Architect and educator Dongsei Kim–recipient of the 2018 Sherman Family Korea Emerging Scholar Lecture Series award–explores how the discipline of architecture and landscape architecture investigates the Demilitarized Zone. Through the prism of spatial design and with three concrete examples, Professor Kim argues for a reformulation of exclusionary border conditions into inclusive spaces that become synergistic and productive for both Koreas.
Experience music without boundaries through the “Lautarian: Korean-Roma Project” with KoN, the first roma violinist in Korea, and Rami Seo, an accomplished gayakeumist and ethnomusicologist from New York. “Lautari” is an elite music group among Roma musicians. Performing artist, KoN, combines this with “an” from “Korean” and “musician” to describe nuevo Korean Roma music. Explore and experience the world of music featuring the harmony of Korean and Western musical instruments.
Performance followed by reception with light food and drinks.
Admission
The Korea Society Supporter, Fellow, Patron and Corporate members: FREE with registration
Lautarian: Korean-Roma Project featuring KoN & Rami
Friday, September 14, 2018 | 7 PM
KoN 콘 – Violin Rami Seo – Gayageum Dayeon Seok – Drums Kenny Heechan Cha – Guitar
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
KoN is a violinist, singer, composer, actor, model, and music director. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees, with honors, from Seoul National University College of Music. Active in Korea and Japan, he is the first Korean Roma violinist and has held concerts in Hungary and China. KoN has released two full-length albums and his compositions have been featured on Korean drama OSTs. He has performed at numerous music festivals such as the Jazz Tonic Festival, Seoul Arts Center Jazz Festival, Yoeuido Cherry Blossom Festival, and many more. KoN also debuted as a fashion model at New York Fashion Week and has been featured on Korean television programs such as SBS Star-King, JTBC Hidden Singer, and Arirang TV Heart to Heart.
Ms. Rami Seo is an accomplished gayakeum artist whose expansive musical repertoire on the 12-string and 25-string gayakeum spans the traditional and the contemporary to include ancient Korean court music and folk music, as well as current and cross-cultural compositions from across the globe. Born and bred in Seoul, Korea, Ms. Seo is the protégé of world class maestros and several of Korea’s most revered National Cultural Living Treasure title-holders. She graduated from the prestigious National Music School and Seoul High School for Korean Traditional Arts with a full scholarship and top honors. In 2002, she was Class Valedictorian of Chung-Ang University’s College of Korean Traditional Performing Arts, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Korean Traditional Music and Music Education. With an impending Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology from Hunter College, Ms. Seo is a bona-fide scholar, musician, and performance artist.
Kimchi is a staple side dish, known as banchan, in Korean cuisine. Made from salted and fermented vegetables, there are various types of kimchi, unique from region to region, depending on ingredients and weather conditions. Through its fermentation process, kimchi becomes a superfood containing vitamins A and B and minerals such as calcium and iron. Susan Durso, Founder of Anomaly Season, discusses her contemporary take on traditional kimchi with Lynda Liu, host of Feast Meets West, a podcast on Heritage Radio Network.
Followed by Q&A and tasting reception of Anomaly Season kimchi products with food pairing. All Anomaly Season kimchi products are raw, vegan, probiotic and gluten-free.
Development of Kimchi in Modern Days
Thursday, September 13, 2018 | 6:30 PM
Tickets: $15 for Members, $25 for Non-members
If you have any questions, please email Kloe Byun or call (212) 759-5360.
Respectfully balancing Korean heritage with an American identity, Anomaly Season offers a contemporary take on traditional kimchi by incorporating unconventional ingredients with a conventional approach. Sustainably grown, seasonal produce is sourced from local farms and crafted by hand in small batches for jar fermentation. With clean and bright flavors, Anomaly Season aims to expand kimchi‘s reach to accompany a variety of cuisines.
Lynda has been living in NYC for the past 14 years. She works at the intersection of marketing and tech, and spends her free time reading food blogs, restaurant reviews, cooking, eating out, and caving to every craving. She is the host of Feast Meets West, a podcast on Heritage Radio Network that traces the stories of your favorite Asian foods, packed with history, opinions, and lively conversations with the passionate chefs and restaurateurs from the world of Asian food.
