Join us for a discussion about fallout from the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s Martial Law declaration, his subsequent impeachment and the presidential transition in Seoul, challenges to South Korea’s democracy, and implications for the U.S.-Korea relationship and Korea’s foreign relations, with Kelly Kasulis Cho, Washington Post Breaking News Reporter, Andrew Yeo, senior fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Asia Policy Studies, and Daniel Sneider, lecturer in East Asian Studies at Stanford. This program is moderated by policy director Jonathan Corrado and program officer Chelsie Alexandre.
This program is made possible by the generous support of our individual and corporate members and the Korea Foundation.
Challenges for Korea’s Democracy
Thursday, February 13, 2025 | 8 AM (EST)
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Kelly Kasulis Cho is a breaking news reporter and editor at The Washington Post’s Seoul hub. She has been reporting on North and South Korea for eight years, since the days of former President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment and the whirlwind of tension and diplomacy between President-elect Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. She has covered the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the coronavirus pandemic, South Korean elections, the tragic 2022 Itaewon Halloween crowd crush, the stabbing of Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, the 2025 Jeju Air plane crash and more. She also recently covered the final moments of WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange’s years-long legal battle and his path to freedom from a U.S. courthouse in Saipan. Previously, Kelly was a staff editor at The New York Times, the managing editor of NK News and NK Pro and a freelance foreign correspondent covering the Koreas.
Daniel C. Sneider is a lecturer in international policy at Stanford’s Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy and a lecturer in East Asian Studies at Stanford. His own research is focused on current U.S. foreign and national security policy in Asia and on the foreign policy of Japan and Korea. Since 2017, he has been based partly in Tokyo where he is working on a diplomatic history of the creation and management of the U.S. security alliances with Japan and South Korea during the Cold War. Sneider contributes regularly to the leading Japanese publication Toyo Keizai and is a Non-resident Distinguished Fellow at the Korea Economic Institute where he writes regularly for the Peninsula blog. Sneider is the former Associate Director for Research at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford and directed the Divided Memories and Reconciliation project on wartime historical memory in East Asia. Prior to coming to Stanford, Sneider was a long-time foreign correspondent. Sneider served as national/foreign editor of the Mercury News. From 1990 to 1994, he was the Moscow bureau chief of the Christian Science Monitor, covering the end of Soviet Communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union. From 1985 to 1990, he was Tokyo correspondent for the Monitor, covering Japan and Korea. Prior to that he was a correspondent in India, covering South and Southeast Asia. Sneider has a BA in East Asian history from Columbia University and an MPA from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Andrew Yeo is a senior fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Asia Policy Studies. He is also a professor of politics at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Yeo is co-editor of the forthcoming book “Great Power Competition and Overseas Bases: Chinese, Russian, and American Force Posture in the 21st Century” (Brookings Institution Press, forthcoming). He is also the author or co-editor of five other books including “Asia’s Regional Architecture: Alliances and Institutions in the Pacific Century” (Stanford University Press, 2019), “State, Society, and Markets in North Korea” (Cambridge University Press 2021), “North Korean Human Rights: Activists and Networks” (Cambridge University Press 2018); “Activists, Alliances, and Anti-U.S. Base Protests” (Cambridge University Press 2011); and “Living in an Age of Mistrust: An Interdisciplinary Study of Declining Trust in Contemporary Society and Politics and How to Get it Back” (Routledge Press 2017). Yeo received his doctorate in government from Cornell University, and bachelor’s in psychology and international studies from Northwestern University.
Join us for a discussion on the newly launched book: Korea-US-China Trilateral Relations in the Xi Jinping Era. The authors, CHUNG Duck Koo, Korea’s former Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Energy, and YUN Byung-se, Korea’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, examine Korea-US-China trilateral relations through a strategic triangular lens. The book moves beyond conventional discussions of bilateral ties to provide an in-depth analysis of the complexity, conflict, and economic interdependence characterizing the relationships among these three nations. In the discussion, Minister Chung and Minister Yun also address the new US administration and shifts in Korean politics, offering timely insights to shed light on unfolding events. The moderator for the program is Korea Society president and CEO Thomas Byrne. The book is available for purchase here.
Korea-US-China Trilateral Relations: Looking Back and Looking Forward
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 | 2 PM (EST)
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Chung Duck Koo is a former Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Energy of the Republic of Korea during President Kim Dae-Jung’s administration (1999-2000). He is also the founder of the North East Asia Research Foundation (NEAR Foundation), South Korea’s premier privately-funded independent think-tank, and currently serves as its chairman. Chung embarked on his career as a government official in 1971, dedicating nearly three decades of service. During the onset of the Korean financial crisis, Chung, a Vice Minister of Finance at the time, played a pivotal role in the early resolution of Korea’s liquidity crisis as a chief negotiator with the IMF. After retirement from the cabinet, Chung became a professor at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Seoul National University and served as the director of the Seoul National University Center for International Finance. In 2003, Peking University in China invited him as a Distinguished Chair Professor, where he taught Korean Economic Development and Open-Door Policy. In 2005, he served as a visiting professor at Renmin University of China in Beijing, where he taught the International Monetary Regime and the future prospects of the yuan. In 2013, he was appointed as a policy advisor at CASS (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences). During the early years of Xi Jinping’s first term, the Chinese government recommended that Mr. Chung lead special lectures and academic seminars involving distinguished policymakers, bureaucrats, and high-ranking officials from 18 government departments. Presently, he is based at the Center for Strategies and International Studies (CSIS) as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow.
Yun Byung-se served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea from March 2013 until June 2017 (longest serving Foreign Minister after 1981). Prior to that, he served as Deputy National Security Adviser (Senior Secretary) to the President responsible for Korea’s foreign, defense and unification policy and as Senior Coordinator at the National Security Council of the Presidential Office. As a career diplomat with 37 year-long experience, his foreign postings include the United States, the United Nations in New York and Geneva, Singapore and Australia. At the headquarters, he was Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, was the Foreign Minister. He graduated from Seoul National University’s College of Law and received a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University’s Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He was a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) of Sogang University in Seoul from 2009 until early 2013. He is currently Chairman of Seoul International Law Academy (SILA), Co-Chair of REAIM Global Commission(AI), and Chairman of NEAR Global Survey Project. He is also on the board of Korea Peace Foundation and the NEAR Foundation and is affiliated with several global ex-leaders’ forums and projects on international peace and security, non-proliferation and geopolitical risks. His global survey report 2023 on the world order was published in English and in Korean by the NEAR Foundation under the title of “Quo Vadit Mundus: Competing for Order in a Fragmenting World.” He regularly contributes his writings to the Korea JoongAng Daily and the Korea Times and moderates the annual CSIS-JoongAng Conference and other forums frequently.
Join us for a discussion on the Trump Administration’s economic security policy towards Asia with Navin Girishankar, president of the Economic Security and Technology Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and former Counselor to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce and Yeo Han-koo, former trade minister of the Republic of Korea and senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The moderator for the program is Korea Society president and CEO Tom Byrne. The discussion will cover US-China economic competition and its impact on Northeast Asian countries like Korea and Japan, plus: tariffs, international trade, and the impact on critical next generation technologies including semiconductors, EVs, and batteries.
The Korea Society thanks our corporate sponsors and individual members and the Korea Foundation for their generous support, which has made this program possible.
This program is co-hosted by The APEC Study Center at Columbia University.
