Ambassador Kathleen Stephens commences as Korea Society Board Chair

PRESS RELEASE | Ambassador Kathleen Stephens commences as Korea Society Board Chair

The Korea Society is pleased to announce that Ambassador Kathleen Stephens has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors to serve as the new Board Chair effective January 2020.

Ambassador Stephens’ connection with Korea began in 1975 when she spent two years in Chungnam Province as a Peace Corps volunteer. She served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 2008 to 2011, the first Korean-language speaker and first woman in that role. She currently serves as the president and CEO of the Korea Economic Institute of America inWashington, DC.

Ambassador Stephens was a U.S. Foreign Service officer from 1978to 2015. In addition to Korea, her other diplomatic postings included China, India, Yugoslavia and Northern Ireland. She was on the National SecurityCouncil staff in the 1990s, and served in senior positions at the Department of State, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs(2003-2005), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian andPacific Affairs (2005-2007), and acting Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (2012). Since 2015, she has been the William J. Perry Fellow atStanford University’s Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC), where she teaches classes on U.S. foreign policy, diplomacy and U.S.-Korea relations.

“This is an important time in the U.S.-Korea relationship,” Ambassador Stephens said. “Interest in the policy challenges we face is higher than I’ve ever seen it, whether on the Hill, in media and academia, or in the broader public. I look forward to doing all I can in working with the Korea Society’s board of directors, its management and its supporters and stakeholders in advancing the mission of the Society–to advance awareness understanding and cooperation between the people of Korea and America,” remarked Ambassador Stephens.

Ambassador Stephens will succeed Ambassador Thomas C. Hubbard who has served as chair of the Korea Society’s board for more than a decade, from 2009 through 2019. A career foreign-service officer for nearly forty years, Ambassador Hubbard served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 2001 to 2004. He held key Washington postings, including assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs. Ambassador Hubbard was a principal negotiator of the 1994 Agreed Framework aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and headed the first senior-level U.S. government delegation to North Korea.

On Ambassador Stephens’ appointment, Ambassador Hubbard said, “I congratulate the Korea Society Board on the selection of Ambassador Kathy Stephens to be the next Chairman of the Board. I can think of no one more qualified to lead this important organization in the coming years. It was both a pleasure and an honor for me to Chair the Korea Society for the last ten years, and I thank the board as well as President Tom Byrne and his able staff for their support. I plan to stay in close touch with the Korea Society and will continue to do all I can to promote close understanding between the American and Korean people as our two nations grapple with the challenges and opportunities before us.”

The Society’s president Tom Byrne said, “I will miss the support provided by Ambassador Thomas Hubbard in the four years I have served as president. Tom provided dedicated leadership in helping the Society expand its programs, raise its profile and reach a wider audience, while shoring up our financial footing. And I look forward to working with Ambassador Kathy Stephens to build on these accomplishments. Kathy and I share a common bond with Korea—we both served as Peace Corps Volunteers there in the late-1970s. Since then, two-way cultural and economic exchanges between Korea and the U.S. have grown tremendously, while the deep friendship between the peoples of the two countries has remained constant. I am eager to work with Kathy as we face the challenges and seize the opportunities in front of us to advance the mission and strengthen the value proposition of the Korea Society.”

 


Korea in 2020: Politics, Policy and Unification Dialogue Insights

AT CAPACITY |

ROK Presidential Adviser and Yonsei University Distinguished Professor Chung-in Moon shares roundtable insights on the year ahead in Korean politics, policy and unification dialogue with select policy and corporate members.

This event is by-invitation only at policy@koreasociety.org

 
Korea in 2020: Politics, Policy and Unification Dialogue Insights

Thursday, January 9, 2020 | 3 PM

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

 


 

 

Kim Koo Professional Series: Fall 2019

 

Senior professionals from business, media and the United Nations join for an hour’s discussion on Thursdays over three weeks with leading thought experts on Korea and Northeast Asia. This twice yearly series affords both networking and high impact analyses on pressing issues in politics, economics and security. By invitation.

