Join us for a must-hear conversation with the one and only Korean-American “Hero”!

In this episode, Korean Kontext spoke to Korean-American actor Steven Yeun.  Having acted in several high profile TV shows, Yeun’s interest in acting originated during his freshman year at Kalamazoo College after watching improv group “Monkapult”.  Originally studying Psychology at Kalamazoo, Yeun’s parents gave him two years to try acting and it didn’t take long for him to win his first roles.  Fast-forward to 2010 and Yeun was cast as Glenn in the hugely popular The Walking Dead, a character that put him on millions of TV screens worldwide.

Korean Kontext caught up with Steven over Skype for a chat about his career as a Korean American actor, current role in The Walking Dead, and future career aspirations.  Tune in for a fascinating conversation with Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead.

In this episode, Korean Kontext speaks with Ms. Jie-ae Sohn, President of Arirang TV & Radio, Korea’s first English language international broadcast system. Ms. Sohn worked as the former CNN Bureau Chief for Seoul and Head Correspondent for South Korea. She was also the spokeswoman for the Seoul G-20 Summit in November 2010. During the interview, Ms. Sohn spoke about modern Korean culture, K-culture, the South Korean elections, the role of women in South Korea, her experiences as a journalist, and more.

In an effort to resolve the issue, President Obama increased the pressure on Iran on December 31 2011, by signing into law the 2012 National Defense Authorization act, a move which laid the groundwork for a policy banning any state from transactions with the Central Bank of Iran. The policy in effect prohibits the signing or continuation of oil contracts with Iran and any third country or company that wants to continue to deal with the U.S.

As a close ally of the U.S. and a country with a clear commitment to nuclear non-proliferation, South Korea has a strong impetus to go along with international efforts to reduce oil imports from Iran. However, being an energy importing country that obtains nearly ten per cent of its oil supplies from Iran each year, South Korea is in a difficult position.

In an effort to better understand the situation and choices that Seoul now faces, Korean Kontext spoke to

- Dr. Matthew Kroenig, Stanton Nuclear Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations

- Dr. Balbina Hwang, Visiting Professor at the National Defense University / Georgetown University

- Philip Yun, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Ploughshares Fund

- Tim Boersma, Fellow at the German Marshall Fund’s Transatlantic Academy

Join us for a stimulating discussion on the complexities of the sanctions situation, South Korea’s bilateral relations with Iran, and how North Korea impacts on the decision making process.

By the time you read this, the KORUS FTA will have entered the implementation stage. To celebrate, Korean Kontext caught up with two of the main movers-and-shakers behind the deal to find out more about what it was like to work on the agreement and learn about their thoughts and hopes as things now move forward.

Starting the conversation, Korean Kontext spoke to Ms. Wendy Cutler, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan, Korea and APEC Affairs. During the conversation she talked about how the post-FTA U.S. – Korea relationship fits into the broader regional economic picture, what it had been like to work on Korea over the past decade, and what challenges still remained.

To get a better impression of Seoul’s perspective, Korean Kontext went to the ROK Embassy to speak to Minister for Economic Affairs Kim Ghee-Whan about his view on the agreement. He explained why the deal was so beneficial to Korea, how his country would take full advantage of it, and how he had found working in the U.S.

Download the podcast here and celebrate the implementation of what some are now calling the “third pillar” of the U.S. – Korea alliance.

This episode of Korean Kontext has a distinctly British flavor, featuring interviews with two leading Ambassadors that work closely on UK and Korea related affairs.

While recently in London, Korean Kontext had the opportunity of speaking to South Korea’s Ambassador to the UK,  Choo Kyu-ho. Through an insightful exchange with the Ambassador, Korean Kontext learnt about South Korea’s diplomatic objectives in the UK, what lessons North East Asian countries might be able to learn from the Eurozone crisis and EU integration, and what it was like for the Embassy to work in a country also sharing a DPRK diplomatic presence.

And back in Washington DC, Korean Kontext recently met with the UK’s new Ambassador to North Korea - Karen Wolstenholme.  A fascinating conversation with the UK’s top diplomat in North Korea reveals what life is like as an Ambassador in Pyongyang, what level of in-country contact the UK has with DPRK officials, and how things have been like since the death of Kim Jong-il.

Tune in and download the podcast today - it is an essential listen for any Korea-watcher!