What to Expect: The Trump Administration’s Economic Security Policy on Asia
Friday, January 24, 2025 | 12 PM (EST)
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Navin Girishankar is president of the Economic Security and Technology Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He leads a bipartisan team of over 40 resident staff and an extensive network of non-resident affiliates dedicated to providing independent research and strategic insights on economic and technology policies and their critical role in competitiveness as well as national security. Prior to joining CSIS, Navin served as Counselor to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce on a wide range of domestic and international issues. In that role, he crafted the Department of Commerce’s place-based framework for industrial investments in chips, broadband, and other strategic technologies; its approach to U.S.-China economic relations; and U.S. economic diplomacy efforts with allies in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Global South, including the U.S. commercial engagement strategy for the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and the first-ever Department-wide Africa strategy. Navin also helped architect the Department’s national security approach to critical and emerging technologies and threats covering investment screening, export controls, and strategic capital deployment. Prior to his service in U.S. government, Navin held senior commercial roles at Bridgewater Associates, where he worked with founder Ray Dalio advising the largest institutional investors in the Middle East and Asia. Prior to his work in asset management, Navin spent over 20 years at the World Bank, where he held senior policy, country, finance, and evaluation roles. Over his career at the World Bank, Navin led a number of major initiatives including the Bank’s 2015 trade and competitiveness strategy, Expanding Market Opportunity and Enabling Private Initiative for Dynamic Economies; its 2011 flagship evaluation, World Bank Country-Level Engagement on Governance and Anticorruption; and the first-of-its-kind 2009 study, Innovating Development Finance: From Financing Sources to Financing Solutions. He also authored numerous articles and papers on economic, fiscal, and innovation policy; sustainable finance; governance and state-building; and evaluation. He holds a master in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor of arts in economics with a minor in African and Middle East studies from Williams College. He is a percussionist in the Indian classical tradition and a student of various meditation traditions.
Yeo Han-koo, former trade minister of the Republic of Korea, has been senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics since June 2023. His research focuses on international trade policy, industrial policy, supply chain resilience, and economic security and international trade negotiations including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Yeo completed almost three decades of public service as trade minister of the Republic of Korea in 2022, in the final year of the Moon Jae-in presidency. A veteran international trade negotiator, Yeo has been involved in a number of bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations, including as the chief negotiator for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Korea-UK Free Trade Agreement, Korea–Central America Free Trade Agreement, Korea-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and Korea-Philippines Free Trade Agreement. He was also an original participant in developing the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity. While serving as commercial attaché at the Korean Embassy in Washington, he was involved in amendment negotiations of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement and Section 232 steel negotiations. As Korean minister of trade, he oversaw conventional trade negotiations, export controls, and investment screening. Yeo also led negotiations for Korea’s export control measures against Russia in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A graduate of Seoul National University, Yeo has served as visiting professor at the Seoul National University Business School, teaching international trade, negotiation, and economic security issues. Yeo holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School.
Advancing the U.S.-ROK Alliance and the Global Rise of Jeollanamdo
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Join us for the next installment of our “Local Leadership in a Global Context” series, as we delve into a discussion with the Governor of Jeollanamdo Kim Yung-rok, moderated by Tom Byrne, President & CEO of The Korea Society… Read More
Martial Law Implications for South Korea and the U.S.-Korea Relationship
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 | 8 AM (EST)
Join us for a program that explores recent political events in South Korea, including a brief history of martial law in Korea, the events leading up to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s decision to invoke Martial Law, the National Assembly’s counter-action, and the long term consequences of the episode… Read More
[YPN] Breaking Into UX/Product Design
Friday, December 6, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EST)
In the next program of our Young Professionals’ Network series, The Korea Society is hosting a panel discussion focused on breaking into and building a career in technology as a User Experience (UX) Designer… Read More
The Hungnam Rescue
Thursday, December 5, 2024 | 6 PM (EST)
Join us for an inspiring and heartwarming story timed for the holiday season about the largest wartime humanitarian evacuation in history. During The Korean War, naval and merchant ships from America and its allies rescued almost 100,000 North Korean refugees. Among these ships was a humble freighter… Read More
Seoul: Tale of A Smart City Lessons from South Korea on How to Build Smarter Cities with KRISTI SHALLA & SUNG JIN PARK
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 | 6 PM (EST)
With a vibrant population of over 10 million, Seoul ranks as a top global destination on many travel lists. We invite you to an immersive book that offers a unique exploration of Seoul through the lens of a smart city. Join authors, Kristi Shalla and Sungjin Park, as they discuss their book, Seoul: Tale of a Smart City… Read More
2024 KOREA SOCIETY VAN FLEET SIGNATURE POLICY CONFERENCE
Friday, November 22, 2024 | 9:15 AM – 2 PM (EST)
The Van Fleet Signature Policy Conference is The Korea Society’s landmark policy event. Held in the District Ballroom of The Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C., the conference provides insights on the fast evolving threats and opportunities impacting the dynamic U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) relationship… Read More
2024 Sherman Family Korea Emerging Scholar Lecture The Politics of The Silence of Love in Colonial Korea with David Krolikoski
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 | 6 PM (EST)
The Korea Society is pleased to announce that the eighth annual Sherman Family Korea Emerging Scholar Lecture Awardee is Dr. David Krolikoski, assistant professor at the University of Hawai’i. In his lecture Dr. Krolikoski examines The Silence of Love (Nim ŭi ch’immuk, 1926)… Read More
Maybe Happy Ending: A New Broadway Musical
Monday, November 18, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EST)
Join us for a conversation with the cast members Helen J. Shen and Marcus Choi of this enchanting new Broadway musical… Read More
Author Talks: Yeon Somin
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Rising Korean literary star Yeon Somin makes her English-language debut with The Healing Season of Pottery, a feel-good story about a young woman finding solace and a sense of self through art. The winner of the prestigious Korea New Writers Award (for Lazy Kinko), Yeon’s latest, translated by the award-winning Clare Richards… Read More
Artist Talk: Hayoon Jay Lee with Seph Rodney
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
In the modern tradition of abstract art, artists look beyond what we physically see. Using color, shape, line, and texture, they express strong emotional content without constraints of representation. Hayoon Jay Lee uses rice as object, motif, metaphor and visceral biomorphic forms, meticulously and meditatively arranging individual grains of rice into a surface with modeling paste to create physical and emotional topographies… Read More
Expert Take: The Moscow-Pyongyang Connection, Then and Now, with Dr. Kathryn Weathersby
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | 4:00 PM (EDT)
This program explores the historical and contemporary relationship between North Korea and Russia. How did the Kim Regime’s relationship with the Soviet Union evolve during The Korean War, early Cold War period, and the Sino-Soviet split? How did triangular diplomacy with the People’s Republic of China play a shaping role in the relationship?… Read More
Artist Talk: Annette Hur
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
