flyer for Korean cultural event film screening with green background

[March 28, 2019] Film Screening & Talk with Director Choo

film

 

More Information on Facebook Event Page

 

 

<영화 줄거리>

1951년, 한국전쟁 고아 1,500명이 비밀리에 폴란드로 보내졌다. 폴란드 선생님들은 말도 통하지 않는 아이들을 사랑으로 품었고, 아이들도 선생님을 ‘마마’, ‘파파’라 부르며 새로운 가족으로 받아들인다. 그러나 8년 후, 아이들은 갑작스러운 송환 명령을 받게 되는데…
역사 속 어디에도 기록되지 않았지만, 가슴에 남아있는 위대한 사랑의 발자취를 따라 추상미 감독과 탈북소녀 이송, 남과 북 두 여자가 함께 떠나는 특별한 여정이 시작된다!

<Film Synopsis>

“Children Gone to Poland” is the compelling story of 1,500 Korean War orphans sent to Poland in 1951. In spite of the language barrier, the children and the Polish teachers come to accept and love each other as family. But eight years later, the children are given a sudden repatriation order …
Not recorded anywhere in history, a special journey begins as the two North and South Korean Women, Choo Sang-Mi and North Korean refugee Lee Song, retraces the footsteps of this great love!

<순서 Schedule>

1부 (Part 1): 영화 상영 (Film Screening) 7:00 – 8:15
2부 (Part 2): 질의 응답 (Q&A) 8:15 – 9:00

연사:
추상미 (영화배우, 영화감독)
보아스 필름(BOAZ Film.Co. LTD) 대표
G&M 글로벌 문화재단 자문위원
연출: 폴란드로 간 아이들(2018), 영향아래의 여자(2013), 분장실(2010)
수상: 김대중 노벨평화영화상 수상(2018), 올해의 기독교영화인상 (2019) 등

Choo Sang-Mi (Actress and Film Director)
Founder of BOAZ Film.Co. LTD
Advisor of G&M Global Culture Foundation
Films (Directing): Children gone to Poland (2018), A Woman Under the Influence (2013), Dressing Room (2010)
Awards: Kim Dae-Jung Nobel Peace Film Award (2018), Christian Film Award of the year (2019)

진행:
이성주
조지메이슨 대학교 분쟁분석해결학(S-CAR) 박사 과정 중
저서: Every Falling Star: the true story of how I survived and escaped North Korea

Sungju Lee
PhD student at School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
Book: Every Falling Star: the true story of how I survived and escaped North Korea

* 무료 이벤트이며, 기부하실 경우 탈북민들을 돕는 일에 전액 사용됩니다.
No ticket is required, but your donations would be greatly appreciated.

event tile with background image of elderly Korean men; text: Korea Policy Forum - The Implications of Demographic Decline for South Korean National Security

[April 4th, 2019] Korea Policy Forum: “The Implications of Demographic Decline for South Korean National Security”

kpf

 

“The Implications of Demographic Decline for South Korean National Security”

kpf02

Speaker
Troy Stangarone, Senior Director of Congressional Affairs and Trade, Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)

Moderator
Celeste Arrington, Korea Foundation Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, the George Washington University

Date & Time
Thursday, April 4th, 2019, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Venue
The Chung-wen Shih Conference Room, Suite 503
Elliott School of International Affairs, the George Washington University
1957 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20052


Event Description

South Korea is undergoing rapid aging that will see more those over the age of 65 account for more than 30 percent of the population by 2040. As South Korea’s population ages and declines, it will have long-term implications for South Korean society and the economy. The implications of these changes for economic growth and social spending are often discussed, but what will they mean for South Korean national security? What steps has the South Korean government taken to address the challenges for national security from demographic decline and are there any additional steps they can take?


Speaker:  Troy Stangarone, Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI)

t

Troy Stangarone is at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) where he is the Senior Director of Congressional Affairs and Trade. He recently concluded a Posco Fellowship at the East-West Center where he focused on the issue of demographics and national security. At KEI, he focuses on issues pertaining to U.S.-Korea relations, South Korea’s foreign and economic policy, and North Korea. In addition to his work at KEI, Mr. Stangarone is a member of the George Mason University|Korea President’s Advisory Board, the International Council of Korean Studies Board, and the Korea-America Student Conference’s National Advisory Committee. Prior to joining KEI, Mr. Stangarone worked on Capitol Hill for Senator Robert Torricelli on issues relating to foreign affairs and trade.

