Rogue Allies: The Strategic Partnership between Iran and North Korea
June 11, 2025 - What are the motivations and geopolitical significance of the ongoing partnership between the governments of North Korea and Iran? Join us for a program with Professor and Author Bruce E. Bechtol Jr., who discusses his new book co-authored with Professor Anthony N. Celso. During the program, Bechtol explains the ideological, financial, and environmental forces contributing to the partnership, the roles of Russia and China, the two regimes’ military capabilities, proliferation activities to terrorist organizations, and the partnership’s role in destabilizing the rules-based order. The book is available for purchase online here. A limited number of hardcover editions will be available for cash sale at a discounted rate of $20 at the event. This program is moderated by Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado. This program is made possible by the generous support of our individual and corporate members and the Korea Foundation. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/1992-rogue-allies-the-strategic-partnership-between-iran-and-north-korea
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1:14:05
Unpacking South Korea’s Snap Presidential Election
June 4, 2025 - Join us for a rapid reaction analysis of South Korea’s 2025 Presidential election. This snap election was triggered by the impeachment of South Korea’s 13th democratically elected president, Yoon Suk-yeol, after he declared martial law last December. This conversation unpacks the issues, the candidates, the voters, and the results, seeking to understand the domestic political undercurrents and consequences of a 60 day race occurring at a pivotal moment for Korea and U.S.-Korea relations. It features Dr. Aram Hur, the Kim Koo Chair in Korean Studies and Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Fletcher School, Tufts University, and Timothy W. Martin, the Korea bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal in Seoul, in conversation with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado and policy program officer Chelsie Alexandre. The Korea Society thanks our corporate sponsors and individual members and the Korea Foundation for their generous support, which has made this program possible. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/2007-unpacking-south-korea-s-snap-presidential-election
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1:04:50
Future Present: Contemporary Korean Art with Andy St. Louis
June 3, 2025 - Join Andy St. Louis for an in-depth exploration of South Korea's burgeoning art scene and the most intriguing artists who are at the forefront of a generational shift in Korean art. Working in the fields of painting, sculpture, installation, video and photography, these artists collectively foreground the facets of contemporary Korean culture that have enabled the country’s cultural exports to resonate so strongly worldwide. In his lecture, St. Louis will showcase the diversity of contemporary Korean art practices while situating them amid the global contemporary art conversation. Full video with slides located at the link below: https://youtube.com/live/SZy8DDLXsAM For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/gallery-talks/2003-future-present-contemporary-korean-art-with-andy-st-louis
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59:03
Writing YA Novels with Claire Ahn and Kat Cho
May 28, 2025 - Young adult literature is rapidly becoming one of the most popular genres in publishing today. Also increasingly visible are YA novels featuring Asian American and Pacific Islander characters at the forefront, providing insight into the expectations and identity issues many members of the AAPI community experience and offering a unique perspective on these universal themes. Catherine Hong will moderate a discussion between YA authors Claire Ahn and Kat Cho about their latest books, the growing popularity of YA novels with Korean and Korean-American characters, and the shifting views surrounding Asian-American YA novels among both readers and the publishing industry. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/literature/1998-writing-ya-novels-with-claire-ahn-and-kat-cho
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1:00:06
Seeds of Mobilization: The Authoritarian Roots of South Korea's Democracy
May 16, 2025 - Join us for a discussion with Dr. Joan E. Cho, Associate Professor of East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University on her 2024 book Seeds of Mobilization: The Authoritarian Roots of South Korea's Democracy, which explores the nonlinear nature of South Korea’s democratization. Using oral interviews, original protest datasets, and publications by student and labor activists, Cho illustrates how modernization structures such as industrial complexes and tertiary education initially bolstered authoritarian regimes before facilitating protests by various social movement groups, which ultimately succeeded in ushering in the country’s democratization. During the discussion, Cho also describes how this historical legacy continues to impact Korean politics, including the generational divide and the recent Martial Law and impeachment episodes. This program is moderated by Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado. This program is made possible by the generous support of our individual and corporate members and the Korea Foundation. This program is co-hosted by The Center for Korean Research at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/item/1993-seeds-of-mobilization-the-authoritarian-roots-of-south-korea-s-democracy
THE KOREA SOCIETY is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization with individual and corporate members that is dedicated solely to the promotion of greater awareness, understanding and cooperation between the people of the United States and Korea.