In the modern tradition of abstract art, artists look beyond what we physically see. Using color, shape, line, and texture, they express strong emotional content without constraints of representation. With her bold colors and brushstroke, Annette Hur deliberately positions… Read More
Banchan with Caroline Choe – In Conversation with Marja Vongerichten
Thursday, October 10, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
Banchan, the shared side dishes that accompany a Korean meal, are often the real stars of the table, and it’s time we celebrate them. From the kitchen of chef Caroline Choe… Read More
Next Steps for U.S.-Korea Relations: Key Diplomatic and Economic Developments
Friday, October 4, 2024 | 10 AM (EDT)
Join us for a special conference on U.S.-Korea relations produced in partnership with the East Asia Foundation (EAF) and the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP). This forum provides a venue for expert discussion on the security, diplomatic and economic dimensions of the U.S.-Republic of Korea relationship… Read More
The Rise of Korean Contemporary Art with Peter Kahng
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
Join us for an engaging discussion with Peter Kahng, an expert on the intersection of global art markets and contemporary Korean art. As a lecturer at Stanford University specializing in “Global Art Markets in Asia… Read More
Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values A Conversation with Minister Kyung-wha Kang
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 | 6 PM (EDT)
The Korea Society and Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation is proud to present Minister Kyung-wha Kang, President and CEO of Asia Society, in a conversation with Ambassador (ret) Kathleen Stephens… Read More
Force Multiplier: The U.S.-Korea Alliance Amid Strategic Competition
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 | 12 PM (EDT)
How can the U.S.-Korea Alliance rise to the challenge of an increasingly complex and fraught geopolitical environment? As competing strategic triangles solidify in Northeast Asia, what new challenges and opportunities will arise for the U.S.-Korea… Read More
Forget Me Not: Impact of North Korean Human Rights Abuses on Families Worldwide
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 | 4:30 PM (EDT)
Join us for a unique and special event highlighting the profound impact of North Korea’s human rights abuses, with a focus on divided families. The program opens with introductory remarks from Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul… Read More
The South Korean Film Industry with Sangjoon Lee, Dal Yong Jin, and Jason Bechervaise
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 | 6 PM (EDT)
South Korea’s film industry is producing movies and original series eagerly anticipated by the global audience, and it is now arguably considered one of the few countries outside the United States to have captivated the world’s hearts and minds through pop music, TV dramas, and film… Read More
Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution | A Curator’s Perspective
Thursday, September 5, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution is a compelling exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art about the history and transformative legacy of Korean fashion, presenting garments ranging from excavated 17th-century aristocratic garments to contemporary Korean couture by leading… Read More
Korean War Armistice Day Salute 2024
Saturday, July 27, 2024
Join us at The Korea Society to honor Veterans who served in The Korean War. This ceremony marks the 71st Anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953. This program will provide perspectives on the experience of a front-line soldier as told by a Korean War veteran… Read More
Minsoo Kang: The Melancholy of Untold History with Ed Lin
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
A beautifully crafted, enriching saga inspired by East Asian mythology, The Melancholy of Untold History is Minsoo Kang’s debut novel, steeped in history and lyrically exciting, interweaving four complex yet entertaining stories… Read More
Hyeseung Song: Docile with Emma Eun-joo Choi
Thursday, July 18, 2024 6:30 PM (EDT)
Docile is the rarest of things: a scorchingly honest, beautiful, hugely evocative memoir that’s also a proper pageturner: I read it breathlessly in a single sitting, transported and deeply moved. It’s at one and the same time the story of a life and a meditation on identity… Read More
Bridging Korean Culture with Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy
Thursday, July 11, 2024 | 6:30 PM
Join us for the next program in our Young Professionals’ Network series, presented by The Korea Society in partnership with the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF). This event will feature a dynamic panel discussion with successful entrepreneurs… Read More
Author Talks: Miye Lee
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
What if there was a store that sold dreams? Which would you buy? And who might you become when you wake up? A captivating story that will leave a lingering magical feeling in readers’ minds, Miye Lee’s The Dallergut Dream Department Store is the first book in a bestselling… Read More
Ga Mu Ak: An Evening of Korean Traditional Music and Dance
Monday, July 1, 2024 | 6:30 PM
There is a long tradition in Korea of presenting various performances–singing, instrument playing, and dancing–on one stage. Join us for another enchanting evening of Korean traditional music and dance performances, featuring virtuosos from Korea… Read More
The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election – What It Could Mean at Home and Abroad
Friday, June 28, 2024 | 10:30 AM (EDT)
Join us for a bipartisan pair of Former Members of Congress to hear a forecast unpacking how America’s 2024 presidential and congressional elections will impact U.S. domestic politics, U.S. foreign policy, and America’s dynamic relationship with South Korea… Read More
Cornerstone of the Nation: The Defense Industry and the Building of Modern Korea under Park Chung Hee
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 | 6 PM (EDT)
June 25, 2024 – Join us for a conversation with Dr. Peter Banseok Kwon, Assistant Professor of Korean Studies at the University at Albany, State University of New York, on his newly released book: Cornerstone of the Nation: The Defense Industry and the Building of Modern Korea under Park Chung Hee. Newly released by… Read More
Empowering Women with Holistic Care: A Conversation with Rael’s Co-Founder and CEO, Yanghee Paik
Monday, June 24, 2024 | 5 PM (EDT)
The Korea Society is pleased to invite you to a fireside chat with Co-founder and CEO of Rael, Yanghee Paik. In 2017, Yanghee joined forces with two other Korean-American women to revolutionize the stagnant American feminine-care product market by introducing clean, high-performing holistic feminine care products… Read More
PROJECT BRIDGE YOUTH AMBASSADORS 2024 Community Presentation
Friday, June 21, 2024 | 6 PM (EDT)
Join us to celebrate the 2023-2024 participants of the longest running education program offered at the Society, the Project Bridge Youth Ambassador Program… Read More
Writing Short Stories with Gina Chung and Yun Ko-eun
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
Is the short story a fiction writer’s laboratory where you can experiment with characters, plots, and ideas? or is it an art form of its own, telling a complete story in just a few words? Read More
The Power of Money: How Governments and Banks Create Money and Help Us All Prosper
Thursday, May 30, 2024 | 6:00 PM
Join us for the launch of the Korean translation of The Power of Money: How Governments and Banks Create Money and Help Us All Prosper by economist and bestselling author Paul Sheard. Money issues dominate the news… Read More
Hallyu! The Korean Wave: The Curatorial Roundtable
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Today, South Korea is a cultural superpower—a global trendsetter producing award-winning films like Parasite, riveting dramas like Squid Game… Read More
June Hur: A Crane Among Wolves with Ellen Oh
Monday, May 13, 2024 | 6 PM (EDT)
To save her sister, a teen girl becomes entangled in a political conspiracy with an enigmatic prince in this fiery new YA novel. June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace… Read More
Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values A Conversation with Min Jin Lee
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | 6 PM (EDT)
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… Read More
Quick Take Changes in US-Korea-China-Taiwan Relations, with Sean King and Dr. Dean Chen
Thursday, May 2, 2024 | 4 PM
Given heightened tensions and strategic competition in the Indo Pacific, how is South Korea navigating its diplomatic, economic, and security relationships with the US, China, and Taiwan… Read More
Author Talks: Park Seolyeon
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
A millennial turned magical girl must combat climate change and credit card debt in A Magical Girl Retires, a delightful, witty, and wildly imaginative ode to magical girl manga by Park Seolyeon… Read More