Moderator: Celeste Arrington, the George Washington University

ca

Celeste Arrington is Korea Foundation Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at GW. She specializes in comparative politics, with a regional focus on the Koreas and Japan. Her research and teaching focus on law and social movements, the media, lawyers, policy processes, historical justice, North Korean human rights, and qualitative methods. She is also interested in the international relations and security of Northeast Asia and transnational activism. She is the author of Accidental Activists: Victims and Government Accountability in South Korea and Japan (2016) and has published in Comparative Political Studies, Law & Society Review, Journal of East Asian Studies, Pacific Affairs, Asian Survey, and the Washington Post, among others. She received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an A.B. from Princeton University. She is currently writing a book that analyzes the role of lawyers and legal activism in Japanese and Korean policies related to persons with disabilities and tobacco control.

Light lunch will be served. This event is on the record and open to the media.

logos of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, GW Institute for Korean Studies, and Organization of Asian Studies

[April 1st, 2019] Korea in the Crossfire: Economics and Geopolitics of South Korea

 

oas

 

Korea in the Crossfire:

Economics and Geopolitics of South Korea

 

Monday, April 1 from 12:00 to 1:30 PM

Room 505, Elliott School 5th floor (1957 E St. NW)

 

In the era of Xi and Trump, economics has increasingly taken center stage as a tool for diplomacy. One of the nations that will be most affected by a trade war between China and the United States is South Korea. South Korea’s exports account for more than 50 percent of its GDP, and China and the United States are its two largest trading partners. How will a trade war between the United States and China impact South Korea? Will it integrate itself into the Belt and Road Initiative or pursue further development with signatories of the new CPTPP replacement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership? Join the Organization for Asian Studies as we examine the intersection of Korea’s economic and geopolitical outlooks.

 

For a discussion with:

Sohrab Rafiq
International Monetary Fund
Economist, Asia and Pacific Department

Troy Stangarone

Korea Economic Institute

Senior Director, Congressional Affairs and Trade

Lisa Collins

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Fellow, Korea Chair Program

 

Moderated by:

David Martie

Organization of Asian Studies
Director of Korean Affairs

 

 

An RSVP is required for this event.

event tile with south korean and japanese flags in the background; text: Japan-South Korea Relations in Crisis

[Mar 20, 2019] “Japan-South Korea Relations in Crisis: Prospects for Reconciliation and Security Cooperation in East Asia”

The GW Institute for Korean Studies & the Sigur Center for Asian Studies
present

“Japan-South Korea Relations in Crisis: Prospects for Reconciliation and Security Cooperation in East Asia”

js

 Japan and South Korea are both democracies and allies of the United States, and they share many security and economic interests. Yet relations between these two countries have deteriorated to their worst point in recent memory. The South Korean Supreme Court’s ruling in November regarding forced labor claims has aggravated long-standing disputes about the colonial past and World War II, and the December radar lock-in incident has revealed an alarming level of mistrust between Japan and South Korea. This program will examine the causes and consequences of the current tensions between Tokyo and Seoul, assess the prospects for reconciliation, consider the future of bilateral security cooperation, and discuss the implications for U.S. interests and foreign policy.

 


 

Speakers
– Celeste Arrington, Korea Foundation Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, the George Washington University
– Yuki Tatsumi, Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the Japan Program, Stimson Center
– Mike M. Mochizuki, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, the George Washington University
– Ji-Young Lee, C.W.Lim and Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies, American University

Moderator
Jisoo M. Kim, Director, the GW Institute for Korean Studies

Date & Time
Wednesday, March 20, 2019, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Venue
The Lindner Family Commons (Room 602), Elliott School of International Affairs, the George Washington University, 1957 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20052


◊ Speakers

Celeste Arrington, the George Washington University

Celeste Arrington is Korea Foundation Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at GW. She specializes in comparative politics, with a regional focus on the Koreas and Japan. Her research and teaching focus on law and social movements, the media, lawyers, policy processes, historical justice, North Korean human rights, and qualitative methods. She is also interested in the international relations and security of Northeast Asia and transnational activism. She is the author of Accidental Activists: Victims and Government Accountability in South Korea and Japan (2016) and has published in Comparative Political Studies, Law & Society Review, Journal of East Asian Studies, Pacific Affairs, Asian Survey, and the Washington Post, among others. She received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an A.B. from Princeton University. She is currently writing a book that analyzes the role of lawyers and legal activism in Japanese and Korean policies related to persons with disabilities and tobacco control.

