Category: Archived Events
SJP Third Talk: Jihwan Hwang
On December 1, 2017, Dr. Jihwan Hwang, visiting scholar at the Catholic University of America and lecturer at GW, presented on his research “Can North Korea Become America’s Friend” to a group of students, staff, and representatives from the Korea Economic Institute and the Department of State. Dr. Hwang compared the improvement of relations with Iran and Cuba under President Obama to the North Korean case. He proposed that the implementation of agreements, change in domestic politics, and level of nuclear development are initial conditions that determine whether a “rogue state” can become friends with the U.S. Until those factors change in North Korea, he remarked that friendship with the U.S. does not appear likely. During the question and answer session, Dr. Hwang and the participants discussed other possible factors such as leadership, geostrategic calculations, and economic considerations.
Dec. 11: U.S.-Korea Defense Acquisition and Security Cooperation
CSIS presents U.S.-Korea Defense Acquisition and Security Cooperation
This event will be webcast live.
Please join the CSIS Office of the Korea Chair and the International Security Program for a joint conference that aims to broaden the discussions on the U.S. and the Republic of Korea’s bilateral cooperation on defense acquisition policy and defense industrial technological base, as well as important issues pertaining to joint research and development programs between two countries.
9:00 AM | Opening Session
9:30 AM | Keynote Address
10:30 AM | Public Session I: Finding Opportunities to Facilitate ROK-U.S. Defense R&D Cooperation
11:30 AM | Public Session II: Promoting ROK-U.S. Cooperation in Aerospace Industry
12:30 PM | Adjournment
U.S.-Korea Defense Acquisition and Security Cooperation is co-hosted by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET), and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
Robert Ogburn: “Tales from the Motherland: Korea and the Power of Small”
On November 16, 2017, GWIKS and the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication co-sponsored an event to welcome Robert Ogburn, former Minister-Counselor for Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, and to hear his experience working in South Korea. He shared how the U.S. and South Korea’s perceptions of each other have changed over time and what he meant about “power of small” regarding South Korea. The U.S. view of South Korea has come a long way since “M.A.S.H.” and South Korea’s inward focus of the 1980s has given way to a global outlook in the 2000s. This transformation was driven by failure, flexibility, and fuel. By embracing the idea of “glorious failure,” Koreans bounce back after taking risks and develop new ideas, fueled by their strong work ethic.
During his most recent tour in Seoul, Mr. Ogburn’s message was to embrace failure while being resilient. Examples include the a man who created a prosperous leather goods shop after losing his first store and becoming homeless, the Seoul National University Professor who encourages young women and North Korean defectors to study engineering, and the female leaders of Daum and Naver blazing a trail for women in business.
Mr. Ogburn noted that Koreans are very focused on their identity, and while Americans find their identity in what they do, Koreans find their identity in just being Korean. Korean identity is changing and expanding, as Koreans embrace immigrants and people like NFL player Heinz Ward. During the question and answer session, GWIKS Director Jisoo Kim noted that the idea of Korea as “a shrimp among whales” is not ancient but emerged in the 20th century, and Mr. Ogburn said this is even more reason for South Korea to see its small size as a strength.
Dec. 1: CPRF at USIP: North Korea and Track 2 Diplomacy
Fri, December 1, 2017
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM EST
United States Institute of Peace
2301 Constitution Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20037
The Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum (CPRF) invites to you USIP on December 1 for an in-depth conversation on North Korea with former Labour Party member of the European Parliament Glyn Ford, and former Special Envoy for Six-Party Talks with North Korea, Ambassador Joseph R. DeTrani. USIP’s Senior Expert for North Korea Frank Aum will moderate.
With nearly 40 trips to North Korea and just back from his most recent trip, Mr. Ford will address security tensions between the United States and North Korea, the situation on the ground in North Korea, and the value of Track 2 non-governmental engagements with North Korea.
The conversation takes place from 1:30-2:45pm on December 1 at USIP, 2301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington DC.
This event will be immediately followed by a live radio broadcast town hall hosted by The Takeaway’s Tod Zwellich and featuring Glyn Ford, Frank Aum, Jean Lee, and Anthony Ruggiero as panelists. CPRF attendees are encouraged to first attend the in-depth discussion on North Korea with Glyn Ford and stay through the afternoon for a more wide-ranging discussion on diplomacy and nuclear policy in the town hall. To attend the town hall, please register separately on USIP’s website here.
The Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum (CPRF)
Since 1999, the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum has provided a monthly platform in Washington for highlighting innovative and constructive methods of conflict resolution. CPRF’s goals are to (1) provide information from a wide variety of perspectives; (2) explore possible solutions to complex conflicts; and (3) provide a secure venue for stakeholders from various disciplines to engage in cross-sector and multi-track problem-solving. The CPRF is traditionally hosted at SAIS and organized by the Conflict Management Program in conjunction with Search for Common Ground and is co-sponsored by a consortium of organizations that specialize in conflict resolution and/or public policy formulation.
