An Evening with Chef Esther Choi of Mokbar

Esther Choi, owner and chef of Mŏkbar , will share her remarkable and entrepreneurial journey from pharmacy student to restaurant owner. Winning the Village Voice Readers’ Choice Best New Restaurant in 2014, Mŏkbar has become one of New York’s go-to Korean noodle shops since opening in Chelsea Market a year ago.

Chef Esther is a young and talented chef on a mission to popularize Korean food. She fuses authentic Korean ingredients and old family recipes with an American twist to create her own unique style of Korean soul food! The result is Korean flavored ramen noodles inspired by traditional dishes such as kimchijigae, bibimbap, naengmyeon, and miyeokgook. Renowned for her homemade kimchis, she even coined the term “kimchify” as she can ferment almost any vegetable in the Korean style. Chef Esther’s kimchi is essential to many of the menu items offered at Mŏkbar, providing the “soul” in her cuisine.

She will be joined by moderator Leiti Hsu, the producer and host of WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on Heritage Radio Network, who eats and networks for a living. Chef Esther will also demonstrate how to make her version of tteobokki (spicy rice cake), followed by a tasting. A not-to-be-missed event for young professional foodies!

 

 

Thursday, June 11, 2015  |  6:30 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Culinary programs are generously sponsored by SK.

 Serving beer by Tiger Beer

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About the SpeakerAbout the Moderator

2015 06 11  mokbar  esther-choiEsther Choi, the chef and owner of mŏkbar, grew up cooking traditional Korean food with her grandmother. Born in New Jersey and having spent part of her younger years in Korea, Esther further received professional training as a chef at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) as well as at ilili, La Esquina and Food Network in New York. Her diverse experiences across continents and cuisines, and strong Korean roots, drive Esther’s unique approach to sharing her passion for food.

Esther: “I grew up cooking with my grandma. She taught me everything I know about food – how to love every ingredient, appreciate and respect the process and making of every dish. That is what Korean food is about: dedication and passing on that kind of love to people. I think that is where my passion derived from. To me, Korean food is not just about cooking and being a chef, it is really about my family, culture and who I am. I have been working in restaurants since I was 14 years old and since then have always been in love with the industry. I probably worked every job there is in a restaurant, whether it be front-of-house or back-of-house. Over the years I realized that it was not just a job anymore, my love and passion for food grew everyday. Opening my own restaurant is not a coincidence. It has been in my blood and bones forever. Being able to show my food to New York has always been a dream.“

2015 06 11  mokbar  leiti hsuLeiti Hsu hosts the weekly live show WORD OF MOUTH with Leiti Hsu on Heritage Radio Network, where she gets real with star-studded chefs, sommeliers and restaurateurs from around the world about what really matters in life: love, fear, business, pleasure. Guests have included: Sirio Maccioni (Le Cirque), Mark Rosati (Shake Shack), Anita Lo (Annisa), Christopher Kostow (The Restaurant at Meadowood), Paul Liebrandt (Corton, The Elm), Charles Phan (The Slanted Door), Nick Anderer (Marta, Maialino), Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski (State Bird Provisions).

This Kevin Bacon of the dining world works with big brands and tech startups–those doing what’s most innovative and delicious. Clients have included the likes of Twitter, Unilever, Cover, Sosh David Rosengarten, Plated, and Thrillist.

You may have seen her in Forbes, Eater, NYMag Grubstreet, Cosmopolitan, Town & Country, and First We Feast. Connect with Leiti on social media at @leitihsu #WOMshow. Meanwhile, we hope to see you at one of her Taiwanese beef noodle soup popups #HsuSoup soon!


 

Private Tour of Korea: 100 Years of Collecting at the MET

In celebration of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s hundredth-anniversary of the establishment of its Department of Asian Art, the museum is showcasing its unparalleled collection of Asian art—the most comprehensive in the West with more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—through a range of inspiring exhibitions, including the current exhibit, Korea: 100 Years of Collecting at the MET. Soyoung Lee, the MET’s associate curator of the Department of Asian Art, will personally guide members through the Museum’s collection of Korean art, and explain how the collection grew from 65 Korean works to a collection that now encompasses ceramics, paintings, sculpture, metalwork, lacquerware, and textiles from the late Bronze Age to the present. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to hear the stories behind the Korean masterpieces at the MET!

