he also organizes the Roman Jakobson Symposium and the Harvard-Yenching Institute Field Development Program in Linguistic and Semiotic Anthropology. 

Harkness’s long-term ethnographic research in South Korea has focused on language, music, and religion within the context of Korea’s massive engagement with Protestant Christianity in the 20th and 21st Centuries. He is the author of Songs of Seoul: An Ethnography of Voice and Voicing in Christian South Korea (2014) and Glossolalia and the Problem of Language (2021). Harkness’s scholarship and teaching have been recognized by numerous awards, including the Edward Sapir Book Prize from the Society for Linguistic Anthropology and an honorable mention for Francis L. Hsu Book Prize from the Society for East Asian Anthropology (American Anthropological Association), the Richard Saller Prize for the Most Distinguished Dissertation in the Division of Social Sciences (University of Chicago), and the Phi Beta Kappa Prize for Excellence in Teaching (Harvard University). Harkness is also the recipient of major grants and fellowships, including from the Social Science Research Council, the National Humanities Center (Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship), the Academy of Korean Studies, the Korea Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation (Hanna Holborn Gray Fellowship).

 

You May Also Enjoy:
Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values: A Conversation with Ilyon Woo Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values: A Conversation with Minister Kyung-wha Kang Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values: A Conversation with Min Jin Lee Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values Inaugural Lecture by Dr. Jim Yong Kim

Artist Talk: Hong Seon Jang

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Photo by Brad Ogbonna | 

With his installations, Hong Seon Jang transforms industrial products and found objects in order to explore the usually recognizable surroundings. As their conventional function and values are reinterpreted, distorted, and subverted, Jang investigates opposing concepts and contrasting ideas, such as authority and subordination, internal and external dynamics, and the interplay between security and threat. Through his art, Jang invites viewers to re-examine how symbols acquire cultural and ideological significance, and how their meanings transform in displacement.

 

 

Artist Talk: Hong Seon Jang

 Video Release: Tuesday, October 14, 2025


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

 

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About the Artist:

Hong Seon Jang has widely exhibited in solo and group exhibitions including Wellin Museum of Art, NY; SHCM Museum of Art, NY; Socrates Sculpture Park, NY; Meet Factory, Czech Republic; Fine Arts Gallery, San Francisco State University, CA; Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, NY; the Cohen Gallery at Brown University, RI; Smack Mellon, NY; McColl Center for Visual Art, NC; The Soap Factory, MN; The Islip Art Museum, NY; Artspace, CT; Rush Arts Gallery, NYC, and Hangaram Art Museum, South Korea. His awards and residencies include: ISCP Ground Floor Program, AHL-AAW Solo Exhibition Grant, The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, NY; Art Council Korea Grant, Korea; MSA, LA; Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, ME; Tokyo Wonder Site, Artist-In-Residence, Japan; Percent for Art, Public School Art commission, NY; Djerassi, CA; Atlantic Center for the Arts, FL; Newark Museum, NJ; Lower East Side Printshop Special Editions Residency, NY; Emerging Artist Fellowship, Socrates Sculpture Park, NY; Sculpture Space, NY; Bemis Art, NE; Abron Arts Center, NY; The Triangle Artists’ Workshop Program, NY; and Urban Artist Initiative Fellowship. He received his BFA from Dankook University, South Korea and earned his MFA in Imaging Art at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY.

You May Also Enjoy:
Artist Talk: Kyungmin Park & Jinsik Yoo Future Present: Contemporary Korean Art with Andy St. Louis The Flow of Ink and Color: A Journey of Korean Ink Painting by Sunglim Kim The Rise of Korean Contemporary Art with Peter Kahng

Revisiting the Jones Act: From Protectionism to Partnership

Posted on by Yurim Oh

The United States and Korea are entering a pivotal phase of maritime cooperation. Since the start of the Trump 2.0 administration, South Korean shipbuilders have been courted as key partners in reviving the U.S. shipbuilding industry, with Seoul pledging $150 billion under the “Make America Shipbuilding Great Again” initiative to modernize naval capacity, expand commercial shipyards, and strengthen allied supply chains.

Join us for a timely conversation with Colin Grabow (Cato Institute) as we explore how to steer this new bilateral framework toward mutual maritime and economic prosperity. At the heart of the discussion is the Jones Act, the 1920 law mandating domestically built and owned vessels for U.S. coastal trade. Together, we will consider whether reforms to the Act—or innovative partnership models—can unlock the full potential of U.S.–Korea maritime collaboration. This conversation will be moderated by Thomas Byrne, President and CEO of The Korea Society.

 

Revisiting the Jones Act: From Protectionism to Partnership

Wednesday, October 8, 2025 | 6 PM (EDT)

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

 

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About the Speaker

Colin Grabow is an Associate Director at the Cato Institute’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies where his research focuses on domestic forms of trade protectionism such as the Jones Act and the U.S. sugar program.

His writings have been published in a number of outlets, including USA Today, The Hill, National Review, and the Wall Street Journal.

Prior to joining the Cato Institute, he performed political and economic analysis for a Japan-based trading and investment firm and published research and analysis for an international affairs consulting firm with a focus on U.S.-Asia relations.

Grabow holds a BA in international affairs from James Madison University and an MA in international trade and investment policy from George Washington University.

 

K-Quick with Judy Joo

Posted on by Yurim Oh

Chef, restaurateur, writer, and connoisseur of Korean fried chicken, Judy Joo has gained widespread acclaim for her vibrant approach to Korean cuisine. Now, she presents her latest collection of fresh, exciting recipes in K-Quick: Korean Food in 30 Minutes or Less.

K-Quick: Korean Food in 30 Minutes or Less focuses on recipes that blend creative flair with accessibility, ensuring every mealtime is a success. Showcasing a variety of quick-to-prepare dishes alongside a selection of traditional recipes, K-Quick: Korean Food in 30 Minutes or Less offers a solution for the adventurous foodie who’s strapped for time, ensuring that there’s truly a dish for every mood. Each recipe features clear, time-specific instructions, and Judy Joo will guide you through the process as you create delicious Korean treats in under 30 minutes. With K-Quick: Korean Food in 30 Minutes or Less, it’s never been this easy to bring the essence of Korean cuisine into your home.

In her conversation with Juju Chang, an Emmy® Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline,” Judy Joo will discuss her career and the latest book.

 

K-Quick with Judy Joo

Tuesday, September 23, 2025 | 6:30 PM (EDT)


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

 

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About the Speaker:

 

As a Korean-American, French-trained chef based in London and New York, Judy Joo’s culinary expertise spans the globe. Joo is an expert in cooking and has specialties in pastry and Korean cuisine. She is also a renowned television star, an international restaurateur, a columnist for OK! Magazine and a cookbook author. As one of four UK Iron Chefs and the host of Cooking Channel’s ‘Korean Food Made Simple,’ (S1 & S2) J00 brings robust flavors from her Korean ancestry into home kitchens each week.
 

 

About the Moderator:

 

Juju Chang is an Emmy® Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline.” She also reports regularly for “Good Morning America” and “20/20.” Chang’s decades-long career has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple Emmy’s, Gracie’s, a DuPont, a Murrow and Peabody awards. In 2017, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Front Page Awards.

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