The Korea Society

June 26, 2019 - The Kaesong Industrial Complex was a jointly run corporate park pairing South Korean capital and management with North Korean land and labor. A symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation and the hoped start to wider collaboration, Kaesong was launched in 2004 as part of the South Korean government’s Sunshine Policy, but closed down in 2016 after North Korea’s continued nuclear and missile testing. International Crisis Group senior adviser Chris Green is the author of a new report titled, “The Case for Kaesong: Fostering Korean Peace through Economic Ties.” It mobilizes new datasets to re-examine the park's legacy and impact.

June 24, 2019 - Joseph Kim was born and raised in North Korea. At the age of 12, his father died of starvation and he was separated from his mother and sister. In 2006, Joseph escaped North Korea into China. A year later, he was resettled in the United States as a North Korean refugee. Since then, Joseph has shared his story from the TED stage, has published a memoir, Under the Same Sky, has graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Bard College, and now works at the George W. Bush Institute as an assistant on the Human Freedom Initiative. Join us for a special event co-hosted with Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) as Joseph Kim recounts his fight to survive in North Korea, how he managed to escape and reach freedom, and why he believes there is hope for his people.

June 20, 2019 - Harvard Medical School Global Surgery Scholar Kee B. Park, M.D. and Korea Foundation-Vrije Universiteit Brussel Korea Chair Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo examine North Korea’s growing injury burden and the regime’s ability to respond. They address marketization, affluence, political factors, domestic and international resource mobilization, sanctions impact, and roadmaps for a multistakeholder national system. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1300-trauma-care-and-north-korea

June 19, 2019 - K-Factor is a unique concert presented by Lincoln Center, casting a light on the often overlooked musical innovations and radical spirit of the global phenomenon that is K-pop. On June 20, a 50-piece symphony orchestra will perform live at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, with a program comprising a curated set of songs arranged to highlight the distinct musical ingenuity present in Korean music new and old. The selections showcase well-known hits by K-pop artists like Blackpink, BTS, EXO, Red Velvet, Seo Taiji and more, placing them in dialogue with noteworthy deep cuts and milestone recordings dating back to the early 1900s. The show seeks to create a historical and aesthetic context that is as entertaining as it is revelatory. For more information on the concert, visit www.kfactor.org. Meet Jakob Dorof, creative consultant of this original concert; Chris Lee, A&R Executive at SM Entertainment and CEO of CTGA Europe; and Soeun Lee, a K-pop star turned New York attorney. They will discu

June 13, 2019 - Stanford University Visiting Fellow Andray Abrahamian and Korea Economic Institute Nonresident Fellow Yonho Kim join Society President Thomas Byrne to discuss how North Korea’s marketization has impacted social ties, communication, governance, and culture. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1295-marketization-and-north-korea

May 8, 2019 - Master artist Kim Kyeong-Ho is a pioneer and transmitter of the art of Sagyeong, Korean Sutra Copying. He was appointed by the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor as the sole Traditional Sutra Copying Skills Transmitter, and is both an accomplished artist and teacher of this unique art that had not been practiced for 600 years since the Joseon Dynasty. During the lecture, Master Kim will speak about the process and ingredients used in his sutra transcription as well as his philosophy and approach to this thousand years old art form. He will also demonstrate a transcription with gold powder for 5 minutes. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1294-korean-illuminated-sutra-transcription-talk-demonstration

May 2, 2019 - The term han is difficult if not impossible to translate into English – at least not in a word or two. Words such as “rage” or “deep sorrow” are not sufficient to capture the complex of emotions that it evokes. Yet it is something that Koreans can readily identify when they see it. This talk examines some historical examples of han taken from both literature and real-life events. They will include the Great Revival Movement of 1907; the death and funeral of Sunjong, the last Korean emperor, in 1926; and both early-20th century and postwar literature. Through this examination, Prof. Michael Shin hopes to provide a better understanding of han – and of why generation after generation of Koreans seem to be able to feel it so acutely. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/education/item/1288-a-brief-history-of-han

May 3, 2019 - Professor Georgy Toloraya breaks down the DPRK-Russia summit, Russian support for South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s peace offensive, and support for peninsular development in conversation with Senior Director Stephen Noerper. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1293-russia-s-role-on-the-korean-peninsula

April 18, 2019 - Professor Gordon Flake (Perth USAsia Center) offers perspectives on Korea Looking North and Looking South in a presentation to senior professionals at the Korea Society.

April 11, 2019 - Author and Young China Group founder Zakary Dychtwald addresses generational dynamics affecting domestic politics and foreign policy in Northeast Asia. He examines aspirations, innovation and employment in conversation with Society associate director Jonathan Corrado. This event is co-hosted by the Columbia Business School’s APEC Study Center. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1243-new-generation-thinking-in-china-and-korea-with-zakary-dychtwald