 

Friday, June 5, 2015 | 4 PM

 

Private Tour of Korea: 100 Years of Collecting at the MET

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street)

 

Tour participants will enter through the main entrance and meet at the
Group Registration Desk in the Great Hall at 3:50 PM.

 

 


Members’ Event

 

This special event is for Korea Society members. If you’re not yet a member or are thinking of renewing your membership, we have a special membership offer which includes the private tour—just one more reason to join The Korea Society today!

 

Korea Society members—$20, includes the private tour and entrance to museum

Special Membership Offer—$50, includes the private tour, entrance to museum, and one-year membership in The Korea Society

Advanced ticket purchase is required for this event. Space is limited.

 


 

Banner Image
Bird-shaped vessel
Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C.–A.D. 668), 3rd century                
Earthenware
H. 12 7/8 in. (32.7 cm); W. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm); L. 13 7/8 in. (35.2 cm)
Ceramics
Met Collection, Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1997

 


 

International Day of Happiness Happy Hour

The Korea Society’s and the UN Association’s Young Professionals are hosting a Happy Hour at The Attic to celebrate the United Nation’s International Day of Happiness, which recognizes “the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world.”

Enjoy complimentary Hors d’oeuvres and Happy Hour specials with a Korean twist at the Cash Bar!

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Friday, March 20, 2015 | 6 PM

 

The Attic
15th Floor Lounge
251 West 48th Street  (corner of 8th Ave.)

 

Members: Free with Registration

 


 

 SK logo

Young Professionals’ programs are generously sponsored by SK.

 

2014 Van Fleet Award Honorees

 


Key Note Speaker & 2014 Van Fleet Award Honoree

 

MARILLYN A. HEWSON
CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT, AND CEO
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION

 

 

 

Marillyn A. Hewson is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation. She previously held a variety of increasingly responsible executive positions with the Corporation, including President and Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin’s Electronic Systems business area.

In her 30 years with Lockheed Martin, Ms. Hewson has held several operational leadership positions including President of Lockheed Martin Systems Integration; Executive Vice President of Global Sustainment for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics; President and General Manager of Kelly Aviation Center, L.P., an affiliate of Lockheed Martin; and President of Lockheed Martin Logistics Services. She has also served in key corporate executive roles, including Senior Vice President of Corporate Shared Services, Vice President of Global Supply Chain Management, and Vice President of Corporate Internal Audit.

Ms. Hewson serves on the Board of Directors of DuPont and previously chaired the Sandia Corporation Board of Directors from 2010 to 2013. She served on the Board of Directors of Carpenter Technology Corporation from 2002 through 2006. In September 2013, Ms. Hewson was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Export Council, the principal national advisory committee on international trade. She serves as Steering Committee Chair for the Defense Industry Initiative, an association of U.S. defense companies committed to conducting business affairs at the highest ethical level. She is a member of the Board of Governors of the Aerospace Industries Association, and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Ms. Hewson serves on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, the Board of Governors of the USO and on the Board of the National Geographic Education Foundation. She is a member of The Business Roundtable, the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration Board of Visitors. Ms. Hewson has been selected by Fortune magazine as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” for the past four years and was named #4 in 2013.  She was named by Forbes as one of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” in 2013.

Born in Junction City, Kansas, Ms. Hewson earned her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and her Master of Arts degree in economics from The University of Alabama. She also attended the Columbia Business School and Harvard Business School executive development programs.

 

 


2012 vanfleet Han-Duck-soo

2014 Van Fleet Award Honoree

 


YONGMAAN PARK
CHAIRMAN AND CEO
DOOSAN GROUP

 

Mr. Park is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Doosan Group, and he is also Chairman of key Doosan businesses including Doosan Infracore and Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction. Doosan is a Global conglomerate with $24 billion revenue generated from the construction power and desalination plants as well as the manufacture of power equipment, construction equipment, engines and machine tools. Doosan boasts a storied history of 118 years, making it the oldest company in Korea—yet it is simultaneously the most dynamic enterprise.