Quick Take North Korea’s New Posture with Dr. Soo Kim
Thursday, April 25, 2024 | 4 PM
In 2024, North Korea’s leadership has made a number of striking changes to its foreign policy, including abandoning its goal of unification and declaring South Korea its “principal enemy… Read More
ZERO WASTE: A Director’s Talk
Monday, April 22, 2024
Zero Waste is a timely documentary film that explores the current recycling efforts in South Korea through the personal stories of six changemakers. These individuals are advocates for a circular economy… Read More
Quick Take South Korea’s New Foreign Policy and Public Opinion with Dr. Kuyoun Chung
Friday, April 19, 2024
This program examines shifts in South Korea’s foreign policy posture, featuring insights and analysis from Dr. Kuyoun Chung, Assistant professor of the Department of Political Science at the Kangwon National University… Read More
Korea: A New History of South and North with Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Join us for a book talk with authors Professor Victor Cha and Professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo, who discuss their new book, Korea: A New History of South and North with policy director Jonathan Corrado… Read More
INTERVIEW with BUSAN MAYOR PARK HEONG-JOON
Thursday, April 18, 2024 | 12:00 PM
Join us for a “Local Leadership in a Global Context” series discussion with Mayor of Busan, Park Heong-joon, moderated by Tom Byrne, President & CEO of The Korea Society. Mayor Park, re-elected with overwhelming support… Read More
Author Talks: Yun Ko-eun with Lizzie Buehler
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
In the first short-story collection of hers to be translated into and published in English, South Korean author Yun Ko-eun conjures up slightly off-kilter worlds tucked away in the corners of everyday life… Read More
Majestic Elegance- Art, Crafts, and Techniques by Sunglim Kim
Thursday, April 11, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
In this lecture, Professor Sunglim Kim explores various metalwares and decorative arts throughout the history of the Korean peninsula, and craftsmanship and techniques used to create them… Read More
Rapid Reaction: Unpacking the Korean Election
Thursday, April 11, 2024 | 1 PM (EDT)
Join us for a rapid reaction analysis of the Republic of Korea’s high stakes 2024 legislative election, held in South Korea one day prior on April 10. This election could shift the control of power in the National Assembly, resulting in an emboldened electoral mandate for President Yoon Suk Yeol… Read More
Crystal Hana Kim: The Stone Home with Susan Choi
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
A hauntingly poetic family drama and coming-of-age story that reveals a dark corner of South Korean history through the eyes of a small community living in a reformatory center, The Stone Home is a stunning work of great emotional power from Crystal Hana Kim… Read More
Recapturing Lost Ground on North Korean Human Rights, with Ambassador Julie Turner
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 | 12 PM (EDT)
Join us for a conversation about recovering lost ground in the international effort to address North Korea’s human rights violations, featuring: Ambassador Julie Turner… Read More
The Philosophy of Korean Tea
Wednesday, April 3, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
Darye–”etiquette for tea” or “tea rite”– has been an integral part of Korean history and culture for over a thousand years. Donghyun Kim, a Korean heritage curator, discusses the history of tea… Read More
Paper Soldiers: How the Weaponization of the Dollar Changed the World Order
Tuesday, April 2, 2024 | 12:00 PM (EDT)
Join us for a discussion with the Senior Washington Correspondent for Bloomberg News Saleha Mohsin on her newly released book Paper Soldiers: How the Weaponization of the Dollar Changed the World Order… Read More
Starry Field with Margaret Juhae Lee and Grace M. Cho
Wednesday, March 27, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
In her intimate and touching debut, Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History, journalist Margaret Juhae Lee uncovers her family’s lost history that had been buried in the darkness of Korea’s colonial decades… Read More
Colloquy: Translating Korean Poetry
Monday, March 25, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
The Korea Society is delighted to present Colloquy: Translating Korean Poetry, featuring five poets and translators –Stine An, Eunice Lee, Seo Jung Hak, Megan Sungyoon, and Soje– for an evening of poetry reading and conversation… Read More
The Dynamic U.S.-ROK Trade and Investment Relationship: Current Issues and Prospects
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 | 6 PM (EDT)
Explore insights into the dynamics of the U.S.-ROK economic relations and the critical issues impacting trade and investment between the two nations in our inaugural program, “The Dynamic U.S.-ROK Trade and Investment Relationship: Current Issues and Prospects… Read More
The Republic of Korea and the UN Security Council with ROK Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Joonkook HWANG
Friday, March 15, 2024 | 4:30 PM (EDT)
Please join us for a timely discussion on the Republic of Korea’s membership in the United Nations Security Council for the 2024-2025 term, featuring the ROK Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Joonkook HWANG… Read More
Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
Like the foundational role of butter in French cooking or olive oil in Italian cuisine, jangs stand as the cornerstone of Korean cooking, infusing every dish with a symphony of flavors and complexity. Chef Mingoo Kang… Read More
Legal Career Insights: A Panel Discussion
Monday, March 11, 2024 | 12 PM (EDT)
In the next program of our Young Professionals’ Network series, The Korea Society, in partnership with the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), will be hosting a panel discussion focused on the pursuit of a career in law. Our panel comprises four experienced legal professionals: Karen Kim, Senior Counsel at QBE North America and President of AABANY; Judge Judy Kim… Read More
Korean Unification: A Fading Prospect?
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 | 8:00 AM (EST)
Join us for this conversation about prospects for Korean Unification with Jeongmin Kim, Lead Correspondent at NK News / Editorial Director at Korea Pro, Dr. Lee Sang-shin, director of the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy at Korea Institute of National Unification (KINU), and Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt, the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI)… Read More
Snowglobe with Soyoung Park and Joungmin Lee Comfort
Monday, March 4, 2024
Snowglobe by Soyoung Park, the first book in a powerful young adult dystopian duology, is a groundbreaking exploration of personal identity, and the future of the world as we know it. The winner of the Changbi X Kakaopage Young Adult Novel Award, the novel has been translated into English by Joungmin Lee Comfort… Read More
Charting Entrepreneurial Paths: Curtis Lee, From Luxe to Pinwheel and Beyond
Wednesday, February 28, 2024 | 6 PM (EST)
Navigating the uncertainties of quitting an established career to venture into entrepreneurship is a common challenge for many aspiring startup founders. The question of when to take that leap adds another layer of complexity to the journey. To shed light on these dilemmas, we invite you to join our conversation with Curtis Lee… Read More
Deterring North Korea: A Conversation with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins
Thursday, February 22, 2024 | 12 PM (EST)
Join us for a discussion on deterrence and North Korea with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, United States Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Together in conversation with US Air Force Reserve Major Jessica Taylor… Read More
Author Talks: Hwang Bo-reum
Tuesday, February 20, 2024 | 5:00 PM
The charming slice-of-life novel Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by debut novelist Hwang Bo-reum became an instant smash hit with Korean readers. Now, the irresistible bestseller is available to English readers for the first time with an effervescent translation by Singaporean translator Shanna Tan… Read More
Concrete Utopia: A Director’s Talk
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
The story begins in the immediate aftermath of a catastrophic disaster. What if our apartment complex is the only building left standing after a devastating earthquake? Produced by Climax Studio… Read More
Rumbles of Thunder and Endangered Peace on the Korean Peninsula
Wednesday, January 31, 2024 | 12 PM (EST)
Recent events have heightened military tensions on the Korean Peninsula—North Korea’s successful launch of a military satellite resulting in Seoul’s decision to partially suspend the inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), and followed by Pyongyang’s deployment of additional forces near its border with South Korea… Read More
Author Talks: Bora Chung & Anton Hur