Forum Principals:
Search For Common Ground
Alliance for Peacebuilding
U.S. Institute of Peace
George Mason University – School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution
Georgetown University – Conflict Resolution Program
Johns Hopkins University – Nitze School of Advanced International Studies Conflict Management Program
Dec. 5: Korean Traditional Musical Ensemble: Fairy Tale ‘Land of the Poet’
6th Showcase of 2017 Season OnStage Korea
Korean Traditional Music Ensemble, ‘Fairy Tale’ <Land of the Poet>
Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00pm
Studio Theatre(Mead Theatre)
1501 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
Tickets: Free with RSVP Here
For more information: Korean Cultural Center DC
[Contact]
E-mail: infodesk@koreaembassy.org
Phone: 202-797-6343
For the sixth and final Onstage Korea showcase of 2017, the Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. welcomes Fairytale, an innovative traditional Korean music band, for their Capital premiere on Dec. 5, 2017.
Formed in 2011, Fairytale’ score motto is to ‘communicate with the world through music.’ By creating music with pure sensibilities, the group strives to stay faithful to their namesake: pure, innocent, and emotional storytelling. Fairytale also aims to get up close and personal with their audiences through unique venues like busy streets and intimate theaters, but also a gripping stage presence in order to continually expand their artistic goals.
Fairytale’s music is based on Korean traditional music, but the group aims to achieve the perfect balance between traditional and contemporary styles. Fairytale will celebrate their Washington, D.C. premiere presenting a major repertoire, The Land of Poet, including High spirit, What are you looking for, Until peonies bloom, After raining, etc. This performance based on a story from a famous piece of Korean poetry blends narrative music with dramatic theater methods. Fairytale seeks to convey the emotions and rhythm of Korean poetry, delivered with their irresistible musical style.
PERFORMANCE ARTISTS
Yuseok Seo | Daegeum(Korean bamboo flute)
Yunjin Ko | Haegeum(Korean fiddle)
Joohee Kim | Geomungo(Korean zither)
Kyuyeon Kim | Percussion
Myeongseo Jang | Vocal
Youngjin Oh | Piano
Chami | Composer
Fairytale was selected in 2014 for the Traditional ING, a project by Jungdong Theater in Seoul, Korea that seeks out creative traditional artistic groups, where they presented a musical, The Report on the Earth from Little Prince. Fairytale sought out more original ways to intertwine story and music through their concert A Piece of Warm Word, which adopted the form of a music broadcast. They released their first album, Sway with the Fairy Dream, in 2013, and their second album Another Dream in 2015, which includes original vocal songs with the lyrics of poems set to nature-themed music. Fairytale was also selected to showcase their work at the Asia Pacific Music Meeting in 2015, a recognition of their performance potential in overseas markets.
December 14: WCCW Film Screening
GW Institute for Korean Studies and the Washington Coalition for Comfort Women Issues (WCCW)
Present
Film Screening:
RSVP
Thursday, December 14, 2017
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
The George Washington University Marvin Center
Amphitheater (3rd Floor)
800 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
About the Film (From the Film Director, Jungrae Cho)
“Spirits’ Homecoming, Unfinished Story” is part dramatization and part documentary. It is a visual testimony of “Comfort Women,” and it contains additional scenes from the movie “Spirits’ Homecoming” along with filmed documentations of “Comfort Women” from the House of Sharing archives. Through their testimonies, we provide proof of the victims of Japanese war crimes during WWII and the unspeakable atrocities they experienced. Unfortunately, a satisfying resolution has still not been achieved. I hope that this film can further ignite discussions about this issue and make us think about what we can do to contribute and make a difference.
“Spirits’ Homecoming” was released in 2016 and has been screened globally after its release in South Korea. In the hopes to bring awareness about the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery, the film was screened at 10 different countries in 61 cities over 1,300 times and over 100 lectures. Many viewers who encountered this painful past for the first time have continuously asked, “Did this really happen”?
About “Comfort Women” (From the Film Director, Jungrae Cho)
During WWII, over 200,000 young girls were forcefully taken by the Japanese Imperial Army. They were separated from their own families without knowing where they were being sent. Eventually, they were all coerced to become sex slaves for the Japanese military and had to endure inhumane and horrific atrocities. Most of them never made it back home and faced a lonely death in unfamiliar foreign lands.
On August 14, 1991, one courageous Korean “Comfort Woman,” Hak-Soon Kim, came out and broke her silence by revealing to the world for the first time the atrocities she endured as a sex slave to the Japanese military. Many more survivors followed her and came forward from all over Asia and the world to speak about their experiences and demand justice. After 26 years of struggling to fight for their justice, the survivors have still not received their rightful apology and legal reparations from the Japanese government.
There are 34 living survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery as of Nomemeber 1, 2017.
In the last two months, two survivors have passed away without receiving their demands from the Japanese government. They were young innocent girls when they were enslaved, and now the average age of the survivors is over 90. It is time to receive an official apology now as the number of surviving “Comfort Women” is getting smaller.
While the victims are speaking out “against war and never to repeat again,” the current global atmosphere is unstable with numerous threats of violence. After contemplating how and what I could do to contribute, I decided to film a sequel with actual testimonies from the survivors called “Spirits’ Homecoming, Unfinished Story.”
