The Korea Society

Recorded November 30, 2023 Kakao Mobility Corp, a mobility subsidiary of South Korea's tech giant Kakao Corp, is a one of a kind mobility platform company. It operates the Kakao T app, a super app that provides an all-in-one mobility experience, with an industry-defining and market-leading “No. 1” product portfolio comprised of taxi-hailing, designated driver, turn-by-turn navigation, smart parking, micro-mobility, flight/train/shuttle, as well as future mobility such as autonomous driving, robotics, HD Maps, and Urban Air Mobility. On November 30th, our Young Professionals’ Network invites Dr. Christopher Chang (장성욱), the Senior Vice President of Kakao Mobility Corp, to discuss his significant contributions to mobility technology innovation. Join this conversation, moderated by Frank Bi, Director of Tools and Technology at The Star Tribune, to learn more about Dr. Chang’s fascinating personal journey to his current position and to hear his distinctive insights into Kakao Mobility’s business model. This discussion will be held in-person at The Korea Society and will be followed by a brief networking session with the guest speaker. Light refreshments will be available for those in attendance. For more information, please visit the link below: https://koreasociety.org/special-events/item/1740-ypn-a-conversation-with-christopher-chang

Recorded November 2, 2023 - Join us to watch Chosen, a documentary that follows five Korean Americans of vastly diverse backgrounds with competing political views as they run for US Congress in 2020. David Kim is the only underdog with limited resources vying to be the first Korean American representative in Koreatown. Director Joseph Juhn joins for an intimate Q&A session after the film in conversation with policy program officer Chelsie Alexandre, providing opportunities for audience members to ask questions. Video version including trailer available at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZrELJtlLwM For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1717-chosen-film-screening-and-director-q-a

November 16, 2023 - The Korea Society welcomes Sang A Im, fashion designer and former South Korean actress/singer, to the Young Professionals’ Network for a conversation about her unique journey to success in the cutthroat New York City design world. At Genesis House, a beautiful modern oasis influenced by Korean culture, Sang A Im met with Vivian Lee, Emmy Award-winning TV Journalist & Correspondent at Asian American Life, for a discussion about leaving the Korean entertainment industry behind, starting a business in an unfamiliar country, becoming a self-made entrepreneur, the inspiration behind her designs, and more. This program was recorded at Genesis House on Monday, October 16th in New York City, NY. For the video version of this interview, please visit the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O1o_MaHcTU For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/special-events/item/1744-beyond-boundaries-a-conversation-with-sang-a-im

November 13, 2023 - Acclaimed two-Michelin-starred chef Junghyun (JP) Park invites you to discover the delicious and joyful world of Korean cuisine known as Hansik. Together with Jungyoon Choi, globally renowned expert on Korean food, Chef Park presents an expansive and scholarly exploration of Korean cooking and proves that there is much more to celebrate about Korean fare than just barbecue. Following 10 years of in-depth research – and 20 years of friendship – Park and Choi have meticulously crafted the most comprehensive collection of Korean recipes in print today. The Korean Cookbook published by Phaidon features more than 350 authentic recipes, originating from the high rises of Seoul to the volcanic beaches of Jeju Island. An incredible variety of deeply-researched dishes are carefully documented in this collection that spans 500 pages and includes 110 commissioned photographs shot in Korea by photographer Jinju Kang, an artist who works primarily on Hansik and Korean Art Cultures. Designed by Associate Studio, the book brings together the heritage of Korean paper making, Hanji, along with typographic structure melding together decorative window design with one of Korea’s most celebrated typographers Ahn Sang Soo. Richly illustrated and beautifully designed, The Korean Cookbook is the definitive culinary guide that captures the true essence of Hansik for readers around the world. In this conversation at The Korea Society with Elyse Inamine, Chef Park speaks about his first book and career. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1742-the-korean-cookbook-with-chef-junghyun-park

November 9, 2023 - Join us for a program exploring the opportunities and limits for US-Korea-Japan trilateral cooperation. US President Joe Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a landmark trilateral summit at Camp David in August. This program aims to critically assess the progress made since then, with an emphasis on big picture strategic issues. How can the three countries tackle shared challenges and promote mutual security and prosperity? How well can they cooperate to manage relations with North Korea, China, Russia, Southeast Asia, and the wider global community? Are the new institutional pathways for cooperation initiated by the Camp David summit being implemented effectively? An expert panel, composed of specialists from each of the three nations, will investigate these questions and more in conversation with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado. Panelists include: Van Fleet Nonresident Senior Fellow Dr. Katrin Fraser Katz, Kangwon National University Professor Kuyoun Chung, Asia Society Policy Institute DC Office Director for Political-Security Affairs Emma Chanlett-Avery, and Keio University Professor Nishino Junya. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1721-new-horizons-for-us-korea-japan-trilateral-cooperation

