Korean Kontext

[Rebroadcast] Kevin O’Donnell: National Director of Peace Corps

In this episode from 2011, we spoke with Kevin O'Donnell, who, after decades on a private sector career path, became the first-ever Peace Corps country director for South Korea, followed by a term as national director of the Peace Corps. Mr. O'Donnell shares with us his accounts of moving to Korea for the first time, some of the challenges he faced during a budget crisis, and the relationship between the Peace Corps and its host nations.

Keeping up with North Korea

The last month has seen two North Korean ICBM tests, a new round of UN sanctions, and threats exchanged between Washington and Pyongyang. To catch up on the latest developments from the Korean Peninsula and try to make sense of some of the rhetoric that has been coming out of the Trump Administration, three members of the KEI staff sat down with Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson for this episode of the podcast. 

 

Mark Tokola, KEI's vice president, Troy Stangarone, our senior director, and Kyle Ferrier, director of academic affairs and research, discuss a variety of topics related to North Korea, including the difference between a preventative strike and a pre-emptive one, possibilities for the use of cyber attacks, and some of the strengths and weaknesses of the new UN sanctions.

 

Photos from the U.S. Coast Guard and Prachatai on flickr Creative Commons.

Korean Study Abroad on the Decline?

After more than a decade as the number three sender of foreign students to the United States, last year South Korea dropped to number four, after several years of declining enrollments. Why, after years of sending tens of thousands of students of all ages to study in the United States, are Koreans less keen on coming to the U.S.?

 

To answer this question, Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson sat down with education expert Vincent Flores, EducationUSA's Regional Educational Advising Coordinator (REAC) for Northeast Asia and the Pacific, who is based in Seoul. Flores shares some of his thoughts on why the numbers are dropping, and also gives some insights into what EducationUSA and American colleges and universities are doing to try to reverse this trend.

Should the U.S. be concerned about Chinese-North Korean relations?

As North Korea's largest trading partner and political ally, China is a crucial factor in any potential solution to curb North Korea's weapons programs. President Trump expressed hope earlier this year that China would help in the U.S.'s effort to restrain North Korea, which he would later tweet that it had "not worked out." How important is China to North Korea, and what does this mean for the national security of the U.S. and its Pacific allies? What measures can be taken to encourage China's cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear program?

 

On this week’s episode, we spoke with Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China and Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World, about China and North Korea’s relationship and what it means for the future of U.S. and South Korean national security.

 

Learning Korean and Supporting Seniors: SAY's Two in One Model of Teaching

Founded in 2014, Korean startup SAY (Seniors and Youth) is a Korean tutoring company with a social mission behind their work - helping Korean retirees find meaningful work. To do this, they have set up a company that connects young foreigners who are eager to learn the Korean language with older Koreans who are eager to share their time and experience.

 

In this episode, Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson sits down with two of SAY's founders, Yongmin Cho and Quan Nguyen, to discuss the origins behind the company, their social mission, and how Korean learners can benefit from their lessons.

 

Colonel Edward Forney and the Hungnam Evacuation

In December 1950, while fighting the advancing Chinese army and bitter Korean winter, Colonel Edward Forney and other American and Korean officers managed to evacuate all troops as well as 100,000 North Korean refugees out of the port city of Hungnam. 

 

Now, 67 years later, Colonel Forney's grandson, Ned Forney, was invited to Washington, DC to take part in a ceremony at the National Marine Corps Museum's new memorial for those who faught in the Chosin Reservoir battle that made the Hungnam Evacuation possible. The ceremony was part of the recent visit by new President Moon Jae-In, whose parents were among the refugess saved by Colonel Forney during the evacuation.

 

In this episode, Ned discusses the history of the evacuation, his grandfather's role, and President Moon's personal connection to this story.

A Discussion with Charlie Rangel, Former Congressman and Korean War Veteran

On June 26, a day after the 67th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, KEI hosted an event on Capitol Hill to honor three current and former members of Congress who are veterans of the conflict in Korea. One of them was former Congressman Charlie Rangel of New York, who fought in several major battles in Korea, earning a Purple Heart, the Bronze Star with Valor, and three battle stars.

 

While in Washington for the reception, Rangel sat down with KEI President Donald Manzullo, who served with Rangel in the House of Representatives for many years. In this episode, the two discuss Rangel's time fighting in Korea, his thoughts about how far South Korea has come since he first arrived there in 1950, and his service in Congress.

