The Korea Society

October 11, 2019 - 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. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1321-2019-sherman-family-emerging-scholar-lecture

October 10, 2019 - Join us for a fun evening to learn about - and taste! - the signature alcoholic beverages of Korea: Soju and Makgeolli: what makes them so unique and tasty, and how they are becoming ever so popular outside of Korea. Meet the young Korean Americans continuing and putting their own marks on the tradition. Alice Jun is a champion for authentic Korean food and drink, and has been brewing makgeolli since she was a child. She started Hana Makgeolli as a passion project, but due to overwhelmingly positive feedback she received on her makgeolli, she is building Hana Makgeolli as the foremost purveyor of artisanal Korean rice alcohol in the U.S. Daniel Lee introduced soju, the popular Korean spirit, to his friend at George Washington University, Maxwell Fine, some time ago in New York. The two decided to make their own without artificial sweeteners and other additives, as a sideline to their day jobs in finance and law. Named for the Manhattan block known as Koreatown, they introduced West 32 Soju

October 9, 2019 - Senior analyst Yang Xiyu, Senior Fellow at China’s Institute of International Studies, joins Society Senior Director Stephen Noerper for a discussion of China’s role on the Korean Peninsula, its relations with South Korea, recent meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and China’s commitment to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. An experienced diplomat, Yang was the inaugural director of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Office for Korean Peninsula Issues. This program enjoys the support of Columbia University's Center for Korean Research (CKR). For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1320-china-korea-relations

October 3, 2019 - Harvard University’s William Overholt discusses the release of his new edited volume, North Korea: Peace? Nuclear War? with Society President Tom Byrne. Overholt tackles the range of approaches to North Korea, the interplay of development and security, leaders Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un, and challenges to alliance management. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1319-north-korea-peace-nuclear-war

Septermber 19, 2019 - Mr. Jihoon Rim, executive advisor and former CEO at Kakao and Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern School of Business, shares his experiences as the leader of Kakao, the most widely used mobile platform in Korea. His in depth insight is relevant for young professionals seeking to expand their networks and deepen their knowledge of the Korean mobile platform industry. Burgeoning entrepreneurs will also benefit from Mr. Rim’s experience as CEO. This engaging discussion is moderated by Ms. Minnie Roh, CUNY TV’s news correspondent on Asian American Life. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/special-events/item/1318-a-conversation-with-jihoon-rim-former-ceo-of-kakao

September 12, 2019 - Hong Gildong, who is sometimes referred to as the Korean Robin Hood, is by far the most famous literary character from classic Korean literature. His story as a maverick outlaw, powerful magician, and a wise king is told in the Joseon dynasty novel The Story of Hong Gildong. Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of miscomprehension about the origin and nature of the famous work, the complexity of which has only recently been explored by scholars. In this lecture, Professor Minsoo Kang will offer a detailed examination of the history and literary significance of the novel and reveal little-known facts behind its authorship. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1315-hong-gildong-the-invincible-and-righteous-outlaw-by-professor-minsoo-kang

September 12, 2019 - Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Sheila Smith joins Korea Society Chairman Ambassador Thomas Hubbard for a discussion on the recent challenges to Korea-Japan relations posed by the dispute over Japanese export controls. Amid the growing discord, Smith and Hubbard weigh in on possible offramps and paths forward, as well as the nature of the US role in facilitating discussion among its two Northeast Asia allies. Co-sponsored with the Japan Society. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1317-korea-japan-relations-and-the-us-role

JULY 26, 2019 — NEW YORK —A ceremony to honor those who served in the Korean War took place on Friday, July 26, 2019, at 12 noon at the New York Korean War Veterans Memorial in Battery Park, New York. The event, which marks the 66th Anniversary of the signing of the Korean War Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953, is hosted by the nonprofit, nonpartisan The Korea Society, which promotes awareness, understanding and cooperation between the United States and Korea. The ceremony will feature the unveiling of a plaque that shows the newly updated Republic of Korea figures for casualties, wounded and missing in action in the war that waged from 1950-1953. Since the creation of the New York Korean War Veterans Memorial in 1991, the original statistics have been dramatically revised. South Korea’s official count has grown to 137,899 dead, 450,742 wounded, and 24,495 missing, while on the American side, the U.S. government reports 36,574 American dead, 103,284 wounded and more than 7,800 missing. The creation of the

July 11, 2019 - Ten years since Wonder Girls and BoA became the first Korean artists to appear on Billboard's main U.S. music charts, K-pop is at the forefront of the increasingly globalized U.S. music scene. With BTS undeniably at the top of the music world and Blackpink making K-pop history by performing at Coachella, K-pop is no longer an incidental phenomenon but an integral part of American pop culture of 2019. In this talk, Tamar Herman, K-pop columnist for Billboard, reflects on the rise of K-pop in the U.S. during the last decade and ponders its future. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1304-a-decade-of-k-pop-korean-music-s-ascent-in-the-u-s

June 27, 2019 - The path of becoming an entrepreneur is not an easy one. Robert Lee from Rescuing Leftover Cuisine and Celina Lee from Give One Dream will join moderator Joseph Juhn from KSE and share their experience in turning personal visions into businesses. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/special-events/item/1302-lesson-learned-passion-in-entrepreneurship-aligning-vision-and-passion