We hope this horrific war crime will never happen again.
We should make sure the victims of Japanese military sexual slavery are never forgotten. They deserve a sincere official apology and legal reparations. I hope we can all stand firm with the victims and make sure this war crime against women and young girls never occurs again.
December 1: Soh Jaipil Circle with Jihwan Hwang
GWIKS Soh Jaipil Circle
The Third Talk
“Can North Korea Become America’s Friend?”
Featuring Dr. Jihwan Hwang
RSVP
Friday, December 1, 2017
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Lunch Will Be Provided
Elliott School of International Affairs
Chung-Wen Shih Conference Room
Sigur Center for Asian Studies
1957 E Street, NW, Suite 503
Washington, DC 20052
Can North Korea become America’s friend? In recent years, North Korea has seemingly become an exceptional case compared to America’s other old enemies: Iran and Cuba. Although the Trump administration seeks to reverse the Obama administration’s policy, Iran and Cuba have gone through impressive internal and external changes, and have recently been approaching the international community. However, North Korea’s attitude towards the U.S. has become increasingly provocative rather than cooperative. Even with the Obama administration’s engagement diplomacy toward enemy nations, North Korea did not reciprocate. North Korea still continues its hostility and the U.S. has put several economic sanctions against Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile provocations. What differentiates North Korea from Iran and Cuba? This talk compares changes in Iran and Cuba’s domestic politics, economic situation, and security environment with those of North Korea in order to find out what makes North Korea’s course look so different.
With Jihwan Hwang
Jihwan HWANG is Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Seoul, Korea. He is now a year-long visiting scholar at the Catholic University of America. He is also teaching “Politics in the Two Koreas” at the George Washington University for this semester. He has served in several advisory positions in the Korean government, including the President’s Committee for Unification Preparation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Unification. His publications include “The Paradox of South Korea’s Unification Diplomacy” and “The Two Koreas after U.S. Unipolarity.” He is a graduate of Seoul National University and received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Moderated by Gregg Brazinsky
Gregg A. BRAZINSKY is Associate Professor of History and International Affairs and Deputy Director of GW Institute for Korean Studies. His research seeks to understand the diverse and multi-faceted interactions among East Asian states and between Asia and the United States. He is the author of Nation Building in South Korea: Koreans, Americans, and the Making of a Democracy (University of North Carolina Press, 2007) and Winning the Third World: Sino-American Rivalry during the Cold War (University of North Carolina Press, 2017). He served as interim director of the GW Institute for Korean Studies during the Spring 2017 semester.
HMS 25 Videos
Videos
October 20, 2017
Opening Remarks by Dr. Jisoo Kim and Dr. Young-Key Kim-Renaud
Key-Sook Choe, Associate Professor in the Institute of Korean Studies at Yonsei University
Serk-Bae Suh, teaches Korean literature at the University of California, Irvine as Associate Professor
Sookja Cho, Assistant Professor of Korean at Arizona State University
Yumi Han, translator and lecturer in Korean at the University Paris-Sorbonne and the Korean Cultural Center in Paris
Janet Lee, Assistant Professor of Korean Literature at Keimyung University
Immanuel Kim, Assistant Professor in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies at Binghamton University
Nov. 30: Russia and North Korea Nuclear Weapons
Russia and North Korean Nuclear Weapons
Wilson Center
6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004
November 30, 2017, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Russia’s relations with North Korea are often ignored in the West, being overshadowed by China. Yet Russia has been a major player on the Korean Peninsula since the late 19th century. It was directly responsible for the creation of the North Korean state (the DPRK) and it still maintains a range of political, economic and social links. Indeed, Russia is now the only major country on more or less friendly terms with Pyongyang. We will therefore examine whether Russia can be engaged as a broker of negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, especially as our failure to restrain North Korea’s nuclear and missile program to date suggests it is time for a new strategy.
This conference will present the findings of a year-long research project on the current state of Russian-North Korean relations and the implications for US policy. The project has been conducted as a collaboration of researchers from the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), and the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Moscow.
Agenda
9:00 a.m. Welcoming Remarks
9:10 a.m. Panel 1: Russian-North Korea Relations
Presenters:
- Artyom Lukin, Assoc. Professor of International Relations and Deputy Director of Research, School of Regional and International Studies, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok
- Georgy Toloraya , Director, Asian Strategy Center, Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Science, Professor, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO)
Commentators
- Chris Miller, Research Director, Eurasia Program, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Assistant Professor of International History, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
- Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, Associate Scholar, FPRI
Moderator
- Rensselaer W. Lee III, Senior Fellow, FPRI
10:35 Panel 2: Implications for US Policy
Presenters
- Rensselaer W. Lee III, Senior Fellow, FPRI
- William Severe, Independent Consultant
Commentators
- Sue Mi Terry, Senior Advisor for North Korea, Bower Group Asia
- Jenny Town, Assistant Director, US-Korea Institute at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University
11:50 Adjournment/ Closing Remarks
- Rensselaer W. Lee III, Senior Fellow, FPRI