Mr. Park has been in the front-and-center of the renowned transformation of the Doosan Group. He has led over 42 deals including acquisitions and divestitures of businesses as part of the strategic drive to overhaul Doosan’s business portfolio, turning Doosan from a consumer goods company to an ISB (Infrastructure Support Business) focused enterprise. Included in this portfolio change was the acquisition of Bobcat, the world leader in compact construction equipment. He has also spearheaded Doosan’s broader globalization efforts, transforming the Korean company into a multi-national conglomerate with operations in more than 30 countries, with over 50 percent of its 43,000 employees working overseas. Mr. Park’s leadership has led Doosan to achieve a seven-fold revenue growth in just over a decade. Doosan’s success, and Mr. Park’s leadership, have received tremendous publicity abroad and are frequently benchmarked in the industry.

In acknowledgement of his leadership and expertise, Mr. Park was elected as Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in August 2013. The KCCI is the nation’s largest business organization encompassing 71 regional chambers and approximately 150,000 firms and industry associations in Korea. Mr. Park, as Chairman of the KCCI, plays a central role in representing diverse voices of businesses and building close partnerships between the private and public sectors.

Mr. Park has also been known for his devoted service to enhance the commercial ties between Korea and other countries, being awarded the Order of Civil Merit of Spain in 2003 and the Order of Leopold Ⅱ of Belgium in 2009. Mr. Park has been Chairman of the Korea-Spain Economic Cooperation Committee since 2000, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Special Olympics – Korea since 2011. Mr. Park has been described as an open and caring leader who places people at the core of his values, and is currently devoted to building a strong common corporate culture within Doosan designed to achieve unparalleled success of Doosan for another 100 years.

An avid photographer and dedicated athlete, Mr. Park spends his leisure time in pursuing documentary photography and cross-country trekking. Mr. Park has traversed the Korean Peninsula on foot, travelling 550 km along a north-south path and 320 km along a west-east path. Most recently he has walked across 230km around the southern coast, setting a record of total 1,100km.

Mr. Park is also a public figure known for his open communication through Twitter, with more than 155,000 followers.

Mr. Park received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Seoul National University in 1978 and his MBA from Boston University in 1982. He is fluent in English and Japanese.

 

 

 


 

2013 Van Fleet Award Honorees

 


2013 Van Fleet Award Honoree

The 2013 Van Fleet Award was awarded to all Korean and U.S. diplomats who have worked to strengthen the 60-year alliance. Ambassador Ahn from Washington and Ambassador Sung Kim from Seoul formally accepted the award on behalf of all the diplomats.

 

 

AHN HO-YOUNG
AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY
OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 

 

 

Ahn Ho-Young was appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States by Madame President Park Geun-hye in May, 2013. He has been serving as ambassador since June. Ambassador Ahn joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978 and has had previous overseas postings in New Delhi; Washington, D.C.; Paris, at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development; and Geneva, at the UN Secretariat and International Organizations. His domestic assignments have included stints at the Treaties Bureau, the International Trade Bureau, the International Trade Law Division, and the Multilateral Trade Bureau. More recently, in 2008, he was appointed as Deputy Minister for Trade at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served in this position until 2011 when he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Belgium and of the Korean Mission to the European Union. In 2012, Ambassador Ahn became the First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade before he was appointed to his current position. Ambassador Ahn graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in political science in 1979 and received his Master’s degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1983. He previously taught at Korea University as an adjunct professor of law and diplomacy. Ahn Ho-Young is married and has two sons.

 

 


2012 vanfleet Han-Duck-soo

 

 


SUNG KIM
AMBASSADOR OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

 

 

 

Sung Kim is the Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Korea. He was nominated by President Barack Obama on June 27, 2011, and confirmed by the United States Senate on October 13, 2011. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Kim was the Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks with the rank of Ambassador. Before that, he headed the Office of Korean Affairs at the Department of State from August 2006 to July 2008. Ambassador Kim also served in a variety of positions in the East Asia Pacific region including overseas assignments in Seoul, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Ambassador Kim’s Washington assignments have included stints as a desk officer in the State Department’s Office of Chinese Affairs and Staff Assistant in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Kim worked as a public prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Ambassador Kim was born in Seoul, Korea, and grew up in Los Angeles where he attended middle school and high school. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and completed a degree in law from Loyola. He also holds a Master of Laws degree from the London School of Economics. He is married to Jae Eun and they have two daughters.

