Join for a discussion on the future of North Korea policy, featuring: Frank Aum, senior expert on Northeast Asia at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Dagyum Ji, journalist for The Korea Herald covering North Korea and security, and Bruce Klingner, Senior Research Fellow for Northeast Asia at The Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, in conversation with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado, and with an introduction by Korea Society president & CEO Tom Byrne. Following a New Year’s address by North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un, the panelists discuss what’s next for North Korea policy, including analysis of various diplomatic approaches, changes to the internal situation, and implications for the U.S.-ROK Alliance.
A New North Korea Policy?
Thursday, January 6, 2022 | 8 AM (EST)
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Join us for this program co-hosted by The Korea Society and The National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) about the Korean Peninsula in the global perspective, featuring Walter Russell Mead, Global View Columnist at The Wall Street Journal and the James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College. The discussion is moderated by Korea Society president & CEO Tom Byrne, with an introduction from NCAFP president and CEO Ambassador Susan M. Elliott.
This event will be available via live webcast. Please click the button below to receive the YouTube link in your email and view virtually. A limited number of in-person seats will also be given on an invitation-only basis. Proof of vaccination is required to attend.
Hybrid Program Global View on the Korean Peninsula
Tuesday, December 14, 2021 | 4 PM
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Walter Russell Mead is the Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship at Hudson Institute, the Global View Columnist at The Wall Street Journal and the James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College in New York. He is also a member of Aspen Institute Italy and board member of Aspenia. Before joining Hudson, Mr. Mead was a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations as the Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy. He has authored numerous books, including the widely-recognized Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the World (Alfred A. Knopf, 2004). Mr. Mead’s next book is entitled The Arc of A Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Future of the Jewish People.
Susan M. Elliott, Ambassador (ret.) is an accomplished diplomat with an earned doctorate from Indiana University. During her 27-year diplomatic career, Ambassador Elliott held a variety of leadership positions at the U.S. Department of State. She became President and CEO of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy in August 2018. From 2015 to 2017, Ambassador Elliott served as the Civilian Deputy and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander of the United States European Command. Ambassador Elliott was the U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan from 2012 to 2015. Prior to her Ambassadorial appointment, she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Ambassador Elliott worked on the staff of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as a Deputy Executive Secretary and Director of the Executive Secretariat Staff. Earlier in her career she reported on conflicts in the countries of the former Soviet Union when she worked in the Office of the Coordinator for Regional Conflicts in the New Independent States.
When YouTube began sharing revenue directly with creators, an entirely new industry was born. Today, there are over 2 million creators around the world in its monetization program, building thriving businesses by sharing their own content to the worldwide audience. Among the most innovative and passionate YouTubers are those hailing from South Korea.
Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer at YouTube discusses the rise of K-content and the new creator economy; with Park Young Sun, former minister of SMEs and Startups of Republic of Korea; Bernie Cho, President of DFSB Kollective; and Dr. Sue Mi Terry, Director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy Wilson Center; moderated by Korean YouTuber Seungkug Lee.
This program is made possible by the generous support from YouTube.
K-Content, Youth Economy & Beyond
Thursday, December 9, 2021 | 8 PM (EST)
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Neal Mohan is Chief Product Officer at YouTube. He is responsible for YouTube products, user experience, and trust and safety on all platforms and devices globally. This includes YouTube on mobile, desktop and TV devices, experiences like YouTube Music, Kids, and VR, and YouTube’s two subscription services, YouTube Premium and YouTube TV. Products for media partners, content creators and musicians are also part of Neal’s portfolio. In his role ensuring trust and safety across the YouTube ecosystem Neal oversees the creation and enforcement of its content policies and community guidelines.
Prior to joining Google, Neal was Senior Vice President of Strategy and Product Development at DoubleClick where he built the company’s strategic plan, led the product team, and rapidly grew the business. He played a critical role in the sale of DoubleClick to Google, and subsequently led the integration. Previously, Neal held various technology and business leadership positions at DoubleClick and NetGravity where he helped pioneer the digital marketing industry. He has also served in strategy and consulting roles at Microsoft and Accenture.
Neal earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
H. E. Park Young Sun is the former Minister of SMEs and Startups and a four-term parliamentarian. Minister Park was the first woman to lead the main opposition party as a floor leader and to chair the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly.
Before entering politics, Minister Park was a journalist, holding the positions of a reporter, a news anchor, and Chief Manager of the Economy News department of Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.