Going Together to the Twenty-First Century: U.S.-Korea Cooperation on Science and Technology

With this week's summit between American President Donald Trump and Korean President Moon Jae-In, it's worth looking back at one of the major positive outcomes from the previous U.S.-ROK summit - a joint statement on "New Frontiers of Cooperation," highlighting areas of science and technology for future U.S.-Korea cooperation. From cybersecurity to clean energy, then-Presidents Obama and Park agreed to push forward together on a variety of science and tech projects.

 

Now, a year on and two new presidents later, how have the two countries been doing on these projects? And what will science and technology cooperation look like under these new administrations? Sean Connell, Director of Business Recruitment at the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County in Washington State, shares his thoughts on this week's episode of Korean Kontext.

How do American News Outlets Cover Korea?

North Korea is no stranger to news headlines in America. The provocative actions of the secretive nation have made them a prime target for constant media coverage stateside. On the other hand, South Korea often gets overshadowed by the North in American news despite being an important economic and security partner. 

In this special episode, we talk with Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson about how North and South Korea are covered in U.S. media outlets and the implications for public awareness of Korean issues in America. Jenna recently traveled to South Korea to present at the World Congress for Korean Politics to present her research, and we discuss the findings from her media content analysis. 

Image from Korea Economic Institute of America.

Prepping for PyeongChang: Looking Ahead to the Winter 2018 Olympics

In February 2018, the South Korean city of PyeongChang will play host to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. With less than a year to go, Korea has been hard at work preparing for the big event, making sure fans from around the world feel welcome in PyeongChang.

 

Recently, host Jenna Gibson sat down with two officials involved in the planning for the Olympics. In this episode, Ok Hee Kang, Executive Vice President of the International Tourism Promotion Division at the Korea Tourism Organization, and Sunny Kim, Head of the Key Client Team for the Organising Committee for Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, both share their perspectives on how the preparation are going so far and how American fans can get involved.

Visit Korea: American Tourism to South Korea on the Rise

In 2016, the number of American tourists visiting South Korea grew 12 percent, continuing a trend of slow but steady growth over the last few years. What is making more Americans curious about travelling to Korea? And what kinds of activities are they doing once they get there? 

 

In this episode, Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson sits down with Sung Kim of the Korea Tourism Organization's New York office to discuss recent trends in tourism to Korea, and how they are trying to encourage more Americans to visit the Land of the Morning Calm.

 

Photo by Jenna Gibson, KEI.

Discussion with North Korean Defectors

In this special episode of Korean Kontext, KEI's Juni Kim sat down with three North Korean defectors who have settled in South Korea. Each of them has a different story of life in the DPRK, escape, and eventual resettlement in the South.

 

In this episode, they discuss their stories, including their experiences obtaining outside information while living in North Korea and what it's like to be sent back and imprisoned for trying to escape the country. They also discuss a bit about what it's like adjusting to life in South Korea.

 

These three defectors were in Washington, DC as part of a program sponsored by Woorihana and No Chain. They spoke at KEI on May 2, and the video of the event can be found on YouTube by clicking here.

Talking Trilateral: U.S.-South Korea-Japan Relations

In the past decade, South Korea-Japan relations have seen several periods of hightened tension. At the same time, the two countries, along with their ally the United States, have faced an increasingly threatening posture from North Korea, leading to renewed calls for deeper trilateral cooperation.

 

This week's guest, CSIS Pacific Forum Executive Director Brad Glosserman, is an expert on trilateral relations between these three countries, which he explored in his book "The Japan-South Korea Identity Clash: East Asian Security and the United States."

 

With new administrations in Seoul and Washington, along with continued provocations from Pyongyang, will we see a breakthrough in triateral cooperation between these three partners? And what role does national identity play in maintaining (and possibly moving past) the current stalemate?

President Moon Jae-In Takes Office in Seoul

On May 10, former human rights lawyer Moon Jae-In officially became the next president of South Korea, filling an office that had been empty since former President Park Geun-Hye's impeachment earlier this year. Moon, who is from the progressive Minjoo Party, has indicated he may make some major changes in South Korea's foreign policy, particularly when it comes to engagement with Pyongyang.

