The Korea Society

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

August 22, 2023 - What motivates interest among the South Korean population and national security expert community in the potential development of an indigenous nuclear deterrent? How likely is Seoul to go in this direction? And if it does, what are the costs, benefits, and implications for its economy, the US-Korea Alliance, the region, and the nonproliferation regime? Dr. Clint Work, Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI), Dr. Lami Kim, College of Security Studies at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Dr. Bee Yun Jo, Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, and Dr. Hyun-Binn Cho, The College of New Jersey, discuss with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado and program officer Chelsie Alexandre.  Clarification: Cho and Petrovics argue in their Bulletin piece that North Korea’s new law shifts the evidence away from a second strike strategy. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1699-the-south-korea-nuclear-debate

July 19, 2023 - World-renowned South Korean directors, including Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon Ho, cite Kim Ki-young as being the greatest Korean influence on their work. When Yuh-Jung Youn won the best supporting actress award at the 2021 Oscars, she thanked Kim Ki-young, the “genius” director of the first film she starred in, 1971’s Woman of Fire. During his thirty year career, Kim Ki-young produced thirty-three films and became revered by critics within the national and international community as one of the few South Korean ‘auteurs’. As the first comprehensive scholarly volume on Kim Ki-young in English, ReFocus: The Films of Kim Ki-young covers his entire career and history of cinematic work, highlighting the thematic and stylistic singularity of Kim’s oeuvre, which was produced relative to the specific historical and cultural conditions of post-war South Korea. It offers an innovative departure point from which to explore South Korean film relative to the wider history of world cinema, in addition to situating Kim’s work within the broader fields of Korean modern history, transnational cinema and cultural studies. Join us for a conversation about Kim Ki-young's films and career with the contributors to this volume: Jason Bechervaise, Steve Choe, Chung-kang Kim, and Ariel Schudson. For more information, please visit the link: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1697-the-films-of-kim-ki-young

July 13, 2023 - Bringing together a wealth of primary sources and with contributions from leading experts, Dress History of Korea presents the most recent approaches to the interpretation of dress and fashion of Korea. Through close analysis of visual, written, and material sources—some newly excavated or recently re-discovered in global museums—the book reveals how dress and adornment evolved from the period of state formation to the modern era. As in other cultures, modern Korean fashion owes many of its styles to historic dress and this process of adaptation is explored within high fashion and popular culture contexts in ways that benefit historians, curators, and designers alike. Authors with a range of academic and curatorial experience discuss the close relation of dress and adornments to the socio-political and cultural history of Korea and place the dress history of Korea within broader contexts in studies of fashion, material culture, museology, and costume design. Join us for a conversation with Minjee Kim and Kyunghee Pyun, the editors of this anthology. Video version available here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCraL67-KoQ For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1696-dress-history-of-korea

June 15, 2023 - What’s really happening in North Korea right now? The regime’s pandemic border closures have left diplomats and aid workers outside the country, making it even more difficult than normal for the outside world to understand the Kim regime’s decision making and the daily lives of ordinary North Korean people. Join us for a discussion that goes behind the headlines to explore human rights and human stories in North Korea, with four renowned experts at the front lines of journalism and advocacy. Hear from: Eiji Han Shimizu, Director of the animated movie True North, Kim Young Hwan, Senior Researcher of NK Net, Ishimaru Jiro, Director of Asia Press Osaka, Eun Kyoung Kwon, Director, NK Net. This program is moderated by Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1685-behind-the-headlines-human-rights-and-human-stories-in-north-korea

May 25, 2023 - K-pop, K-fashion, K-drama, K-beauty: over the past decade, K-style has exploded onto the global scene. What is behind this phenomenon? Where does K-style go from here? In Make, Break, Remix: The Rise of K-style, author and communications consultant Fiona Bae makes no attempt to define or categorize the movement, instead celebrating the eclectic and multifaceted nature of K-style and its home city of Seoul. Through interviews with sixteen tastemakers who are shaping K-style across creative sectors—from 1MILLION Dance Studio’s Lia Kim, rock band leader Hwang Soyoon, and world-famous tattoo artist Doy to drag performer Nana Youngrong Kim, Asia’s leading interior designer Teo Yang, and leading K-pop stylist Youngjin Kim (who has styled BTS, Kang Daniel, and NCT)—Bae tells untold stories from true insiders, exploring a sense of identity in their work, how living in Seoul affects them and their creative output, and the decade of changes that has brought about the current K-style. In her conversation with Frances Cha, Bae discusses the rise of K-style. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1678-make-break-remix-the-rise-of-k-style-with-fiona-bae

May 23, 2023 - Seoul, South Korea makes Beverly Hills look like a one-stoplight town when it comes to the beauty rat race, and it’s getting more intense every year. Elise Hu spent four years in South Korea as NPR’s bureau chief, and during her tenure there, the K-beauty industry tripled to become a $10 billion industry. South Korea is home to more than 7,500 cosmetic and skincare manufacturers, and K-beauty has staked its claim as the future of skin care. With products that promise pore-less perfection, South Korea’s $10 billion beauty industry is a decade ahead of any other country in innovation and heralded by many industry professionals as the best when it comes to products, regimen, and end-results. Riding the pop culture “Korean wave” and marketed by K-pop superstars and global brands, K-beauty promises flawless skin and a soothing multi-step routine. You’ll find K-beauty products in any city around the world, and in the US, the biggest importer of K-beauty behind China, you can take your pick from hundreds of brands at stores from Nordstrom and Bloomingdales to Sephora and Target. But how did K-Beauty become the darling of the global skincare industry? And does the trend stop at creams and toners? Or are we in an appearance revolution that will permanently transform our faces and bodies towards a more aesthetically pleasing sameness? Elise Hu, NPR host-at-large and the host of TED Talks Daily, asked herself those questions after living and working in Seoul, the heart of the K-beauty industry. She delivers an audacious, journalistic exposé of the booming industry from the ground up in Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital. In the book, Hu explores K-beauty’s undeniable success and shines a much-needed light on the darker ramifications of the impossible standards and pressures that drive its growth and their effects on women in a looks-obsessed patriarchy. In a conversation with Hannah Bae, Elise Hu discusses her book and her experience in Korea. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/item/1672-flawless

May 11, 2023 - Join us for a book talk with Dr. Siegfried Hecker, who discusses “his on-the-ground experience at the North's nuclear center at Yongbyon,” unpacking the ramifications of North Korea’s technical developments in the context of fateful foreign policy decisions by Washington, Seoul, and Pyongyang. Dr. Hecker describes how “successive U.S. administrations have been unable to prevent the North, with the weakest of hands, from becoming one of only three countries in the world that might target the United States with nuclear weapons.” The discussion also includes a consideration of developments to the approach addressed in the summit meeting between US President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and the debate around the potential for South Korea to acquire an indigenous deterrent. This program is moderated by Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1675-hinge-points-an-inside-look-at-north-korea-s-nuclear-program