 

 

 

 

Yuki Tatsumi, Stimson Center

Yuki Tatsumi is Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the Japan Program at the Stimson Center. Before joining Stimson, Tatsumi worked as a research associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and as the special assistant for political affairs at the Embassy of Japan in Washington. Tatsumi’s most recent publications include Balancing between Nuclear Deterrence and Disarmament: Views from the Next Generation (ed.; Stimson Center, 2018) Lost in Translation? U.S. Defense Innovation and Northeast Asia (Stimson Center, 2017). She is also the editor of four earlier volumes of the Views from the Next Generation series: Peacebuilding and Japan (Stimson Center, 2017), Japan as a Peace Enabler (Stimson Center, 2016), Japan’s Global Diplomacy (Stimson Center, 2015), and Japan’s Foreign Policy Challenges in East Asia (Stimson Center, 2014).

 

 

 

 

 

Mike M. Mochizuki, the George Washington University

MikeMike M. Mochizuki holds the Japan-U.S. Relations Chair in Memory of Gaston Sigur at the Elliott School of International Affairs in George Washington University.  Professor Mochizuki was associate dean for academic programs at the Elliott School from 2010 to 2014 and director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies from 2001 to 2005.  He co-directs the “Rising Powers Initiative” and the “Memory and Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific” research and policy project of the Sigur Center. Previously he was a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University.  His recent books include Memory, Identity, and Commemorations of World War II: Anniversary Politics in Asia Pacific (co-editor and co-author, 2018); Energy Security in Asia and Eurasia (co-editor and co-author, 2017); Nuclear Debates in Asia: The Role of Geopolitics and Domestic Processes (co-editor and author, 2016); The Okinawa Question: Futenma, the US-Japan Alliance, and Regional Security (co-editor and author, 2013); and China’s Military and the U.S.-Japan Alliance in 2030: A Strategic Net Assessment (co-author, 2013).

 

 

 

 

Ji-Young Lee, American University

JiyoungJi-Young Lee is a political scientist who teaches at American University’s School of International Service. She is the author of China’s Hegemony: Four Hundred Years of East Asian Domination (Columbia University Press, 2016). Her current work concerns historical Korea-China relations with a focus on military interventions, as well as the impact of China’s rise on the U.S. alliance system in East Asia. She has published articles in Security StudiesInternational Relations of the Asia-Pacific, and Journal of East Asian Studies. Previously, she was a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Politics and East Asian Studies at Oberlin College, a POSCO Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center, a non-resident James Kelly Korean Studies Fellow with the Pacific Forum CSIS, an East Asia Institute Fellow, and a Korea Foundation-Mansfield Foundation scholar of the U.S.-Korea Scholar-Policymaker Nexus program. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. from Georgetown University, an M.A. from Seoul National University, and a B.A. from Ewha Womans University in South Korea.

 

 

◊ Moderator

Moderator: Jisoo M. Kim, GW Institute for Korean Studies

Jisoo

Jisoo M. Kim is Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures and Director of the Institute for Korean Studies at GW. She received her Ph.D. in Korean History from Columbia University. She is a specialist in gender and legal history of early modern Korea. Her broader research interests include gender and sexuality, crime and justice, forensic medicine, literary representations of the law, history of emotions, vernacular, and gender writing. She is the author of The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status, and Legal Performance in Chosŏn Korea (University of Washington Press, 2015), which was awarded the 2017 James Palais Prize of the Association for Asian Studies. She is also the co-editor of The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation by JaHyun Kim Haboush (Columbia University Press, 2016). She is currently working on a new book project titled Suspicious Deaths: Forensic Medicine, Dead Bodies, and Criminal Justice in Chosŏn Korea.

