April 19, 2024 - This program examines shifts in South Korea’s foreign policy posture, featuring insights and analysis from Dr. Kuyoun Chung, Assistant professor of the Department of Political Science at the Kangwon National University. The Yoon Suk Yeol administration aims to transform Korea into a “Global Pivotal State.” How has Seoul pursued this objective despite complex geopolitical and economic challenges? How does Korea navigate diplomatic relations in a tense region that is...

April 18, 2024 - Join us for a book talk with authors Professor Victor Cha and Professor Ramon Pacheco Pardo, who discuss their new book, Korea: A New History of South and North with policy director Jonathan Corrado. The Korea Society is proud to be a stop on the famous pink book tour! This important new work of history draws on “decades of research to explore the history of modern Korea, from the late nineteenth century, Japanese occupation, and Cold War division to the present day. This...

April 11, 2024 - Join us for a rapid reaction analysis of the Republic of Korea’s high stakes 2024 legislative election, held in South Korea one day prior on April 10. This election could shift the control of power in the National Assembly, resulting in an emboldened electoral mandate for President Yoon Suk Yeol, or else creating a new challenge for his administration’s agenda. In this conversation with Korea Society policy program officer Chelsie Alexandre, Stanford University’s Professor...

April 9, 2024 - Join us for a conversation about recovering lost ground in the international effort to address North Korea’s human rights violations, featuring: Ambassador Julie Turner, U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, James Heenan, UN Human Rights Office representative in Seoul, Dr. Katrin Katz, Korea Society Van Fleet Senior Fellow, and Sean Chung, CEO of HanVoice, in conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado. The United Nations Human Rights Council...

April 3, 2024 - Darye–"etiquette for tea" or "tea rite"– has been an integral part of Korean history and culture for over a thousand years. Donghyun Kim, a Korean heritage curator, discusses the history of tea practices and aesthetics in Korea and the landscape of contemporary Korean tea culture. YouTube version with images can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sRVfQpAmJg For more information, please visit the link below: ...

April 2, 2024 - Join us for a discussion with the Senior Washington Correspondent for Bloomberg News Saleha Mohsin on her newly released book Paper Soldiers: How the Weaponization of the Dollar Changed the World Order, in cooperation with the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP). As the global order continues to evolve, it seems that the dollar’s dominance may find itself waning for the first time in 70 years. In a world dividing into two camps, one led by China and the other...

March 27, 2024 - In her intimate and touching debut, Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History, journalist Margaret Juhae Lee uncovers her family’s lost history that had been buried in the darkness of Korea’s colonial decades. Growing up in Houston, Margaret Juhae Lee was never told about her grandfather, Lee Chul Ha. His memory was submerged in 1936 Korea, when Lee Chul Ha died a disgraced communist rebel, leaving Margaret's grandmother widowed with their two young sons. To his surviving...

March 25, 2024 - The Korea Society is delighted to present Colloquy: Translating Korean Poetry, featuring five poets and translators –Stine An, Eunice Lee, Seo Jung Hak, Megan Sungyoon, and Soje– for an evening of poetry reading and conversation. Colloquy: Translators in Conversation is an event series presented by World Poetry Books in collaboration with Montez Press Radio and a partnering New York City institution. Since 2022, Colloquy event series provides a forum for translators to...

March 20, 2024 - Explore insights into the dynamics of the U.S.-ROK economic relations and the critical issues impacting trade and investment between the two nations in our inaugural program, “The Dynamic U.S.-ROK Trade and Investment Relationship: Current Issues and Prospects” kicking off the new series, U.S.-ROK New Economic Paradigm. Join a distinguished panel of experts consisting of the Hon. Diane Farrell, Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade at the United States Department of...

March 15, 2024 - Please join us for a timely discussion on the Republic of Korea’s membership in the United Nations Security Council for the 2024-2025 term, featuring the ROK Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Joonkook HWANG, in conversation with Korea Society President and CEO Thomas Byrne. The Republic of Korea, which has a special history and bond with the United Nations, aims to actively contribute to world peace and security and fulfill the expectations of the...

March 13, 2024 - Like the foundational role of butter in French cooking or olive oil in Italian cuisine, jangs stand as the cornerstone of Korean cooking, infusing every dish with a symphony of flavors and complexity. Chef Mingoo Kang, often referred to as South Korea’s best chef, invites readers on a gastronomic journey in Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking to discover the deceptively simple, yet utterly unique and complex Korean sauces that have been near secret ingredients until now. Chef...