 

 


 

Celebrate the New Year, Celebrate Korea 2015

You’re Invited to
Celebrate the Lunar New Year
at our Annual Appreciation Party

 

Spread a little New Year’s Cheer and

Toast to good fortune in the Year of the Ram

with friends, members, and supporters of The Korea Society

 

Thursday, February 12, 2015

 

 

As we have limited space this year, we will offer two sessions to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable evening. Please RSVP to your preferred session:

Session I

5:30 – 7:00 PM

 

Session II

7:00 – 8:30 PM

 

The Korea Society
950 Third Avenue, @ 57th Street, 8th Floor, NYC

Members: FREE with RSVP
Guest of Explorers & Above: Free
Guest of Members: $10

Not a member? Click here to join

Non-Members: $20
Students: $10

Register by Monday, February 9, 2015

 

For more information, please email Claudia Y. Pak or call 212-759-7525 ext. 321


 

An Evening with Coffee Meets Bagels

2014 11 20  YPN  coffe-bagel icon

Arranged introductions have long been part of Korean culture, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Kang sisters would merge technology and dating to pioneer an innovative but surprisingly simple on-line dating service, Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB). Join us for an evening with the founders as they share, with Wework’s Christina Choi, their experiences starting CMB and using technology, social media, and marketing research in a people business.

 

 

Thursday, November 20, 2014 | 6:30 PM

 

The Korea Society
950 Third Aveue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022
(Corner of 57th and 3rd)

 

Young Professionals (YPNs): Free

Members: $10

Non-members: $20

New YPNs + program: $70

 

 


 

 SK logo

Young Professionals’ programs are generously sponsored by SK.

 

Opening Night with Rostarr

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KAFFNY (Korean American Film Festival New York), in partnership with The Korea Society, will open its 8th annual film festival with an opening-night party that features the artwork of Rostarr . The artist’s film, Kill the Ego, produced in collaboration with Soundwalk Collective, will be screened at the Wythe Hotel’s cinema. Afterwards, guests may enjoy a one-hour open bar and party and view the exhibit of Rostarr’s art in the private dining room, which will be open throughout the festival weekend.

The Korea Society is pleased to offer our Young Professional Members discounted tickets to both the opening night party, as well as other events at this year’s 8th KAFFNY Film Festival !

 

For the discounted tickets, please send an email to: rsvp@kaffny.com by November 13

and use the code: KOREAS.

 

11/14 @ 8 PM | Opening Night | TKS Discount by 11/13: $20 | At The Door: $30

11/14 @ 4:30 PM | Shorts Eclectic | TKS Discount by 11/13: $10 | At The Door: $14

11/14 @ 8PM | KAFFNY Incubator | TKS Discount by 11/13: $10 | At The Door: $14

11/15 @ 4 PM | Shorts Competition | TKS Discount by 11/13:  $10 | At The Door: $14

 

 

Navigating Your Future From Seoul to NY

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Current undergraduate and graduate students are invited to join a panel discussion on career opportunities at U.S. and Korean organizations; get information on Korea-related resources, programs, and internships; and meet other New York-area students who share an interest in Korea at a night of networking at The Korea Society.

Don’t miss this wonderful chance to learn about career options and navigating your future!

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Friday, November 14, 2014 | 6 PM

 

 


Sponsored by

2014 01 30  NewYearParty asiana logo3  CUPANDCUP RE LOGO2  HR logo

 

An Evening with 16 HANDLES’ Solomon Choi

2014 09 18  xolomon-choi  iconInterested in how you identify a market opportunity, launch a start-up company, or build a recognizable brand? or maybe you just love fro-yo (frozen yogurt)? Then join us for an evening with Solomon Choi, the entrepreneur and marketing genius behind 16 HANDLES, a rapidly expanding self-serve frozen yogurt franchise business on the East Coast.


In 2008, Solomon founded 16 HANDLES, taking on Korea’s Red Mango and Pinkberry frozen yogurt brands. Since then he has grown the business from a single frozen yogurt shop in the East Village to a successful franchise business with over 40 shops across the East Coast, and has recently signed an  agreement to expand in the Middle East. Along the way, he has developed a list of marketing rules to live by and a personal philosophy for success which he shares in this inspirational discussion on how to become the CE-Yo of your own business!

 

 

Thursday, September 18, 2014  |  6:30 PM

 

 

Young Professionals (YPNs) | Free

Members  | $10

Non-members  | $20

New YPNs + program | $70

 


 

Young Professionals’ programs are generously sponsored by SK.