The 2012 Yeosu Exposition will be taking place in the coastal town of Yeosu in South Korea from May to August 2012, and the U.S. will be represented among 103 countries at the USA Pavillion.  The United States’ commitment to World Expo 2012 highlights the strong relationship between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

On Friday January 13, the Korea Economic Institute (KEI) celebrated Korean American day at the Newseum, in Washington, DC.  As part of the celebration, KEI recognized three Korean-American pioneers in the fields of art and literature:

- Peter H. Lee, Professor Emeritus of Korean and Comparative Literature, UCLA

- Youngsuk Chi, Chairman, Elsevier Management Committee

- Daniel Dae Kim, Actor, “Hawaii Five-0″ and “Lost”

Following the award ceremony and a short discussion panel (currently viewable on KEI’s Youtube Channel), Korean Kontext host Chad O’Carroll got the opportunity to speak to Daniel Dae Kim about his life as a Korean American actor growing up in the United States.

In this special Korean-American day episode of Korean Kontext, find out about Daniel Dae Kim’s decision to choose acting over law, his interest in politics, how he balances being both American and Korean, and how he gives back to the community as a whole.   Join us for a fascinating insight into Daniel Dae Kim’s work both on and off the stage. Tweet

Our latest edition of Korean Kontext focuses on the recent death of Kim Jong-il and the prospects for North Korea under the stewardship of his son, Kim Jong-un.  In this special length episode recorded in the United Kingdom, host Chad O’Carroll spoke to four European experts and practitioners:

1) Britain’s long-time North Korea watcher Mr. Aidan Foster-Carter (Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology & Modern Korea, Leeds University);

2) Mr. Andray Abrahamian (the Executive Director of Chosun Exchange - a not-for-profit focusing on educational issues in the DPRK);

3)  Ms. Marie-laure Verdier (a specialist studying humanitarian NGOs active along the China-North Korea border; and

4) Mr. Gareth Johnson (a British entrepreneur who lives in China and does business in North Korea).

With North Koreans idolizing the Kim family for over six decades, it was no surprise to see the country shut-down in widespread grief for an official period of mourning following news of Kim Jong-il’s death.  But how was the news received elsewhere in the world like Europe? How was the quality of the general news coverage?  What was the impact on Western business and NGO activities along the border regions and within North Korea? How did North Korea’s interaction with the outside world change after the death especially with international NGOs and businesses?  The Korean Kontext explores these questions and more with European experts that give their assessment of North Korea’s tenuous future.

Come listen to the conversations as the Korean Kontext analyzes one of the most significant developments North of the DMZ this millennium.

In our North Korea tourism special, Korean Kontext speaks to two of the movers-and-shakers in the world of DPRK tourism.  Simon Cockerell is the General Manager at Koryo Tours, a British run company that has been leading tours to the DPRK since 1993 , that has also helped produce several award winning documentaries on the country.  Walter Keats is President of Asia Pacific Travel, a U.S. company that has been conducting tours to N.E. Asia since the 1970s, and visits specifically to North Korea since 1995.  Join us for a fascinating conversation about the nature of tourism in one of the world’s most unique destinations!

In this episode, new Korean Kontext presenter Chad O’Carroll speaks with Curtis Melvin, the man behind the NK Econ Watch blog and developer of “North Korea Uncovered”, a Google Map overlay that was front page news in the Wall Street Journal back in 2009. In the interview, Mr. Melvin describes where his interest in North Korea came from, explains why he set up his mapping project, and talks about some of the issues that his blog touches upon day-to-day.

In this episode of Korean Kontext, I have the opportunity to speak with Richard V. Allen, who, in the weeks preceding his official instatement as National Security Advisor to President-elect Ronald Reagan in 1981, was involved in a secret agreement to intervene on behalf of liberal political leader Kim Dae-jung, who had been sentenced to death by the then-Korean government under Chun Doo-hwan. The details of this story have only recently become known, even to Kim Dae-jung, who, nearly 20 years later, became the 15th president of South Korea.

This episode features a conversation with Sam Yoon, Executive Director of the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA). Prior to his work with NACEDA, Sam served on the Boston City Council before running in the Boston mayoral race in 2009. Sam shares with us stories of his experiences as an Asian-American in Boston politics, his efforts in local community organizing, and the need to get more Korean-Americans active on the political scene.

In this episode we hear from author Mike Kim, who speaks with Korean Kontext about his experiences living and working with North Korean refugees on the China-North Korea border. Mike shares with us what prompted him to leave everything behind and move to China, what it was like to work directly with North Korean escapees, and what more must be done to help them.

Since his time in China, Mike has published a book, “Escaping North Korea”, which he is currently working on turning into a full-length film.

Check out Mike’s Twitter feed: MikeKimNK

In this episode we hear from Korean-American filmmaker Michael Kang, who made his directorial debut at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival with The Motel, which was awarded the Humanitas Prize as well as the NHK International Filmmakers Award. Michael also directed West 32nd and speaks with us about his third full-length film, Knots, which is slated for release this spring.