March 11, 2024 - In this program of our Young Professionals’ Network series, The Korea Society, in partnership with the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), hosted a panel discussion focused on the pursuit of a career in law. Our panel comprises four experienced legal professionals: Karen Kim, Senior Counsel at QBE North America and President of AABANY; Judge Judy Kim, Acting Justice of the Supreme Court in the New York State Supreme Court; and Brian Song, Litigation Partner...

March 6, 2024 - Join us for this conversation about prospects for Korean Unification with Jeongmin Kim, Lead Correspondent at NK News / Editorial Director at Korea Pro, Dr. Lee Sang-shin, director of the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy at Korea Institute of National Unification (KINU), and Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt, the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), in conversation with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado. This panel will...

March 4, 2024 - Snowglobe by Soyoung Park, the first book in a powerful young adult dystopian duology, is a groundbreaking exploration of personal identity, and the future of the world as we know it. The winner of the Changbi X Kakaopage Young Adult Novel Award, the novel has been translated into English by Joungmin Lee Comfort, introducing a new readership to this cutting-edge commentary on climate change, socioeconomic inequality, and personal identity. Set in a frozen world, only the...

February 28, 2024 - Navigating the uncertainties of quitting an established career to venture into entrepreneurship is a common challenge for many aspiring startup founders. The question of when to take that leap adds another layer of complexity to the journey. To shed light on these dilemmas, we invite you to join our conversation with Curtis Lee, a seasoned startup founder, currently serving as the VP of Global Payments and Cash at Microsoft. Curtis embarked on his entrepreneurial path by...

February 22, 2024 - Join us for a discussion on deterrence and North Korea with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, United States Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Together in conversation with US Air Force Reserve Major Jessica Taylor and Korea Society Policy Director Jonathan Corrado, Ambassador Jenkins will discuss the US-ROK Alliance and the growing threats posed by Pyongyang's evolving nuclear, missile, and space capabilities as well as its proliferation and...

January 31, 2024 - Recent events have heightened military tensions on the Korean Peninsula—North Korea’s successful launch of a military satellite resulting in Seoul’s decision to partially suspend the inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), and followed by Pyongyang’s deployment of additional forces near its border with South Korea—increasing the chances of conflict on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea's advancements in its nuclear weapons and missile programs, coupled with the...

January 30, 2024 - The author and translator of Cursed Bunny, a National Book Award and International Booker Prize Finalist, are back with a new collection of short stories. A rising star of Korean literature, Bora Chung burst onto the American literary scene last year with the publication of her astounding debut, Cursed Bunny: Stories, translated by Anton Hur. Met with universal praise, these surreal, chilling fables that take on patriarchy, capitalism, and the reign of big tech were a...

January 24, 2024 - Join us for our inaugural program of Startup Scene: Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow, featuring Saeju Jeong, the Co-Founder and former CEO, and now serving as Executive Chair of Noom. Noom, established in 2008 with Saeju’s friend, Artem Pekatov, introduced a pioneering weight loss app in 2017, integrating behavioral psychology with an empathetic human approach. Since then, Noom has disrupted the weight loss industry, achieving a valuation of $3.7 billion, and benefited over 50...

January 10, 2024 - With the ever-growing need to understand ourselves and humanity as a whole, it is necessary to examine the concepts of morality, ethics and universal values as guiding principles of the human condition. With generous support from Y.T. Hwang Family Foundation, The Korea Society is launching a new lecture and conversation series titled Series on Ethics and Common Values. This series promotes the understanding of central themes of our human existence - morality, ethics,...

January 9, 2024 - Join us for a book talk with the Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy Scott Snyder. This new work provides an authoritative overview of the internal and external pressures on the U.S.–South Korea alliance and explores its future prospects. He argues that exclusive-nationalist leaders’ accession to power and domestic political polarization in the United States and South Korea could put past successes at...

Recorded January 4, 2024 Join us for a screening of the documentary film BEYOND UTOPIA, winner of the Audience Award for US Documentary Features at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. BEYOND UTOPIA is a suspenseful look at the lengths people will go to gain freedom. It follows various individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on earth. At the film’s core are a mother desperate to reunite with the child she was forced to leave behind; a family of five -...

December 14, 2023 - How does the US public view America’s place in the world? How strong are the bonds between the US and Korea? Conversely, how does the Korean public view the United States as a partner and an ally? How are these views changing and what are the implications for global geopolitics, the US-Korea Alliance, and peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula? The expert panel includes: Troy Stangarone, Senior Director and Fellow at the Korea Economic Institute (KEI) and an author of...

December 8, 2023 - 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...