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
A rising star of Korean literature, Bora Chung burst onto the American literary scene last year with the publication of her astounding debut, Cursed Bunny: Stories, translated by Anton Hur. Met with universal praise, these surreal, chilling fables that take on patriarchy… Read More
Startup Scene: Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow Saeju Jeong: An Unwavering Visionary Behind Noom
Wednesday, January 24, 2024 | 6 PM (EST)
Join us for our inaugural program of Startup Scene: Entrepreneur of Tomorrow, featuring Saeju Jeong, the Co-Founder and former CEO, and now serving as Executive Chair of Noom. Noom, established in 2008 with Saeju’s friend, Artem Pekatov, introduced a pioneering weight loss app in 2017… Read More
An Evening of Korean Traditional Dance
Tuesday, January 23, 2024 | 6:30 PM (EST)|
Join us for an enchanted evening of Korean traditional dance performances. Kim Myoseon, Master Instructor of Seungmu (monk’s dance), the 27th Important Intangible Cultural Property of the Republic of Korea… Read More
Interview with Governor of Gyeonggi Province Dong Yeon Kim
Thursday, January 18, 2024 | 6:00 PM (EST)|
Join us for the “Local Leadership in a Global Context” series with Governor of Gyeonggi Province Dong Yeon Kim, moderated by Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, Korea Society Board Chair… Read More
Y. T. Hwang Family Foundation Series on Ethics & Common Values Inaugural Lecture by Dr. Jim Yong Kim
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 | 6 PM (EST)|
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… Read More
The U.S.-South Korea Alliance: Why It May Fail and Why It Must Not
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 | 6 PM (EST)|
Join us for a book talk with the Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy Scott Snyder. This new work provides an authoritative overview of the internal and external pressures on the U.S.–South Korea alliance and explores its future prospects… Read More
The U.S.-South Korea Alliance: Why It May Fail and Why It Must Not
Tuesday, January 9, 2024 | 6 PM (EST)|
Join us for a book talk with the Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy Scott Snyder. This new work provides an authoritative overview of the internal and external pressures on the U.S.–South Korea alliance and explores its future prospects… Read More
Beyond Utopia: Screening and Q&A with Sue Mi Terry and Seohyun Lee
Thursday, January 4, 2024 | 6 PM|
Join us for a screening of the documentary film BEYOND UTOPIA, winner of the Audience Award for US Documentary Features at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. BEYOND UTOPIA is a suspenseful look at the lengths people will go to gain freedom. It follows various individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on earth… Read More
Join us for the next installment of our “Local Leadership in a Global Context” series, as we delve into a discussion with the Governor of Jeollanamdo Kim Yung-rok, moderated by Tom Byrne, President & CEO of The Korea Society.
Governor Kim and Tom Byrne explore the intertwining of history with contemporary globalization, especially as it pertains to the U.S.-ROK Alliance. Here, they highlight the global leap of Jeollanamdo in various facets of everyday life, including politics, food, and culture, while also giving us a closer look at how the relationship between Jeollanamdo and the United States has evolved over the years.
Advancing the U.S.-ROK Alliance and the Global Rise of Jeollanamdo
IN-PERSON: Friday, October 25, 2024 | 10:30 AM (EDT) VIDEO RELEASE: Tuesday, December 17, 2024
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Kim Yung-rok was inaugurated as the 39th Governor of Jeollanamdo on July 1, 2022, marking his second consecutive term in office. With over four decades of public service experience, Governor Kim has dedicated his career to advancing the prosperity and sustainability of Jeollanamdo, focusing on green energy, smart agriculture, and balanced regional development. His leadership is characterized by a vision to transform Jeollanamdo into a global hub for future industries, particularly in renewable energy and sustainable farming.
Governor Kim’s path to leadership is grounded in his extensive governmental experience. Before his current role, he served as the Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs from 2017 to 2018, where he was instrumental in modernizing South Korea’s agricultural policies. His work focused on enhancing food security and rural development, while also driving agricultural innovation to strengthen the country’s competitiveness on the global stage.
In the National Assembly, where he served two terms as a representative, Governor Kim played a pivotal role in shaping policies related to agriculture and rural communities. His tenure was marked by legislative efforts aimed at promoting regional autonomy and economic development, with a particular emphasis on supporting farmers and addressing the challenges of rural depopulation.
As Governor, Kim Yung-rok has overseen numerous transformative projects for Jeollanamdo. One of his most significant initiatives is the province’s emergence as a leader in offshore wind energy and green hydrogen production. Under his leadership, Jeollanamdo is developing a massive offshore wind farm, which is set to be one of the largest in the world, and is creating an ecosystem for green hydrogen that will power future industries. These initiatives align with Governor Kim’s broader vision of positioning Jeollanamdo at the forefront of South Korea’s carbon-neutral future.
Born in 1955 in Wando, Jeollanamdo, Kim Yung-rok’s academic credentials include a Master’s in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University and a Bachelor’s in Public Administration from Konkuk University. His early career in public service saw him hold various key positions, including Vice Governor of Jeollanamdo, where he was instrumental in the province’s economic and administrative modernization.
Governor Kim’s leadership has been widely recognized. He is a four-time recipient of the Excellence in National Assembly Audit Award and has been honored multiple times for his public service and governance contributions. His publications, including On My Knees (2011) and The Ocean Built Me (2008), reflect on his journey and the values that drive his public service.
Join us for a program that explores recent political events in South Korea, including a brief history of martial law in Korea, the events leading up to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s decision to invoke Martial Law, the National Assembly’s counter-action, and the long term consequences of the episode. How will this affect Korea’s domestic politics, the U.S.-ROK Alliance relationship, and inter-Korean relations? The expert panel includes Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Tokyo bureau chief for The Washington Post, covering Japan and the Koreas, and Aram Hur, the Kim Koo Chair in Korean Studies and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Fletcher School, Tufts University, in conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado and policy program officer Chelsie Alexandre.
The Korea Society thanks our corporate sponsors and individual members for their generous support, which has made this program possible.
Martial Law Implications for South Korea and the U.S.-Korea Relationship
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 | 8 AM (EST)
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Aram Hur is the Kim Koo Chair in Korean Studies and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Fletcher School, Tufts University. Her research focuses on nationalism and democracy, with special attention to issues of identity, integration, and democratic support in East Asia. Professor Hur is the author of Narratives of Civic Duty: How National Stories Shape Democracy in Asia (Cornell University Press, 2022), which won the 2023 Robert A. Dahl Award for best book on democracy by an untenured scholar from the American Political Science Association. Her research appears in leading disciplinary journals such as the British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Politics, and Comparative Political Studies and is widely cited in domestic and international media. She was selected as the 2021 Sherman Emerging Scholar by The Korea Society, a 2018-19 CSIS US-Korea NextGen Scholar, and is the recipient of the 2023 Gold Chalk Award for Teaching from the University of Missouri. She holds a Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University, an M.P.P. from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a B.A. with honors from Stanford University.
Michelle Ye Hee Lee is The Washington Post‘s Tokyo bureau chief, reporting on Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Previously, she covered money and influence in politics and voting access on the national political enterprise and accountability team and was a reporter for The Post’s Fact Checker. Prior to joining The Post in 2014, she was a government accountability reporter at the Arizona Republic in Phoenix.