She holds an M.A. from Graduate School of Mass Communication, Sogong University, and a B. S. from Kyung Hee University.
Bernie Cho is the President of DFSB Kollective, a Seoul-based Artist & Label Services agency that specializes in providing digital media, marketing, and distribution solutions to 600+ Korean Pop music artists. Since 2009, the agency has successfully produced numerous K-Pop concerts and showcases in North America, Asia, and Europe as well as secured #1 digital music chart debuts for various K-Pop albums in the US, Canada, Japan, Korea, Greater China, Southeast Asia, Australasia, and Europe.
Prior to founding DFSB Kollective, Bernie served as the Head of MTV Korea’s Digital Media Production and worked for nearly 2 decades in the Korean music industry as a Creative Planner, TV Program Producer, TV Show Host, and Radio Commentator. He has earned a BA from Dartmouth College in Government/Asian Studies and has graduated from the Vancouver Film School (Foundation Film Program).
Dr. Sue Mi Terry is Director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy, Wilson Center. Formerly a Senior Fellow with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), she served as a Senior Analyst on Korean issues at the CIA (2001-2008), where she produced hundreds of intelligence assessments. She received numerous awards for her leadership and outstanding mission support, including the CIA Foreign Language award in 2008. From 2008 to 2009, Dr. Terry was the Director for Korea, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the National Security Council under both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.
Since leaving the government, Dr. Terry has been a Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute. She holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a B.A. in political science from New York University. She was born in Seoul and raised in Hawaii and Northern Virginia.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR:
Seungkug Lee is an influencer in Korea. Under the name GeniusSKLee, he’s been running his YouTube channel since 2015. With his interest in the entertainment business, Lee has conducted various types of interviews with global movie stars including Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt, Jeremy Renner, and Bryce Dallas Howard. Since 2017, Lee has been hosting a movie program on network television and appears on various programs.
Photo Credit: Jenny Huang and Eric Kim’s Instagram @ericjoonho
Food writer Eric Kim is known for sharing recipes accompanied with thoughtful storytelling and reflection. At first Kim pursued academia, teaching undergraduate literature courses while working towards a PhD in American Literature at Columbia. He unexpectedly found his path to success by writing and curating content for leading publishers in food media such as Food Network, Food52, and Saveur. Today, Kim is a staff writer at the New York Times and next year he will release his highly-anticipated debut cookbook Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home. Join us as Kim reflects on his career in food journalism, multimedia content creation, and book publishing.
The Korea Society Young Professionals’ Night program consists of industry professionals who share their career experiences and advice with the audience. It provides a wonderful opportunity for networking, and all professionals seeking to expand their careers are encouraged to come.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Eric Kim is a New York Times staff writer and the author of Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home. He worked his way through the literary and culinary world to eventually become a digital manager at Food Network and a senior editor at Food52, where he amassed a devoted readership for his “Table for One” column. He now hosts regular videos on NYT Cooking’s YouTube channel. A former contributing editor at Saveur, Eric taught writing and literature at Columbia University, and his work has been featured in The Washington Post, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine. He lives with his rescue pup, Quentin Compson, in New York City.
Pacific Forum President Emeritus and WSD-Handa Chair in Peace Studies Ralph Cossa provides a media and member-friendly wrap-up of the year by way of politics and security on and around the Korean Peninsula, in conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado. A member of the ASEAN Regional Forum’s Experts and Eminent Persons Group, Cossa reflects on wider regional trends as well, to include Korea’s dealing with China-US tensions and US-Korea cooperation in condemning the Myanmar coup.
Thinking Northeast Asia: The Year in Review
Thursday, December 2, 2021 | 12 PM
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
“Hair has the potential to embody both mind and matter. In my sculptures I tie hair together piece by piece into nearly invisible forms that represent ineffable thoughts and the conscious and subconscious mind.” – Jayoung Yoon
Jayoung Yoon’s work is composed of strands of her own hair that are hand knotted or woven into forms to create intricate sculptures. The woven hair resembles fine nets or webs, allowing the viewer to see through the strands, giving the work a delicate transparency, while the material lends the work a feeling of intimacy and envelopment.