Professor and author Bruce E. Bechtol, Jr. discusses his new release, North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa: Enabling Violence and Instability. In dialogue with Senior Director Stephen Noerper, Bechtol speaks to the DPRK’s ongoing sales of conventional weapons, ballistic missile and WMD systems and technology, as well as collaboration, in the world’s more volatile regions.
Korea at a Crossroads: North Korean Military Proliferation in the Middle East and Africa
Thursday, September 13, 2018 | 12 PM
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
As discussions to denuclearize North Korea develop, a number of vexing problems, seen before in previous negotiations, have resurfaced. How can the United States and South Korea avoid the trappings while still benefiting from the successful elements of the past? To find out, The Korea Society’s associate director for policy Jonathan Corrado sat down with two experts from Ploughshares Fund, Director of Policy Tom Z. Collina and Roger L. Hale Fellow Catherine Killough. They shared insights to challenge the conventional wisdom and inject some fresh air into the conversation.
The Case for Diplomacy: A Closer Look at Denuclearization Talks
Communications Director of the Korea Economic Institute of America in Washington DC, Jenna Gibson, presents on the commodification of K-culture on a global scale. Ms. Gibson reflects on regional marketing strategies and the economic impact of Korea’s exportation of Kpop.
Followed by Q&A and reception with Korean food and drinks.
Admission
The Korea Society Fellow, Patron and Corporate members: FREE with registration
The Economy of Kpop
Thursday, August 23, 2018 | 6:30 PM
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Director Yoon Jong Bin’s latest film, The Spy Gone North, starring Hwang Jung-min, Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong, and Ju Ji-hoon, portrays the true story of former South Korean agent, Park Chae-seo. The film premiered in the Midnight Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival in May of 2018.
Synopsis Set in 1993, with tensions running high in South Korea amid rumors surrounding North Korea’s nuclear weapon development, Park Seok Young is recruited by the National Security Agency to infiltrate the North Korean elite under the codename “Heuk-geum-seong” (Black Venus). He poses as a businessman seeking opportunities in North Korea, hiding his identity from even his family to approach Lee Myeong-Un, a high-ranking North Korean official residing in Beijing. As Seok Yeong manages to earn the trust of North Korean power players, he gets wind of a covert deal between the South and North Korean governments. Seok Young feels conflicted over risking everything for his country, given this new information.
NY Premiere Director Yoon Jong-bin’s The Spy Gone North (공작, 2018)
About the DirectorAbout the SpeakerABOUT THE MODERATOR
Yoon Jong-bin is a South Korean film director known for his detailed portrayals of corruption and crime within society. He made his successful feature film debut in 2005, with the release of The Unforgiven, winning many awards at the 2005 Busan International Film Festival. He is also widely known for his film, Nameless Gangster: Rules of Time, which covered the topic of the Korean government’s declaration of war against organized crime in 1990. The film was a major success, topping the list of ten most watched films in South Korea for the first quarter of 2012.
Charles Bramesco is a film and television critic living in Brooklyn. His work has appeared in the Guardian, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Forbes, Nylon, Vulture, The A.V. Club, Indiewire, The Dissolve, Vox and Pitchfork. His favorite film is Boogie Nights.
Samuel Jamier is the executive director of The New York Asian Film Festival, North America’s leading festival of popular Asian cinema, “the world’s best-curated program of new and classic Asian cinema” (Indiewire), conceived and produced by Subway Cinema (and held at Film Society of Lincoln Center and SVA Theatre), a film and culture nonprofit which he also heads since 2015. He is also the founder of Windwellers Films and Citizen Pain Releasing Productions, a film producer, and a partner at the Hong Kong based film sales agency Good Move Media.
Until July 2013, he was senior film programmer and curator at Japan Society, responsible for the selection and organization of all films, series and festivals, and was in charge of its acclaimed Japanese Film Festival, Japan Cuts, for several years. Previously, he was senior programmer at The Korea Society, where he designed and executed cultural programming initiatives including an annual program of public lectures and workshops on topics ranging from foreign policy and corporate symposia to Korean cinema and traditional performing arts, hosted by heads of state, senior government officials, business leaders, university professors, authors, film directors and actors, as well as living national treasures.