Join us for an inspiring and heartwarming story timed for the holiday season about the largest wartime humanitarian evacuation in history. During The Korean War, naval and merchant ships from America and its allies rescued almost 100,000 North Korean refugees. Among these ships was a humble freighter, the SS Meredith Victory. Although it was built to accommodate only a few passengers and crew, a staggering 14,000 refugees were crammed on board, filling five cargo holds and the entire main deck. The ship carried them all to safety despite lacking food, mine detection equipment, doctors, interpreters, sanitation facilities, and heat or lights in the cargo holds. The 75th Anniversary of this incredible event in 2025 will be marked by a major long-term exhibition at the American Merchant Marine Museum (AMMM), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, alongside exhibitions in Korea. Speakers include Burley Smith, who was just 21 when he took part in the rescue as Junior Third Mate fresh out of Kings Point. Today, aged 95, he is the last surviving crew member. Joining Burley is Dr. Joshua Smith, Director of the American Merchant Marine Museum, in conversation with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado.
The Korea Society thanks the Korea Foundation, our corporate sponsors, and individual members for their generous support, which has made this program possible.
The Hungnam Rescue
Thursday, December 5, 2024 | 6 PM (EST)
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Dr. Joshua M. Smith grew up in the United States on Cape Cod and coastal Maine. He holds degrees from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, Maine Maritime Academy, East Carolina University, and the University of Maine. He is author of Borderland Smuggling: Patriots, Loyalists, and Illicit Trade in the Northeast, 1783-1820, which explores smuggling on the Maine-New Brunswick border and won the John Lyman Award in American Maritime History in 2007. In 2009 he published Blockhouse and Battery: A History of Fort Edgecomb as part of that historic site’s bicentennial, and Battle for the Bay: The Naval War of 1812, which explores dimension of maritime warfare off New England’s coast. He has also edited a two volume collection of documents in American maritime history in conjunction with the National Maritime Historical Society entitled Voyages. He currently is an associate professor of humanities and Interim Coordinator of the American Merchant Marine Museum at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, in Kings Point, New York as well as serving as Department Head of the Humanities Department until September, 2015. Professor Smith lives in Port Washington, NY with his wife and daughter.
Burley Smith was born in Islip, New York, on January 9, 1929. As a child during the Great Depression, his family moved around but he spent most of his elementary and high school years in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He does not remember learning about Korea in school, but his strong interest in learning about what was happening in the world fueled his love for reading newspapers and learning about Korea. Shortly after graduating from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, he was assigned as a Junior Third Mate to the SS Meredith Victory in Norfolk, Virginia. During his six month assignment in Korea, his vessel was part of the convoy for General MacArthur’s infamous Inchon Landing and the revered Heungnam Evacuation.
The Van Fleet Signature Policy Conference is The Korea Society’s landmark policy event. Held in the District Ballroom of The Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C., the conference provides insights on the fast evolving threats and opportunities impacting the dynamic U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) relationship, including a panel on security, a panel on diplomacy, and a keynote address.
Korea Society president and CEO Thomas Byrne provides an introduction and a congratulatory message is provided by H.E. Cho Hyundong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the U.S.
The security panel, “U.S.-ROK Alliance Evolving to Meet Future Challenges,” is moderated by Gen (Ret.) Walter Sharp and features former ROK Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup, Admiral (Ret.) Harry Harris, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Affairs Alexandra Bell.
The diplomacy panel, “A Broadening U.S.-ROK Relationship in a Changing Regional and Global Landscape,” is moderated by Amb (Ret.) Kathleen Stephens and features former ROK Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Dr. Victor Cha, and Dr. Katrin Katz. Policy director Jonathan Corrado and Policy program officer Chelsie Alexandre are emcees.
The keynote speaker is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Jedidiah P. Royal.
A full program agenda and speaker bios can be seen below.
The panels and keynote speech will be livestreamed on The Korea Society’s YouTube channel, as well as released via podcast and covered on social media, including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. In-person attendance is invitation only, but all are welcome to watch the proceedings live on YouTube.
The Korea Society thanks our corporate sponsors and individual members for their generous support, which has made this program possible.
Introduction and Overview of Themes The Korea Society president and CEO Tom Byrne .
9:30 AM
Congratulatory Message H.E. Cho Hyundong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the US.
9:40 AM
Security Panel U.S.-ROK Alliance Evolving to Meet Future Challenges Moderated by Gen (Ret.) Walter Sharp with Admiral (Ret.) Harry Harris, and former ROK Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-sup , and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Affairs Alexandra Bell.
10:50 AM
Diplomacy Panel A Broadening U.S.-ROK Relationship in a Changing Regional and Global Landscape Moderated by Amb (Ret.) Kathleen Stephens with former ROK Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Dr. Victor Cha, and Dr. Katrin Katz.
12:00 PM
Lunch and Keynote Address Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Jedidiah P. Royal.
2:00 PM
Adjourn.
About the Speakers:
Alexandra Bell serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Affairs in the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability (ADS). From 2017 to 2021, Bell was the Senior Policy Director at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation and the Council for a Livable World. Previously, Bell served as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security and as an Advisor in ADS, then named the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance. Before joining the Department of State in 2010, she worked on nuclear policy issues at the Ploughshares Fund and the Center for American Progress. Bell received a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the New School and a Bachelor’s degree in Peace, War and Defense from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 2001-2003, she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica. Bell is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Thomas J. Byrne joined The Korea Society as President in August 2015. Since June 2023, he had also taken the role of “Honorary Ambassador,” appointed by the minister of MOTIE under the auspices of KOTRA/Invest Korea, to help promote trade and investment ties between Korea and the U.S. Byrne comes to the Society from Moody’s Investor Services, where he was Senior Vice President, Regional Manager, spokesperson, and Director of Analysis for the Sovereign Risk Group in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, based in Singapore. Prior to that, he was the Senior Economist of the Asia Department at the Institute of International Finance in Washington D.C. from 1984 to 1996. Byrne has an MA in International Relations with a concentration in international economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced international Studies and a BS in Biology from State University of New York at Stony Brook. Before his graduate work, he served in South Korea for three years as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer. Byrne teaches as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York City and at Georgetown University’s Graduate School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C. As president, he has written opinion articles published in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg View, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Financial Times, The National Interest, and Reuters Breakingviews.
Victor Cha is president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also the distinguished university professor and professor of government at Georgetown University. He was appointed in 2021 by the Biden administration to serve on the Defense Policy Board in an advisory role to the secretary of defense. From 2004 to 2007, he served on the National Security Council (NSC) and was responsible for Japan, Korea, Australia/New Zealand, and Pacific Island nations. Dr. Cha was U.S. deputy head of delegation at the Six Party Talks and received two outstanding service commendations during his tenure at the NSC. He is the author of seven books, including the award-winning Alignment Despite Antagonism: The United States-Korea-Japan Security Triangle (Stanford, 1999) (winner of the 2000 Ohira Book Prize), The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future (Ecco, 2012) selected by Foreign Affairs as a “Best Book on the Asia-Pacific for 2012″, Powerplay: Origins of the American Alliance System in Asia (Princeton, 2018), and Korea: A New History of South and North (Yale, 2023). Dr. Cha is a two-time Fulbright scholar, former Olin fellow at Harvard, and former Hoover, CISAC, and Koret fellow at Stanford. He currently serves on 10 editorial boards of academic journals and is co-editor of the Contemporary Asia book series at Columbia University Press. He serves on the board of the National Endowment for Democracy and is a senior fellow at the George W. Bush Institute. He is also a foreign affairs contributor for MSNBC and NBC News. Dr. Cha received his PhD, MIA and BA degree from Columbia University and a BA Honors from Oxford University.
