The Korea Society

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 plaque is a collaborative initiative including active participation from New York City Council Member Paul Angelo Vallone (19th District), the Battery Conservancy, and the New York Korean Consulate. The event will honor New York-based Veterans of the Korean War representing both the U.S. Armed Forces as well as the South Korean military. The 20-minute ceremony will commence with the Presentation of Colors. Thomas J. Byrne, President of The Korea Society, and Ambassador Hyo-Sung Park, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in New York, will provide welcoming remarks. Council Member Vallone, who represents northeast Queens, will make brief remarks as will Salvatore Scarlato, President of the New York Department of the Korean War Veterans Association. The ceremony will conclude with Retiring of Colors and Solemn Taps played by SSG Daniel Haddock, West Point. “Today’s ceremony reminds us of the strong, continued U.S.-South Korea alliance that remains vibrant and crucial to peace and prosperity in the region, thanks to those who fought and died for both countries in the Korean War,” said Korea Society President Byrne. ARMISTICE DAY SALUTE 2019 Friday, July 26, 2019 | 12 PM Korean War Memorial at Battery Park New York, NY 10004 For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1305-armistice-day-salute-2019

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

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 discuss the creative evolution of K-pop, the musical ingenuity and many signature features of Korean music new and old, and its ongoing impact on contemporary music around the world. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1303-a-conversation-on-k-factor-an-orchestral-exploration-of-k-pop-at-lincoln-center

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