November 8, 2023 - At the height of the military dictatorship in South Korea, Insuk and Sungho are arranged to be married. The couple soon moves to San Jose, California, with an infant and Sungho’s overbearing mother-in-law. Adrift in a new country, Insuk grieves the loss of her past and her divided homeland, finding herself drawn into an illicit relationship that sets into motion a dramatic saga and echoes for generations to come. Extraordinarily beautiful and deeply moving, The Liberators by E. J. Koh is an elegantly wrought family saga of memory, trauma, and empathy, and a stunning testament to the consequences and fortunes of inheritance. From the Gwangju Massacre to the 1988 Olympics, flashbacks to Korean repatriation after Japanese surrender, and the Sewol ferry accident, Koh’s exquisitely drawn portraits and symphonic testimony from guards, prisoners, perpetrators, and liberators spans continents and four generations of two Korean families forever changed by fateful past decisions made in love and war. In this conversation with Anton Hur, E. J. Koh discusses her debut novel. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1729-e-j-koh-the-liberators-with-anton-hur

November 7, 2023 - An “antic, madcap noir with flair" (Wired) and “fast-paced cyberpunk story” (The New York Times Book Review) from one of South Korea's most revered science fiction writers, whose identity remains unknown, Djuna's Counterweight is an absorbing tale of corporate intrigue, political unrest, unsolved mysteries, and the havoc wreaked by one company’s monomaniacal endeavor to build the world’s first space elevator. Originally conceived by Djuna as a low-budget science fiction film, with literary references as wide-ranging as Joseph Conrad and the Marquis de Sade, Counterweight is part cyberpunk, part hard-boiled detective fiction, and part parable of South Korea’s neocolonial ambition and its rippling effects. Djuna is a novelist and film critic, and a former chair of the Korean Science Fiction Writers Union. For more than twenty years they have published as a faceless writer, refusing to reveal personal details regarding age, gender, or legal name. Widely considered to be one of South Korea’s most important science fiction writers, Djuna has published ten short-story collections and five novels. Anton Hur, the award winning translator of many Korean literature, discusses Djuna's writings and their impact in Korea, the genre of Korean science fiction, and literary translation from Korean to English in this conversation with Matthew Sciarappa. For more information, please visit the link below: https://koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1727-djuna-counterweight-with-translator-anton-hur

November 6, 2023 - Join us and explore with Prof. Mark Peterson the ideas advanced in his most recent book, Views of Korean History by a Frog Outside the Well. Written in a conversational style for the general public, in this book Dr. Peterson offers a unique take on Korean history that differs from the standard history taught in Korea since liberation from Japan. It is a point of view that his Korean audience appreciates for its radical departure from orthodox history and finds “refreshing,” “positive” and “uplifting.” In a recent article for the Korea Times, Dr. Peterson writes that he offers a new approach to facts already well known… but looks at in an entirely new way and a way that many young scholars are starting to look at as well. The discussion will be moderated by Linda Tobash, Senior Advisor for Education at the Society. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/education/item/1743-a-look-at-korea-as-a-frog-outside-the-well-an-outsider-s-perspective-on-korean-history