 

Kim Koo Professional Series

Thursdays, November 7, 21 and December 5, 2019 | 4 PM

 

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

 

 


 

 

Korea’s Regional Relations

John Park, Korea Project Director at Harvard’s Kennedy School, joined Society Senior Director Stephen Noerper for a discussion on Korea’s current relations with Japan, China and the United States. Concluding a year that saw discord between Seoul and Tokyo and a pause in Washington-Pyongyang dialogue, Dr. Park addresses next-steps on the Peninsula and prospects for dialogue, denuclearization and enhanced regional relations.

This program enjoys the support of Columbia University’s Center for Korean Research (CKR).

 


Korea’s Regional Relations

with

John Park

 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019 | 12 PM

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

 

 


Korea Security Update

Retired General Vincent Brooks, former Commander of US Forces Korea/Combined Forces Command/United Nations Command, revisits the Korea Society for a discussion of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, to include the latest on the US-ROK alliance, North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, dialogue efforts, and confidence building.


Korea Security Update

with

Former Commander
General Vincent Brooks

 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019 | 6 PM

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

 

 


The Nuclear Timeline with North Korea, featuring Jung Pak and Annika Betancourt|

November 15, 2019 – North Korea has warned that it will pursue a so-called “new path” if substantive progress isn’t made in negotiations with the United States by the end of the year. But what’s behind this deadline, and what should we expect in the coming months? To find out, Korea Society Policy Director Jonathan Corrado sits down with two experienced analysts for insights on timelines, sequencing, and the art of diplomacy.

Dr. Jung Pak is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution Center for East Asia Policy Studies. She previously held senior positions at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Annika Betancourt is a visiting fellow at Brookings and has experience with diverse aspects of the North Korea portfolio, including human rights, humanitarian aid and diplomacy from her time with the U.S. State Department.

 
The Nuclear Timeline with North Korea, featuring Jung Pak and Annika Betancourt

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2019

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

 

 


U.S.-North Korea Relations from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un

History plays a role in shaping current events all over our the world — but it seems to be especially alive in Korea. Scholars and practitioners that work on the Korean Peninsula can all agree on the importance of learning lessons from the past, but that is where the consensus stops. Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo is an Associate Professor in International Relations at King’s College London and author of the book “US-North Korea Relations from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un.” In this discussion with Korea Society Policy Director Jonathan Corrado, Pardo attempts to “see through the cycle” and attribute rational explanations to Pyongyang’s mercurial behavior, asserting that North Korea’s has used brinkmanship and bargaining to achieve its main goal, which he considers to be diplomatic normalization with the US.

 
US-North Korea Relations from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019

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

 

 


A Team of Their Own: How an International Sisterhood Made Olympic History

 

Author Seth Berkman discusses the release of his new book on South Korea’s women’s hockey team at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. In conversation with Society Policy Director Jonathan Corrado, Berkman, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker and SPIN and on ESPN, chronicles the tale of a group of young women who brought the Koreas closer in new ways. Followed by book sale and signing by the author.

This program enjoys the support of Columbia University’s Center for Korean Research (CKR).

 


A Team of Their Own: How an International Sisterhood Made Olympic History

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019 | 6 PM

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

 

 


New Thinking from Korea and China

New generation scholars from Korea and China join Society Senior Director Stephen Noerper for a discussion on developments in regional politics and security, North Korea’s denuclearization, and visions for the Korean Peninsula. This National Committee on American Foreign Policy event offers unique insights from young professionals for members and media. Speakers include: Dr. Jihwan Hwang from the University of Seoul, Dr. Jina Kim from the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis (KIDA), Dr. Xiaoyu Pu from the University of Nevada, Reno, and Nan Li from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of American Studies.

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New Thinking from Korea and China

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019 | 12 PM

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

 

 


HWANG JIHWAN is a professor of international relations at the University of Seoul, Korea. He was a year-long visiting scholar at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. and also taught at George Washington University. He has served in several advisory positions in the Korean government, including President’s Committee for Unification Preparation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Unification. His publications include “The Paradox of South Korea’s Unification Diplomacy,” and “The Two Koreas after U.S. Unipolarity.” He is a graduate of Seoul National University and received his Ph.D. in Political Science from University of Colorado, Boulder.