Jayoung Yoon has exhibited extensively, including the Bronx Museum of the Arts, NY; San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, CA; Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art, NY; New Bedford Art Museum, MA; Ohio Craft Museum, OH; Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, DE; Here Arts Center, NY; Coreana Museum of Art, Korea and Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, Korea. She was awarded the AHL Foundation Artist Fellowship, Manhattan Graphics Center Scholarship, the BRIC Media Arts fellowship, and the Franklin Furnace Fund. She has attended residencies at MacDowell, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing space, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Sculpture Space, Millay Arts, I-Park, and Saltonstall Foundation, among others. Yoon’s work has appeared in various publications, including The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Hyperallergic, Gothamist, Artnet News, Surface Design Journal, and Fiber Art Now. Yoon received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan and her BFA from Hongik University in Seoul, Korea. https://www.jayoungart.com/
“Park’s stunning English-language debut takes readers through the wild highs and lows of young adulthood . . . The strength of the narrator, notably his flexibility of voice and expansiveness, caries the narrative to great heights, making this a standout among queer literature.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Love in the Big City is the English-language debut of Sang Young Park, one of Korea’s most exciting young writers. A runaway bestseller, the novel hit the top five lists of all the major bookstores and went into twenty-six printings as one of the highest selling debuts of recent years in Korea. Award-winning for its unique literary voice and perspective and particularly resonant with young readers, this story of a young gay man searching for happiness in the lonely city of Seoul has been a phenomenon in Korea and is poised to capture a worldwide readership. A brilliantly written novel filled with powerful sensory descriptions and both humor and emotion, Love in the Big City is an exploration of millennial loneliness as well as the joys of queer life.
In this episode of Author Talks, Sang Young Park discusses his career in Korea and his English debut.
“A novel, told through relationships, about navigating life as a young gay man in Korea . . . The novel skips freely around in time, lending it a sense of propulsion and instability that feels entirely intentional. It’s anchored, however, by the narrator’s irresistible voice, which alternates between earnest, heartfelt emotion, and likable wryness . . . This book will sweep readers up in its sheer longing. An addictive, profound novel.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred reviews)
Sang Young Park was born in 1988 and studied French at Sungkyunkwan University. He worked as a magazine editor, copywriter, and consultant for seven years before debuting as a novelist. The title story of his bestselling short story collection, “The Tears of an Unknown Artist, or Zaytun Pasta,” was one of Words Without Borders’ most read pieces ever. He lives in Seoul.
Council on Foreign Relations Director of the Program on US-Korea Policy and Senior Fellow Scott A. Snyder, Atlantic Council Senior Fellow and former U.S. National Intelligence Officer for North Korea Markus Garlauskas, and Stimson Center nonresident fellow Rachel Minyoung Lee join Senior Director Stephen Noerper and Policy Director Jonathan Corrado for a discussion of the latest developments on and around the Korean Peninsula and thoughts on how media, members, and analysts current and aspiring might best hone skills and insights on Korea. As premier analysts with unique insights, Snyder, Garlauskas, and Lee speak to tropes, prejudice and generalizations that stymy sound analysis and suggest ways to approach Peninsular affairs anew.
What Makes a Great Korea Analyst?
Thursday, November 4, 2021 | 12 PM
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Scott A. Snyder is senior fellow for Korea studies and director of the program on U.S.-Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). His program examines South Korea’s efforts to contribute on the international stage; its potential influence and contributions as a middle power in East Asia; and the peninsular, regional, and global implications of North Korean instability. Mr. Snyder is the author of South Korea at the Crossroads: Autonomy and Alliance in an Era of Rival Powers (January 2018) and coauthor of The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash: East Asian Security and the United States (May 2015) with Brad Glosserman. He is also the coeditor of North Korea in Transition: Politics, Economy, and Society (October 2012), and the editor of Global Korea: South Korea’s Contributions to International Security (October 2012) and The U.S.-South Korea Alliance: Meeting New Security Challenges (March 2012). Mr. Snyder served as the project director for CFR’s Independent Task Force on policy toward the Korean Peninsula.
Markus Garlauskas
Markus Garlauskas is a nonresident senior fellow with the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security of the Atlantic Council, as well as an adjunct professor in Georgetown University’s Security Studies graduate program. 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. He also provided direct analytic support to top-level policy deliberations, including the presidential transition, as well as the Singapore and Hanoi summits with North Korea.Garlauskas served for nearly twelve years overseas at the headquarters of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and US Forces Korea in Seoul. His staff assignments there included chief of the Intelligence Estimates Branch and director of the Strategy Division. For his service in Korea, he received the Joint Civilian Distinguished Service Award, the highest civilian award from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Rachel Minyoung Lee
Rachel Minyoung Lee is a nonresident fellow with the 38 North Program at the Stimson Center. Lee was a North Korea collection expert and analyst with Open Source Enterprise under the CIA from 2000 to 2019. During that time, she wrote on a broad range of North Korean issues, from leadership, domestic politics and economy, and foreign policy, to social and cultural developments. 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.