Recorded October 4, 2023 Signed on Oct. 1, 1953, in the wake of the armistice, the U.S.-South Korea alliance has matured into a dynamic partnership, deterring conflict and fostering cooperation with respect to trade, technology and people-to-people ties. This expert panel reflected on the legacy and future of the alliance. This program was jointly hosted by The Korea Society, the Korea Defense Veterans Association and the Korea-Pacific Program at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. About the Speakers: Thomas J. Byrne joined The Korea Society as its President in August of 2015 following a distinguished career that included Senior Vice President of Moody's Investor Services and Senior Economist of the Asia Department at the Institute of International Finance. Byrne has an M.A. degree in International Relations with an emphasis on economics from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Before doing graduate work at SAIS, he served in South Korea for three years as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer. His commentary on Korean affairs has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Financial Times among others. Stephen Haggard is the Lawrence and Sallye Krause Distinguished Professor and director of the Korea-Pacific Program at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. He teaches courses on the international relations of the Asia-Pacific at GPS covering political economy as well as security issues. He has done extensive research on North Korea in particular. In addition, he has a long-standing interest in transitions to and from democratic rule and the current phenomenon of democratic backsliding. His recent research on South Korea addresses the issue of political polarization, including with respect to foreign policy. Allison Hooker is a foreign policy and national security specialist with 20 years of experience in the U.S. Government working on Asia. She served as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asia, where she led the coordination and implementation of U.S. policy toward the Indo-Pacific region. Prior to that, Hooker served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Korean Peninsula, where she staffed the U.S.-DPRK Summits in Singapore, Hanoi, and the DMZ. Prior to her service at the White House, Hooker was a senior analyst for North Korea in the Department of State and staffed the Six-Party Talks on North Korea’s nuclear program. She received a Masters’ of Arts Degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and has been a research fellow at Osaka University and Keio University, where she focused on Japan-Korea relations, and Japan-China relations, respectively. Youngwan Kim is a career diplomat who joined the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Korea in 1993. He worked at various Ministries of the Korean Government, including Foreign Ministry, Unification Ministry, and Office for Government Policy Coordination, Prime Minister’s Office. Prior to his current post as Consul General in LA, he served as Director-General for National Security and Foreign Policy at the Prime Minister’s office. He also worked as Director-General for Planning and Management of the Foreign Ministry. His most recent foreign post was a Member of the Panel of Experts, UN Security Council Sanctions Committee at the United Nations headquarter. His foreign posts also include Washington D.C., New York, Beijing and Baghdad. Munseob Lee is an economist who concentrates his research efforts on macroeconomics, growth and development, firm dynamics, and Korea. He has investigated the factors that determine the growth of firms, with a particular focus on how government purchases can promote long-term growth of small businesses. Additionally, he examined the disproportionate effect of inflation, revealing that low-income households and black families are the most affected by rising prices in the...

October 18, 2023 - Join us for an in-person program with former Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Energy of the Republic of Korea Duck Koo Chung, also the Founder and Chairman of the NEAR Foundation (North-East Asia Research Foundation), as he recounts his time as a Deputy Minister of Finance during the 1997 IMF Crisis. Chung played a crucial part in Korea’s impressively rapid economic recovery as chief negotiator representing the Korean government with the IMF. This program will feature Chung’s reflections on Korea’s development in the 25 years since the crisis, and insights into the trajectory of Korean society and economy as the country navigates trade tensions between the U.S. and China. This conversation will be moderated by Korea Society President and CEO Tom Byrne. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1730-the-korean-economy-beyond-the-crisis-korea-us-china-economic-interdependence-and-competition

October 13, 2023 - Join us for this book talk with Dr. Aram Hur, who discusses Narratives of Civic Duty: How National Stories Shape Democracy in Asia. At a time when nationalism appears to be stoking regional conflicts and democratic backsliding in Asia and beyond, Dr. Hur's book argues for the positive capacity of nationalism. The book received the 2023 Robert A. Dahl Award from the American Political Science Association for "scholarship of the highest quality on the subject of democracy" by an untenured scholar. Dr. Hur is the Kim Koo Chair in Korean Studies and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. She was the recipient of The Korea Society's Sherman Family Emerging Scholar Lecture Award in 2021. This program is a collaboration between The Korea Society's Policy Department and the Education Department, and is moderated by Linda Tobash, Senior Advisor for Education. The discussant is Dr. Darcie Draudt, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1680-how-national-stories-shape-democracy-in-asia

Recorded October 5, 2023 - The Korea Society, Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) and Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York are co-hosting the New York Korean Financial Forum. We are pleased to welcome Soonkyu (SK) Shin, who works on Wall Street as a credit analyst, to tell his newest story, an evolution of the theme of life's robustness that he has been writing about for the past few years. As part of an ongoing KIC forum, this program aims to share thoughts on various aspects of life from a finance professional’s perspective with a larger audience, including students, diverging from the usual format of sharing professional investment knowledge. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1733-living-a-balanced-life-in-a-capitalistic-society-a-veteran-wall-street-analyst-s-views

October 6, 2023 - Three poets. Three translators. One conversation. Join us for an evening of bilingual poetry readings. Three poets - Moon Bo Young, Kim Liyoun, Kim Sono - along with three translators - Soje, Eunice Lee, Jenny Jisun Kim - explore the power of language to connect us with one another. Not as well known to many audiences, Korean poetry contains a rich and vibrant tradition that is yet to be understood. It is through the exchanging of dialogue, breath, and verse that the moment of Korean poetry is revealed. This program is a collaboration between The Korea Society’s Arts and Culture Department and Education Department and is moderated by Education Program Officer, Amanda Grant. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1719-korean-and-english-bilingual-poetry-reading