 


 

This event is on the record and open to the media.
This event is going to be live-streamed on the GWIKS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GWIKS2016/

 

Old Korean board with Chinese characters and drawings of people

[March 7, 2019] “Paintings, Songs, and Board Games: Travels to Kŭmgangsan in Late Chosŏn Korea (1600-1900)”

GWIKS Lecture Series

“Paintings, Songs, and Board Games: Travels to Kŭmgangsan in Late Chosŏn Korea (1600-1900)”

 

 

Speaker: Maya Stiller, University of Kansas

Moderator:  Jisoo M. Kim, GW Institute for Korean Studies

 

Thursday, March 7, 2019, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Elliott School of International Affairs Room 505, the George Washington University

1957 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20052

 

◊ Description

Kŭmgangsan, also known as the Diamond Mountains, has a vibrant and rich history as one of the most famous mountains in Korea. In the late Chosŏn period, sophisticated knowledge about the mountain was a prerequisite to being considered cultured. Therefore, (aspiring) elite groups used a variety of virtual options such as travel accounts, folding screens, board games and songs to travel to the mountain and acquire knowledge about Kŭmgangsan. These forms of virtual travel have an organizing principle in common that reveals pre-modern understandings of the arrangement of places and their histories to optimize the memorization of important cultural sites. Combining the study of visual, literary, sonic, and haptic dimensions of Kŭmgangsan, this research complements previous art history scholarship which focused primarily on the mountain’s depiction in landscape paintings.

 

Speaker:  Maya Stiller, University of Kansas

 Maya Stiller is Assistant Professor of Korean Art and Visual Culture at the University of Kansas. From 2015 until 2018, she was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University’s Department of Art History and Architecture and a fellow at Harvard University’s Korea Institute. As an art historian with an interdisciplinary approach, Maya Stiller explores the visual cultures of Chosŏn period (1392-1910) Korea. Her article “The Politics of Commemoration: Patronage of Monk-General Shrines in Late Chosŏn Korea” was published in The Journal of Asian Studies in 2018. An article entitled “Slaves, Village Headmen, and Aristocrats: Patronage and Functions of Buddhist Sculpture Burials in Pre-Twentieth Century Korea” is scheduled for publication in Cahiers d’Extreme-Asie in 2019. Maya Stiller’s research projects have received support from the ACLS/Robert Ho Family Foundation, Harvard University’s Korea Institute and the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University.

 

Moderator: Jisoo M. Kim, GW Institute for Korean Studies

Jisoo M. Kim is Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures and Director of the Institute for Korean Studies at GW. She received her Ph.D. in Korean History from Columbia University. She is a specialist in gender and legal history of early modern Korea. She is the author of The Emotions of Justice: Gender, Status, and Legal Performance in Chosŏn Korea (University of Washington Press, 2015), which was awarded the 2017 James Palais Prize of the Association for Asian Studies. She is also the co-editor of The Great East Asian War and the Birth of the Korean Nation by JaHyun Kim Haboush (Columbia University Press, 2016).

 

This event is on the record and open to the media.

event tile with the flags of Iran and North Korea; text: The Iran Deal and North Korea co-sponsored lecture by the Sejong Society of Washington, DC

[February 15, 2019] “The Iran Deal and North Korea”

Co-sponsored Lecture

by the Sejong Society of Washington, D.C.

and GW Institute for Korean Studies

 

“The Iran Deal and North Korea”

 

Speaker

Matthew Henry Kroenig, Associate Professor in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University & Deputy Director for Strategy in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council

Moderator

Andrew I. Park, President of the Sejong Society and a Non-resident James A. Kelly Fellow at the Pacific Forum, Georgetown University

 

Date & Time
Friday, February 15, 2019
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

 

Venue
*The venue has been changed*

The Lindner Family Commons, Room 602, Elliott School of International Affairs,
The George Washington University
1957 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20052

 

 


Event Topics

1) Problems with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)

2) Domestic and foreign backlash on the JCPOA

3) Similarities & differences of the two rogue nations (Iran & North Korea)

4) Possibility of setting a bad precedent with North Korea

 

Speaker: Matthew Henry Kroenig

Matthew Kroenig is an Associate Professor in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and Deputy Director for Strategy in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council. His work has covered a wide range of topics in international relations and national security. Dr. Kroenig is the author or editor of six books, including The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy (Oxford University Press, forthcoming). His articles have appeared in many publications, including: American Political Science Review, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, International Organization, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He has served in several positions in the U.S. Department of Defense and the intelligence community and regularly consults with a wide range of U.S. government entities. He has previously worked as a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Harvard University, and Stanford University. Dr. Kroenig provides regular commentary for major media outlets, including PBS Newshour, Fareed Zakaria GPS, BBC, CNN, Fox News, NPR, and C-SPAN. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and holds an MA and PhD in political science from the University of California at Berkeley.

