Invitation-only |   Program Brief Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of Kim Koo's Birth UNESCO officially commemorated 2026 as the 150th anniversary of the birth of Kim Koo, honoring his foundational conviction that culture is the ultimate engine of national development, human happiness, and international peace. To mark this significant milestone, The Korea Society, in partnership with the Association of Commemorative Service for Patriot Kim Koo and the Kim Koo Foundation, hosted a landmark... Read More

  Program Brief Assessing North Korea's Developing Nuclear Program In our discussion assessing the latest developments of North Korea's nuclear program, Open Nuclear Network (ONN) Senior Analyst Sarah Laderman challenged conventional wisdoms regarding the DPRK's nuclear capabilities and described how the Kim Regime balances its fissile material supply against strategic weaponization demands. This program was made possible by the generous support of the Korea Foundation and The Korea Society's individual... Read More

  Program Brief Privileged but Powerless Dr. Jieun Baek described the complex psychological drivers impacting North Korea's 100,000 political elites in a discussion of her new book, Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime's Greatest Weakness. Mobilizing hundreds of hours of interviews with high-level escapees, Dr. Baek argued that the elites' performative loyalty is born out of fear, obscuring a critical vulnerability within the regime's core support base. Ultimately,... Read More

  Program Brief Korean Messiah In the launch event for Korean Messiah, Wall Street Journal China Bureau Chief Jonathan Cheng challenged conventional thinking around North Korea and described the surprising, enduring influence of American Presbyterian Christianity on Kim Il Sung's cult of personality. This program was hosted in collaboration with The Center for Korean Research at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. Event Date: Monday, April 13, 2026 Host Organizations: The... Read More

  Program Brief Prospects for Relations with North Korea This program examined prospects for relations with North Korea, including US-Republic of Korea (ROK) alliance coordination, inter-Korean relations, the impact of North Korea's close relations with China and Russia, security concerns, and diplomatic opportunities. North Korea's Workers' Party of Korea held its Ninth Party Congress in February. The Congress occurs approximately once every five years and results in the announcement of important policy... Read More

Join us for a discussion with Ambassador Peter Semneby, the Swedish Government's Special Envoy for the Korean Peninsula. In conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado, Ambassador Semneby will provide a brief overview history of Sweden's role in Korea, examine Sweden's convening capacity as exhibited in 2018-2019, investigate whether Sweden's interests and perspective have been affected by North Korea's involvement in the Russo-Ukraine War and Sweden's ascension to NATO, and explore ideas for how to break... Read More

Join us for a discussion with Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) Advocacy Fellows to hear firsthand about the realities of life in North Korea, the decision and process of leaving, the adjustment to a new life in South Korea, and the discovery of new meaning and motivation. This discussion features two advocacy fellows: Rose Jang, a graduate from Hongik University Department of Architecture, and Hannah Oh, a fourth year student at Hongik University studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering, as well as Hannah... Read More

Join us for a discussion on the unseen resilience of North Korean female defectors. Kim Seonghui and Na Min-Hee provide powerful personal testimony, describing their life and experiences in North Korea, their escape, and their new life in South Korea. Human rights advocate and expert Kwon EunKyoung joins the discussion, which is moderated by policy director Jonathan Corrado. This program is made possible by the generous support of our individual and corporate members and the Korea Foundation.     The Unseen... Read More

Join us for a discussion on the rising scale and sophistication of North Korea’s cyber operations with Mitch Haszard, senior threat intelligence analyst at Recorded Future, and Scott Kardas, geopolitical threat intelligence analyst at Recorded Future. How does North Korea’s cyber activities fit into the Kim regime’s larger goals? How can the U.S., South Korea, and the broader international community respond to this threat? This program will follow the evolution and growing magnitude of the regime’s cyber... Read More

What are the motivations and geopolitical significance of the ongoing partnership between the governments of North Korea and Iran? Join us for a program with Professor and Author Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., who discusses his new book co-authored with Professor Anthony N. Celso. During the program, Bechtol explains the ideological, financial, and environmental forces contributing to the partnership, the roles of Russia and China, the two regimes’ military capabilities, proliferation activities to terrorist... Read More