KIM JINA is a Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses and an Adjunct Professor at Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies. She is specializing in US-North Korea relations and nuclear nonproliferation. She holds a PhD in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She is on the Advisory Committee for the Blue House National Security Office and US-ROK Combined Forces Command and on the Evaluation Committee for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She served the Advisory Committee for the Blue House’s Public Information Committee (2017-2019), Ministry of National Unification (2015-2018), and National Policy Review Board for the Prime Minister’s Office (2014-2017). She authored The North Korean Nuclear Weapons Crisis (Palgrave McMillan, 2014) and co-authored Korean Peninsula and Indo-Pacific Power Politics (Routledge, forthcoming), North Korea and Asia’s Evolving Nuclear Landscape (NBR, 2017) and many others. Her recent publication in academic journals includes “The Dilemma of Nuclear Disarmament: The Case of the DPRK” (The International Spectator, forthcoming), “Issues Regarding North Korean Denuclearization Roadmap with a Focus on Implications from the Iran Nuclear Deal” (Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, 2018), “Assessing Export Controls of Strategic Items to North Korea” (Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, 2017), and “North Korea’s Strategic Alliance towards Becoming a Nuclear Weapons State” (Journal of International Relations, 2017).

LI NAN is a senior fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of American Studies. His research mainly focuses on U.S- Korea relations and China’s policy towards Korean Peninsula. Dr. Li has been a visiting Scholar at Seoul National University (2014-2015), Brookings Institution (2012), Johns Hopkins SAIS (2011-2012), Kim Il-Sung University (2010) and Arizona State University (2004-2005). He is a graduate of the Renmin University of China where he earned a PhD in National Strategy, MA in International Relations & Political Science, and BA in International Politics & Political Science. His main publications: From the Hawk Engagement to the Six Party Talks: US Policies towards North Korea(book, upcoming 2019) A Study of Contemporary Western Theories of Grand Strategy (book), “U.S. Food Aid Policy towards North Korean and its Evaluation, ”(The Journal of American Studies, 2014), “US Policy towards DPRK Since the Nuclear Crisis of 2013,”(Blue Book, the CASS Press, 2014) “Evaluating the Bush Administration’s North Korea Strategy,” (Journal of Contemporary Asia- Pacific Studies, 2009), “An Emotional and Strategic Partner: China’s Humanitarian Aid to North Korea in the 21st Century.”(Brookings Institution, 2013).

PU XIAOYU is an associate professor and director of graduate studies in the Political Science Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a Public Intellectuals Program fellow with the National Committee on United States-China Relations and a non-resident senior fellow with the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C. In the 2012-13 academic year, Pu was a postdoctoral fellow in the Princeton-Harvard China and the World Program at Princeton University. In 2016, he was a Stanton Fellow at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) in Brazil. Pu is the author of Rebranding China: Contested Status Signaling in the Changing Global Order (The Studies in Asian Security Series, Stanford University Press, 2019). His research has appeared in International Security, International Affairs, The China Quarterly and The Chinese Journal of International Politics.

2019 Sherman Family Emerging Scholar Lecture

University of Colorado Boulder Visiting Assistant Professor Ivanna Sang Een Yi addresses P’ansori Mountain Pilgrimages: Land as Interlocutor in Contemporary Korean Oral Performance and Literature. In a presentation both spoken and sung, Professor Yi conceptualizes the contemporary practice of p’ansori san kongbu, mountain study, as a form of pilgrimage. A reception follows the lecture, the third in this annual lecture series encouraging new thought leadership on Korea in the United States. 

 

Admission complimentary with advance registration, given the generous support of the Sherman Family.

 

2019 Sherman Family Emerging Scholar Lecture
P’ansori Mountain Pilgrimages: Land as Interlocutor in Contemporary Korean Oral Performance and Literature

with Ivanna Sang Een Yi

 

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019 | 3 PM

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