 

Moderator: Andrew I. Park

Andrew I. Park is the President of the Sejong Society and a non-resident James A. Kelly Fellow at the Pacific Forum and a master’s candidate of the Asian Studies Program at Georgetown University. He previously worked as a researcher at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and served as an interpreter/translator at the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command in Yongsan, Seoul. He received a B.A. in Political Science, International Studies, and Asia Studies from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he also founded and served as president of the university’s Alexander Hamilton Society chapter.

 


This event is on the record and open to the media.

info session flyer with background image of GW student posing for photo at the Korean demilitarized zone; text: Summer Study Abroad Info Session to Seoul, Korea

[February 15, 2019] Summer Study Abroad Program to Korea Information Session

Summer Study Abroad Program

Information Session 

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
February 15, 2019
503 Conference Room, Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street, NW, Suite 503 

This information session will provide both general information and important program details for undergraduate students who are interested in applying for the Summer Study Abroad Program in Seoul, Korea. Professor Jisoo M. Kim, the Director of GW Institute for Korean Studies, will be giving an introduction to the program and Q&A session will follow. All students are welcome and the students who are interested in applying for the program are highly encouraged to attend this information session. Please refer to the application instruction below, and email questions to GWIKS Program Coordinator.

Apply by February 28

Visit GWIKS website for application details.
event tile with image of a memorial monument statue

[February 14, 2019] “The Jeju 4.3 Incident, Korea’s ‘Dark History,’ and Its Implications for North Korea Policy”

The Soh Jaipil Circle on Contemporary Korean Affairs:

“The Jeju 4.3 Incident, Korea’s ‘Dark History,’
and Its Implications for North Korea Policy”

 

Speaker: John Merrill, Non-Resident Visiting Scholar, GW Institute for Korean Studies
Moderator: Celeste Arrington, Korea Foundation Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University

 

Date & Time
Thursday, February 14, 2019
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm

 

Venue
Elliott School of International Affairs Room 505,
The George Washington University
1957 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20052

 


Event Description
Korea’s “Dark History” continues to slowly come to light. One occasion was last year’s 70th anniversary of the Jeju uprising, in which 30,000 people were killed—the vast majority by government forces. American advisors were present throughout and helped to direct many operations. Other recent revelations include the ROK navy’s Pearl Harbor-style raid on the North’s west coast fleet in August 1949 that destroyed a large part of the DPRK’s navy. One aspect of the raid that remains to be explored is how it may have influenced Stalin’s decision to support the June 1950 invasion. Rhee’s executions after the war broke out of 100,000-plus jailed communists and suspected sympathizers is another chapter in this hidden history. Likewise, ignored in most discussions of the North Korean nuclear issue is the impact of US massive bombing of North Korean cities during the war, subsequent nuclear threats, and the deployment of 950 U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea through the 1960s. This hidden, forgotten, and distorted history has greatly influenced Washington’s traditional “crime and punishment” approach to dealing with North Korea. In the last few years, Presidents Moon and Trump have wisely broken with this traditional approach and switched to “smile diplomacy”—which, despite a chorus of nay-sayers, promises to produce far better results.

 

John Merrill

John Merrill is the former chief of the Northeast Asia Division in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Merrill has taught at the Foreign Service Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Georgetown University, the George Washington University, and Lafayette College. For many years, he chaired seminars on North Korean Foreign Policy for mid-career Intelligence Community analysts/managers. Merrill is the author of Korea: The Peninsular Origins of the War and The Cheju-do Rebellion (in Japanese). His most recent pieces include “Inside the White House: The Future of US-DPRK Policy,” Korea Observer, Winter 2016 and op-eds for Nikkei Asian Review. Merrill has a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware, an M.A. from Harvard University, and a B.A. from Boston University.