Ambassador Hyundong Cho, the 28th Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States, has had a distinguished career in the Korean Foreign Service, most recently serving as First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) from May 2022 to April 2023. Since joining the Foreign Service in 1985, Ambassador Cho has held numerous key roles focused on Korea-U.S. relations and North Korean affairs. His positions have included Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination, Ambassador for Public Diplomacy, Director-General for North Korean Nuclear Affairs, Deputy Secretary for National Security Strategy in the President’s Office, and Director of North America Division III. He has served multiple assignments in the United States, including as First Secretary in 2000, Deputy Chief of Mission in 2013, and now as Ambassador. He has also served in Geneva, Mongolia, and India.
Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr. commanded the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), now known as the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), from May, 2015 to May, 2018. He is the first Asian-American to hold four-star rank in the U.S. Navy and the first to head USPACOM. Prior to USPACOM, he commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Other operational commands include the U.S. 6th Fleet, Striking and Support Forces NATO, Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 1, and Patrol Squadron 46. He was the 23rd United States Ambassador to the Republic of Korea. Harris’ personal decorations include the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, three Navy Distinguished Service Medals, three Defense Superior Service Medals, three Legions of Merit, two Bronze Stars, and the Air Medal. He received the Republic of Korea’s Tong-il medal in 2014. He has also been decorated by the governments of Australia, France, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Singapore. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978 and holds master’s degrees from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service.
Dr. Katrin Fraser Katz, is The Korea Society’s inaugural Van Fleet Nonresident Senior Fellow. Dr. Katz is a former director for Japan, Korea, and oceanic affairs on the staff of the National Security Council, where she served from 2007 to 2008. She is also a Professor of Practice in the Department of Political Science and the Master of Arts in International Administration (MAIA) program at the University of Miami and an Adjunct Fellow (Non-resident) in the Office of the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC. Previously, she was a special assistant to the assistant secretary for international organization affairs at the U.S. Department of State and an analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency. She was previously an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University and has also taught at Georgetown University. In 2017, Dr. Katz received the inaugural Sherman Family Korea Emerging Scholar Lecture Series award from The Korea Society. Dr. Katz’s research, which has been supported by grants from the Korea Foundation and the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, explores the interplay of cooperation and conflict in East Asia’s political, economic, and security dynamics. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University; a master’s degree in East Asian and international security studies from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she was awarded the John C. Perry Scholarship for East Asian Studies; and a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in international relations and Japanese from the University of Pennsylvania.
Lee Jong-Sup served as the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea from May 2022 until October 2023. He is a retired Lieutenant General from the Republic of Korea Army, who last served as the Vice Chairman of ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff. He graduated from the Korea Military Academy and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1984, and completed the Infantry Officer’s Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1988. He received a Ph.D. degree in International Relations from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) in 1999. LTG (R) Lee previously served as the Deputy Director General for Policy Planning Bureau at the Ministry of National Defense, the Assistant Secretary at the Presidential Office for Foreign Affairs and National Security, the Special Assistant for Defense Policy to the Chief of National Intelligence Service, the Chief Director of Combined Defense Transformation Group (JCS), and Commander of 2nd Infantry Division and 7th Mechanized Corps. He received decorations including the Order of National Security Merit, Cheonsu Medal (2014) and the Order of National Security Merit, Gugseon Medal(2019). He also received U.S. Legion of Merit (2019) and Turkish Armed Forces Legion of Merit (2018).
Jedidiah P. Royal, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs. He oversees IPSA’s extensive portfolio — spanning China, Taiwan, and Mongolia; East Asia; and South and Southeast Asia – and works across the national security enterprise to synchronize IPSA activities with foreign policy objectives. Before joining IPSA, Mr. Royal served as Deputy Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, where he coordinated implementation of a diverse array of Security Cooperation programs. Prior to joining DSCA, Mr. Royal served as the Director of Defense Policy and Plans at the U.S. Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In this capacity, Mr. Royal represented the United States to the NATO alliance on defense policy, capability, planning, deterrence, burden sharing and partnership matters. Prior to his position at NATO, Mr. Royal served in a variety of positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, most recently as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia affairs. He was also detailed to the National Security Council at the White House as Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan from 2013-2015; served as the Director for Cooperative Threat Reduction Policy in the office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction from 2010-2013; and served on exchange in Canberra, Australia as the Director of Strategic Advice in the Australian Department of Defense from 2007-2010. Mr. Royal was also assigned to the Counter Proliferation Policy office and the Office of Negotiations Policy. Mr. Royal started his career in the United States Senate as Legislative Assistant for Near East and South Asia Policy at the Foreign Relations Committee. Mr. Royal holds the degree of M. PHIL from the University of New South Wales where his research and writing focused on the economic-security nexus, in particular the consequences of economic volatility on security relationships. He completed his undergraduate studies in International Affairs at The George Washington University.
General Walter “Skip” Sharp was born in Morgantown, West Virginia while his father was fighting in the Korean War. General Sharp graduated from West Point in 1974 and was commissioned as an armor officer. He earned an M.S. in operations research and system analysis from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is a graduate of the Army War College. General Sharp commanded the United Nations Command, Republic of Korea-United States Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea from 2008 to 2011. He also commanded troops in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti and the Multinational Division (North) of the NATO-led Stabilization Force in Bosnia. General and Mrs. Sharp live in Alexandria, VA. He is a Director on The Korea Society BOD and former Chairman of BOD for the Military Officers Association of America. He is also on the BOD for ARTIS, LLC and consults for several U.S. companies focused on supporting our military and veterans. General Sharp is also involved in Northeast Asia and Korea strategy and policy discussions at several Washington, D.C. area Think Tanks.
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). Ambassador Stephens served in a number of policy positions in Washington at the Department of State and the White House. These included acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (2012), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (2005-2007), Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (2003-2005), and National Security Council Director for European Affairs at the Clinton White House. 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 chair of The Korea Society and board vice-chair of The Asia Foundation. Ambassador Stephens studied at Prescott College, University of Hong Kong and Oxford University, and holds a BA Honors from Prescott. She holds a Master’s degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School. In the 1970s, she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Korea.
Yun Byung-se served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea from March 2013 until June 2017 (longest serving Foreign Minister after 1981). Prior to that, he served as Deputy National Security Adviser (Senior Secretary) to the President responsible for Korea’s foreign, defense and unification policy and as Senior Coordinator at the National Security Council of the Presidential Office.
As a career diplomat with 37 year-long experience, his foreign postings include the United States, the United Nations in New York and Geneva, Singapore and Australia. At the headquarters, he was Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, was the Foreign Minister. He graduated from Seoul National University’s College of Law and received a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University’s Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He was a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) of Sogang University in Seoul from 2009 until early 2013.
He is currently Chairman of Seoul International Law Academy (SILA), Co-Chair of REAIM Global Commission(AI), and Chairman of NEAR Global Survey Project. He is also on the board of Korea Peace Foundation and the NEAR Foundation and is affiliated with several global ex-leaders’ forums and projects on international peace and security, non-proliferation and geopolitical risks. His global survey report 2023 on the world order was published in English and in Korean by the NEAR Foundation under the title of “Quo Vadit Mundus: Competing for Order in a Fragmenting World”.
He regularly contributes his writings to the Korea JoongAng Daily and the Korea Times and moderates the annual CSIS-JoongAng Conference and other forums frequently.
