The world is captivated by Korean culture. This fascination and popular interest, once focused on K-drama and K-pop, have now extended into fashion, food, fine art, classical and various genres of music. So much so that various institutions are pondering the question: what is the secret of Korea’s cultural success?

To answer this question, Korea’s Ambassador for Cultural Cooperation Sohn Jie-ae, a former CNN Seoul correspondent, explores the basic values and thoughts that lie behind the strength of Korea’s cultural wave in her conversation with Vivian Lee.

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

About the Speaker:

Sohn Jie-ae is the Republic of Korea’s Ambassador for Cultural Cooperation. She is also an invited professor at the Graduate School of International Studies at Ewha Womans University, focusing on international communications. From 1995 to 2010, Amb. Sohn was CNN’s bureau and correspondent based in Seoul, Korea. She provided continuous coverage of both South and North Korea for the global news network. During these years, she reported on the political and economic development of South Korea, and North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. From 2011 to 2014, she was the President of Arirang TV and Radio, Korea’s only English-language international broadcasting station, available in over 188 countries. With this, she became Korea’s first female head of a major broadcasting company. Previously, Amb. Sohn was the Presidential Secretary of the Office of Overseas Public Relations, working for the former South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak. In 2010, she served as the spokesperson of the Presidential Committee for the G20 Seoul Summit. Amb. Sohn continues to provide communications consultancy services for several international organizations such as the World Bank and the Asia Foundation. Amb. Sohn is married with three daughters.

Vivian Lee (she/her) (she/her) is an Emmy-winning TV journalist, public speaker, moderator and director/producer in New York. She is currently a correspondent with Asian American Life, a production of CUNY-TV. Vivian also co-hosts a podcast called The 5 Of Us that examines issues affecting women who work. Before that she was an anchor, show host, and reporter for Spectrum News NY1.

Vivian has received numerous awards recognizing her industry and community contributions, including the New York Women’s Foundation’s 2021 “Pillars of Courage” award, shared with four of her former NY1 colleagues. She also received KAFSC’s 2019 Lifetime Engagement Award. A featured speaker on numerous panels and workshops discussing ageism, gender discrimination and Asian American identity, Vivian currently serves as co-chair of KoreanAmericanStory.org and lives in New York with her husband and two daughters.