 

Celeste Arrington

Celeste Arrington is Korea Foundation Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at GW. She specializes in comparative politics, with a regional focus on the Koreas and Japan. Her research and teaching focus on law and social movements, the media, lawyers, policy processes, historical justice, North Korean human rights, and qualitative methods. She is also interested in0 the international relations and security of Northeast Asia and transnational activism. She is the author of Accidental Activists: Victims and Government Accountability in South Korea and Japan (2016) and has published in Comparative Political Studies, Law & Society Review, Journal of East Asian Studies, Pacific Affairs, Asian Survey, and the Washington Post, among others. She received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an A.B. from Princeton University. She is currently writing a book that analyzes the role of lawyers and legal activism in Japanese and Korean policies related to persons with disabilities and tobacco control.

 

This event is on the record and open to the media.
lunar new year 2019 event banner with floral boar; text: 2019 Lunar New Year Celebration at the George Washington University

[January 31, 2019] The George Washington University Lunar New Year Celebration 2019

 

The George Washington University Lunar New Year Celebration 2019

Thursday, January 31, 2019 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Charles E. Smith Center – Colonials Club
600 22nd Street, NW, Washington, District Of Columbia 20052

 

On Thursday, January 31, 2019, you are cordially invited to celebrate the Year of the Pig with the GW community. This will be a wonderful opportunity to socialize and network with students, faculty, and community members with an interest in East Asia. Please join us for delicious food and entertaining student performances, as well as the lucky raffle for special prizes!

 

 

PROGRAM:

5:00 PM – 5:30 PM Doors Open & Drinks

5:30 PM – 6:00 PM Student Performances, Sponsor Remarks & Raffle Drawing

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Networking Reception & Hors d’Oeuvres

Many thanks to the following departments for their sponsorship.

SPONSORS:

  • The GW Confucius Institute
  • The Department of East Asian Languages & Literature
  • The Sigur Center for Asian Studies
  • The Institute for Korean Studies
  • The International Services Office
  • The Multicultural Student Services Center

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:

  • The Vietnamese Student Association (VSA)
  • The Global China Connections
  • The GWU Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA)
event tile with image of Kim Jong-un and stock photo of North Korean military; text: North Korea in 2019 - More of the same, or a historic opportunity?

[January 23, 2019] North Korea in 2019: More of the same, or a historic opportunity?

The Soh Jaipil Circle on Contemporary Korean Affairs

 

“North Korea in 2019: More of the same, or a historic opportunity?”

David C. Kang, USC Korean Studies Institute
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
 
Elliott School of International Affairs, B17
The George Washington University
1957 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20052 

Event Description

Many in the U.S. are deeply skeptical of North Korea’s intentions. There is a conventional wisdom that Kim will never denuclearize, he can’t be trusted, and that the dramatic moves of the past year are simply yet another episode of North Korean manipulation and deception. Is this the case? Or, do North Korean leader Kim, South Korean leader Moon, and U.S. president Trump have an historic opportunity to make genuine change on the peninsula? What are the issues and stakes in 2019? In this talk, Professor Kang will explore these issues and put the current situation in a broader historical and political context.

Speaker: David C. Kang

David C. Kang is Maria Crutcher Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California, with appointments in both the School of International Relations and the Marshall School of Business. Kang is also director of the USC Korean Studies Institute. Kang’s latest book is American Grand Strategy and East Asian Security in the 21st Century (Cambridge University Press, 2017). He has authored four other scholarly books and has published articles in journals such as International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, and International Security. A regular consultant for U.S. government agencies and the military, Kang has also written opinion pieces in the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, and appears regularly in media such as CNN, PBC, the BBC, and NPR. A former Fulbright Scholar, Kang received an A.B. with honors from Stanford University and his Ph.D. from Berkeley.

 

 

Moderator: Celeste Arrington

Celeste Arrington is Korea Foundation Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at GW. She specializes in comparative politics, with a regional focus on the Koreas and Japan. Her research and teaching focus on law and social movements, the media, lawyers, policy processes, historical justice, North Korean human rights, and qualitative methods. She is also interested in the international relations and security of Northeast Asia and transnational activism. She is the author ofAccidental Activists: Victims and Government Accountability in South Korea and Japan (2016) and has published in Comparative Political Studies, Law & Society Review, Journal of East Asian Studies, Pacific Affairs, Asian Survey, and the Washington Post, among others. She received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an A.B. from Princeton University. She is currently writing a book that analyzes the role of lawyers and legal activism in Japanese and Korean policies related to persons with disabilities and tobacco control.