Recorded September 27, 2023 - Join us for the launch of the Korean translation of Keeping At It: The Quest for Sound Money and Good Government, a memoir written by the late Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. This program features William R. Rhodes, CEO of William R. Rhodes Global Advisors and author of “Banker to the World,” which includes a foreword written by Volcker, and insights from Christine Harper, a member of Bloomberg’s editorial board, on Volcker’s extraordinary life and legacy. From his early days working in the Treasury Department, to his time in the Federal Reserve navigating the high inflation of the 1970s and 80s, Volcker’s thoughtful reflections on the importance of good government, stable finance, and stable prices continue to resonate in this new translation. This program is produced in partnership with Columbia University’s APEC Study Center. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1716-keeping-at-it-the-quest-for-sound-money-and-good-government

September 21, 2023 - Join us for a program that addresses the new nuclear dynamics of Northeast Asia produced in cooperation with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center. This panel discussion investigates how regional shifts in nuclear weapons capabilities and evolving doctrines affect the Korean Peninsula and beyond, with a focus on North Korea’s quickly developing nuclear and missile deterrent, the maturing nuclear capabilities of the People’s Republic of China, the US-ROK Alliance’s evolving nuclear posture, Russian aggression, and the role of trilateral US-Korea-Japan security cooperation. The panel consists of: Matthew Kroenig, Vice President and Senior Director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy, Markus Garlauskas, director of the new Indo-Pacific Security Initiative of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Dr. Sue Mi Terry, and Major Jessica Taylor, USAFR and Princeton University, in conversation with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1712-new-nuclear-dynamics-of-northeast-asia

September 15, 2023 - Join us for the New York City book launch of The Sister: North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, The Most Dangerous Woman in the World. Hear from author Dr. Sung-Yoon Lee, Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado. This newly released book chronicles the rise and importance of Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Dr. Lee describes Kim Yo Jong as “ruthless and incredibly dangerous… a princess by birth with great expectations for her macabre kingdom, she was brought up to believe it is her mission to reunite North Korea with the South or die trying.” For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1704-the-sister

September 13, 2023 - Join two Korean-American picture book writers as they discuss the many different layers of consideration, introspection, and deliberation that go into conceiving and writing picture books, and the importance of humor and diversity in children's literature. For many young readers, being able to see themselves reflected in the books they read is a profound experience. Seeing and reading accurate representations of one's own identity and culture provide a sense of visibility and relatability. Not only are diverse representations in children’s books important for children of color, but they’re important for all children, as they offer a chance to learn realities and experiences different from their own and to appreciate that difference. Frances Cha, the bestselling author of If I Had Your Face who has just written a humorous picture book about centuries-old dokkaebi journeying from Korea to modern New York, will be in conversation with Aram Kim, author, illustrator and designer of children's books, about writing and illustrating Korean-themed picture books for children. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1710-behind-the-scenes-writing-a-picture-book

September 8, 2023 - When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another in this thrilling page-turner, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek. Full of shocking twists and fascinating questions of love, language, and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama, and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry. With all the powerful storytelling she brought to her award-winning debut, Miracle Creek, Angie Kim turns the missing-person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another. In her conversation with Susan Choi, Angie Kim discusses her second novel and career. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1708-angie-kim-happiness-falls-with-susan-choi

September 9, 2023 - Join us for a discussion featuring Dr. Sungmin Cho, professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, an academic institute of the US Department of Defense, based in Hawaii. Dr. Cho will present research that analyzes Chinese texts focusing on North Korea's regime stability, the country's uncertain future, and the potential unification of the Korean Peninsula. The research encompasses a review of 62 Chinese journal articles and 29 expert commentaries written by Chinese scholars. Cho explains how examining the writings of Chinese civilian scholars helps decipher Chinese strategic thinking, despite the presence of censorship. Cho also provides an analytic framework for Beijing's cost-benefit calculus regarding the potential unification of the Korean Peninsula, aiming to empower policymakers in Washington and Seoul to develop a more informed understanding and strategy. This program is a collaboration between The Korea Society's Policy Department and the Education Department, and is moderated by policy director Jonathan Corrado. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1707-chinese-views-of-north-korea-s-uncertain-future

August 29, 2023 - Welcome to the latest installment of the Korea Society's Leadership Interview Series featuring José Muñoz, President and Global Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai Motor Company, who also serves as the President and CEO of Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America. President Muñoz is one of the most influential leaders in the auto industry. President Muñoz will look back at the roots of Hyundai Motor's remarkable story, discuss current developments, and provide insights into the future of the auto industry in the United States. He will also delve into the impacts of IRA and trade tensions on Hyundai's global business, its strategy to become one of the world's top EV manufacturers, and much more. Join us for this special opportunity to hear first-hand about his path to becoming a top executive at Hyundai and how he navigates the rapidly evolving industry landscape. This program was recorded on August 22 at Hyundai Motor America in Fountain Valley, CA. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1711-interview-with-jose-munoz