Jonathan Corrado is Director of Policy for The Korea Society. He produces programming and conducts research on a range of security, diplomacy, and socioeconomic issues impacting the U.S.-Korea Alliance, the Korean Peninsula, and Northeast Asia. He teaches a class titled, “North Korea: State, Society, Diplomacy, and Security” at The School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University and SUNY Stony Brook University. Jonathan is a member of The National Committee on North Korea (NCNK). He was previously a non-resident James A. Kelly Fellow at Pacific Forum, an Emerging Leader at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP), and a contributor to NK Pro. He has published peer-reviewed articles in the International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence, the Journal of Indo Pacific Affairs, the Journal of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, and Asian Politics & Policy. He has also published analysis in diverse outlets such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, War on the Rocks, 38 North, The Diplomat, The Japan Times, The National Interest, Yahoo News, Pacific Forum PacNet and Issues & Insights, NK News, and NK Pro. He has been quoted in The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Reuters, The South China Morning Post, The Korea Times, Radio Free Asia, and Voice of America. Jonathan was previously a translator for Daily NK (Korean to English), an FCPA due diligence investigator for Steele Compliance Solutions, a graduate fellow for McLarty Associates, and a volunteer analyst for the Congressional Research Service. Jonathan received an MA from Georgetown University’s Asian Studies Program in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and a BA in anthropology and philosophy from the University of Maryland College Park.
Chelsie Alexandre is the Policy Program Officer at The Korea Society. She works with the Director of Policy to develop and implement events that address issues shaping the dynamics of U.S.-ROK relations, the Korean peninsula, and Northeast Asia. Before joining The Korea Society, Chelsie received a Fulbright Research award to conduct research in South Korea on the role of middle power countries in the Korean peace process with Korea University’s Peace and Democracy Institute. During her time in Seoul, she also briefly reported on domestic Korean affairs for The Diplomat. Prior to her current role, Chelsie was a Partnerships Coordinator at the New York City-based nonprofit, The Concordia Summit, and she worked as a Legal Analyst at the global law firm Kobre & Kim. Chelsie also had previous experience as a research Intern at The Korea Society. She graduated with a B.A. in Politics from Princeton University, with minors in East Asian Studies and Diplomacy.
The Korea Society is pleased to announce that the eighth annual Sherman Family Korea Emerging Scholar Lecture Awardee is Dr. David Krolikoski, assistant professor at the University of Hawai’i. In his lecture Dr. Krolikoski examines The Silence of Love (Nim ŭi ch’immuk, 1926), the acclaimed collection of eighty-eight poems by Han Yong-un (1879-1944), a Buddhist monk and public intellectual. Although the book is commonly celebrated as a metaphor for colonial subjugation, Dr. Krolikoski complicates this established reading to argue that its artistic significance lies in Han’s paradigm-shifting use of colonial poetry as a medium of communal expression during a time of national crisis.
The lecture explores how Han uses fiction and symbols to collapse the boundary between private and public address, transmuting the individual voice of his poetic speaker into a platform for a community. Dr. Krolikoski also contextualizes The Silence of Love within the history of the translation of foreign poetic forms into Korea during the 1920s, with a focus on how Han incorporated elements from the lyric and prose poem into his verse. Dr. Emily Jungmin Yoon, author of Find Me as the Creature I Am (Alfred A. Knopf, 2024) and assistant professor of Korean literature at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, will serve as moderator.
2024 Sherman Family Korea Emerging Scholar Lecture The Politics of The Silence of Love in Colonial Korea David Krolikoski
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 | 6 PM (EST)
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
David Krolikoski is assistant professor of Korean literature at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. He specializes in modern Korean poetry, colonial literature, and translation. Krolikoski’s scholarship has appeared in Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture, Japanese Language and Literature, The Routledge Companion of Korean Literature, Hyŏndae sihak, and Sima, and his translations of Korean literature have been published by The Margins and Chicago Review, among other outlets. His first book manuscript, titled Lyrical Translation: The Creation of Modern Poetry in Colonial Korea, is forthcoming from the University of Hawaiʻi Press. Dr. Krolikoski holds a PhD and MA from the University of Chicago in East Asian Languages and Civilizations and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.
About the Moderator:
Emily Jungmin Yoon is the author of Find Me as the Creature I Am (Alfred A. Knopf, 2024). Her first poetry collection A Cruelty Special to Our Species (Ecco, 2018) was a finalist for the 2020 Kate Tufts Discovery Award and winner of the 2019 Devil’s Kitchen Reading Award. Yoon works as the poetry editor for The Margins, the literary magazine of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, and as an assistant professor of Korean literature at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Dr. Yoon holds a PhD in East Asian Language and Civilizations from the University of Chicago.
About the Award:
The Sherman Family Korea Emerging Scholar Lecture Award was established in 2017 through the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Philp Sherman and family. Its primary goal is to encourage U.S. thought leadership on Korea among a new generation. The annual award competition opens in early spring and the lecture is hosted in-person at the Society and streamed virtually in the fall of each year. The award is presented across disciplines to emerging thought leaders from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds working in the U.S.
Prior awardees have explored topics in the arts, architecture, industrial policy, political science and technology and have included Ph.D. candidates, junior professors (tenure and non-tenure track), researchers and professionals. Questions can be directed to linda.tobash@koreasociety.org.
Clickherefor further information on the application process. Clickhereto view presentations of former award winners.
Join us for a conversation with Stephen Biegun, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea. This discussion will examine past diplomatic efforts to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea, lessons learned, and future prospects. What are Mr. Biegun’s takeaways from his summitry engagement with North Korea? Is it still possible today to pursue mutually acceptable waypoints within the confines of a grand bargain or should more modest goals be pursued? How do geopolitical shifts and hardening regional rivalries undermine the U.S. and North Korean interest in improving bilateral relations? How does the public discourse create reductive dichotomies between deterrence vs. diplomacy and human rights vs. humanitarian efforts? The moderator for this program is Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado.
In-person attendance is restricted to Kim Koo Fellows and Korea Society members ONLY. Please click below to see membership options. Korea Society members will receive a separate in-person invitation.
The Korea Society thanks the Kim Koo Foundation, our corporate sponsors, and individual members for their generous support, which has made this program possible.
Expert Take: U.S.-North Korea Relations
with former Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | 10 AM (EST)
The Korea Society 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor New York, NY 10017
Stephen E. Biegun is senior vice president of Global Public Policy at The Boeing Company. In this role, he is responsible for advising and executing on Boeing’s global public policy matters in support of the company’s priorities and optimizing relationships with key stakeholders in the U.S. and around the world. He is also a member of the company’s Executive Council. Prior to Boeing, Stephen served as senior advisor at Macro Advisory Partners since 2021 assisting corporate leaders in minimizing geopolitical risk and business disruption in global markets. He has more than three decades of international affairs experience in government and the private sector, including high-level government service with the Department of State, the White House and the United States Congress.
In 2021, Stephen concluded his most recent government service as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, to which he was confirmed by the Senate with a strong bipartisan vote of 90-3. On August 23, 2018, Secretary Pompeo appointed Stephen E. Biegun as the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, responsible for leading U.S. efforts to achieve President Trump’s goal of the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, as agreed to by Chairman Kim Jong Un at the Singapore summit. As Special Representative, on behalf of the Secretary of State he directed all U.S. policy on North Korea, led negotiations, and spearheaded U.S. diplomatic efforts with allies and partners.