Celebrating the 10th year of our Young Professionals’ Network (YPN) series, The Korea Society is excited to announce the YPN 10th Anniversary Special with singer-songwriter Eric Nam, one of the most popular and recognizable celebrities in Asia. As a Korean American singer, songwriter, entertainer, and TV personality from Atlanta, Georgia, Eric has been inspiring his fans and the younger generation through his musical performances and insightful commentary on important contemporary issues. He has been named GQ Korea’s Man of the Year and appeared on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia.
Join our YPN Special to hear Eric’s thoughts on balancing the cultural boundary between Korea and the U.S. as an entertainer with a fanbase in both countries. This interview will also provide a rare opportunity to hear Eric’s personal story and vision of his life and career.
Singer, Songwriter, Entertainer, and TV Personality
Eric Nam is a multi-faceted Korean-American singer, songwriter, entertainer, and TV personality. He is one of the most popular and recognizable celebrities in Asia and has been named GQ Korea’s Man of the Year And Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia. He is one of the most extensively touring solo Asian acts in the world and is also the co-founder and creative director at DIVE Studios & Mindset.
Eric graduated from Boston College in 2011 where he majored in international studies and minored in Asian Studies.
About the Moderator:
Grace Lee
Head of Artist Relations (East Coast), YouTube
Dubbed by Rolling Stone as an “artist relations guru,” Grace Lee is an accomplished music executive with 15+ years of experience in the industry. She currently leads YouTube’s east coast artist relations team, where she is passionate about helping artists at all stages of their careers. Prior to joining YouTube, Grace spent 9 years at Columbia Records, where she worked with all artists across the roster including Adele, Beyoncé, John Legend, HAIM, Daft Punk and J. Cole.
Grace is also a cofounder of Asian American Collective, a networking and mentoring collective for Asian Americans in the music industry. Grace regularly participates in key industry events and panels with organizations such as Women in Music, Music Business Association, the Asian American Advertising Federation and Upworthy, and has served as a juror for Clio Music. She has also been invited to speak at Universal Music Group and Harvard Business School. In her free time, Grace is an avid home cook and has had a recipe published in the New York Times.
Grace is a graduate of Northwestern University and is based in New York City.
“I weave and connect traces and tracks of subtle changes into organic forms. The organic forms are made with mass-produced industrial materials, in particular, Monofilament and cable ties. They are non–durable, disposable, trivial, inexpensive and easily consumed materials. But, when I weave and connect them, they are transformed into organic visualizations. I want them to be creating lasting moments, evoking and encapsulating our precious thoughts.” – Sui Park
Sui Park creates 3-dimensional organic forms using industrial materials. The abstract forms of dynamic characteristics resemble transitions and transformations in nature, yet they also capture subtle but continuous changes in our emotions, sentiments, memories, and expectations.
Sui Park is a New York based artist born in Seoul, Korea. She had several solo exhibitions and public art projects including a solo exhibition, Floating Imagery at the Cahoon Museum of American Art, Cotuit, MA in 2021 and Pompom in Georgetown, Washington D.C. in 2019. She participated in over 120 exhibitions, including an exhibition, The 5th Textile Art of Today at Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Bratislava, Slovakia, where she received the Excellent Award in September 2018. Park’s artwork has been acquired by numerous places including Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Oregon and Saks Fifth Avenue Flagship Store in New York. Numerous mentions of her work and projects were published in the New York Times, Washington Post, Hyperallergic, Artnet, Vice and Colossal as well as other publications. Most recently, Park participated in a public art exhibition, ‘RE:GROWTH’ curated by Karin Bravin at 78TH St. on the Riverside Park in New York City, and she was selected as one of two commissioned artists for the 2021 Site-Responsive Art Biennale at I-Park Foundation, East Haddam, CT and will show her public art installation from September 2021. Park’s education includes MDes in Interior Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design and BFA in Environmental Design from Maryland Institute College of Art. She also has MFA and BFA in Fiber Arts from Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea. http://www.suipark.com/