Samuel Jamier earned doctoral, MA and BA degrees in English Literature, Comparative Literature, and Medieval Philosophy, with Honors, from the Sorbonne Nouvelle University; is an Agrégation Laureate in Modern English Literature; and a graduate from the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France. He also completed postgraduate studies at Tokyo University, Japan and King’s College in London, England.
He is of Korean descent, and grew up in Brittany, France.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council.
New York-based female alt-pop duo Lucite Tokki celebrate the release of their latest Single. Bandmates Ye Jin Cho and Sun Young Kim bring their unique mood and sound to The Korea Society.
Message from the Artist: It has been a long time since we released our 4th album in 2016, and finally, here’s our new single, “good.” “good” is a sweet, lighthearted, and somewhat quirky love song. We hope this creepy yet breezy love song gives you a little chill this summer.
Admission
The Korea Society Fellow, Patron and Corporate members: FREE with registration
Lucite Tokki Single Release Party
Friday, August 3, 2018 | 7 PM
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Lucite Tokki is a New York-based female alt-pop duo formed in Seoul 2005. Over a decade later, they have released four full albums and six EPs growing their audience worldwide. With a base of pop, they established their own unique mood and sound by exploring various elements of music.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council.
Billboard columnist and Forbes contributor, Tamar Herman, explores the origins of the hallyu wave. From Seo Taiji & Boys in the 1990s to international sensation BTS, how has Kpop evolved? Ms. Herman outlines the elements which distinguish Kpop, notes milestones, and discusses the potential of the global music phenomenon.
Followed by Q&A and reception with Korean food and drinks.
The History of Kpop
Thursday, August 2, 2018 | 6:30 PM
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
This introductory traditional Korean dance workshop uses gentle movement techniques to establish an appreciation of the dance form. Each week the focus is comprised of applications within the dance syntax such as key body positions and elemental dance phrases to develop an understanding of the dance. The students build an essential understanding of the dance form as beginner dance students or as informed audience members. This 4 week workshop is intended to build groundwork using the dance form to further identify the physical self not just in the dance class but taking that movement in practical ways into daily life.
Class Fee (Limited spaces available) Members & KLP Students FREE Non-Members $75
Dance Level Dancers and non dancers are welcome ALL movement abilities are welcome Chairs will be available All dance and fitness props will be provided for use in the class.
Clothing BODY – Comfortable , loose clothing FEET – Socks or ballet flats (please) No shoes, no bare feet
The Korea Society | 350 Madison Avenue 24th Fl | New York, NY 10017 Entrance between 44th & 45th Streets
Ms. Kriegel is the creative force behind the World Dance Initiative dance collective and teaches Korean dance in New York City to teens and adults. As a performer, Ms. Kriegel dances independently and with community organizations. Promoting traditional dance and working with other artists, Ms. Kriegel aims to share Korean dance with heritage and non heritage audiences, focusing on the details, intricacies and depth of the dance form. While performing, teaching and lecturing regularly on the subject of Korean dance worldwide, Ms. Kriegel has won several gold medals and prizes in Korean dance. For teaching, she received the 2012 T.A.S.K. Korean Dance Teacher’s Award and the 2012 Foundation for Korean Language and Culture in USA Appreciation Award. Ms. Kriegel received honors with fellowships in Korean Studies from Stanford University S.P.I.C.E. program (2012) and The Freeman Foundation Fellowship on Korean Studies (2013). Ms. Kriegel received congressional recognition in 2017 for her work at home and abroad, as well as a fellowship from the Hemerra Foundation for Peace Research in 2018.
Respectfully balancing Korean heritage with an American identity, 
Lynda has been living in NYC for the past 14 years. She works at the intersection of marketing and tech, and spends her free time reading food blogs, restaurant reviews, cooking, eating out, and caving to every craving. She is the host of 