 

Here to discuss the new administration and their approach to foreign policy is Dr. Choi Kang. Dr. Choi is Vice President for Research at The Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul. He sat down with host Jenna Gibson to talk about his expectations for President Moon's policy toward North Korea, how he will navigate the relationship with President Donald Trump, and how domestic constraints may affect his administration.

Addressing Continuity in South Korean Foreign Policy

The upcoming presidential election in Korea on May 9th will place many key issues under the microscope. One meriting serious consideration that has featured less prominently in the political discourse is continuity in foreign policy. Korean policy-making processes empower each president to make their own mark on Korea’s foreign outreach, and simultaneously make it difficult to maintain initiatives from the previous administration. Constitutional reform is one of several changes that could help lessen the impact of leadership transitions on international priorities.

 

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jeffrey Robertson, an assistant professor at Yonsei University and a Visiting Fellow at Australia National University, to discuss the importance of maintaining continuity through multiple presidential administrations. 

North Korea Sanctions: The View from South Korea

After the closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex last year, economic ties between North and South Korea have all but ceased. And as sanctions measures continue to tighten, the international community has chosen to keep exerting greater and greater pressure on the regime in Pyongyang.

 

Amid tensions on the peninsula, this week's guest sees an opportunity for more "smart" sanctions, those targeted directly at the inner circles of the regime that are less likely to harm the average North Korean. In this episode, Kim Joong-ho, a Researcher at the Export-Import Bank of Korea, shares his thoughts on sanctions from the South Korean perspective, and looks ahead to the possible policies of the new administration that will soon be in place in Seoul.

 

[Rebroadcast] Examining the Korean Economy

In this episode of Korean Kontext, guest host Kyle Ferrier, KEI's director of academic affairs and research, sits down with Korea Society President Tom Byrne. Before joining the Korea Society earlier this year, Tom worked for Moody's Investor Services, where he was senior vice president.

 

Kyle and Tom discuss the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis as well as the 2008 Global Financial Crisis from the Korean economy's perspective. They also talk about sources of risk in the Korean economy today, the potential impact of the Fed raising interest rates, and much more.

South Korea's Growing Role in Myanmar

Ever since Myanmar's political and economic opening several years ago, countries have been looking to get in on the ground floor to build ties with this emerging economy in Southeast Asia. And South Korea has put itself in the game in a big way - devoting millions to development projects in Myanmar and encouraging private sector investment in the country. 

 

This week's guest, Dr. Matteo Fumagalli, recently wrote a paper for KEI about South Korea's role in Myanmar, including room for improvement when it comes to strategic planning. In this episode, he sits down with Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson to discuss the economic and security implications of Seoul's burgeoning ties with Naypyidaw.

 

To read Dr. Fumagalli's full paper, please click here.

 

Image from LG전자's photostream on flickr Creative Commons.

Korean American Day 2017: Chemical Engineer Dr. Kook-wha Koh

Dr. Kook-wha Koh first arrived in the United States in 1965, studying chemical engineering at the University of Iowa. She has since become a successful entrepreneur, founding Chrysan industries to provide important lubricants for Michigan manufacturers. Because of her contributions to science and to her community, KEI chose Dr. Koh as one of our 2017 Korean American Day Honorees.

 

This is the second of our interviews with our three 2017 Korean American Day honorees. To listen to the episode with NASA engineer Dr. David Oh, please click here!

An American Executive in a Korean Chaebol

As the highest-ranking non-Korean executive at Hyundai Motors headquarters, Frank Ahrens spent three years gaining an insider's perspective on Korean corporate culture. In his new memoir, "Seoul Man," Ahrens recounts the ups and downs of his journey as an American trying to acclimate to daily life in Korea and to working life inside one of the country's top chaebols.

 

We talk with Frank this week about his experiences joining Hyundai and his new book. Frank became a director at Hyundai Motor in 2010 and was promoted to Vice President of Global Corporate Communications two years later. He created the company’s first English-language corporate media site, including a blog and Twitter feed, and helped establish the company’s first public relations operation in the Middle East in Dubai.

The Chinese Perspective on THAAD

Ever since last summer, when South Korea and the United States announced they would be deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to the peninsula, China has vociferously protested the decision. Since then, Seoul has accused Beijing of economic retaliation and other forms of pressure, aimed at reversing the deployment. The issue picked up steam earlier this month, as THAAD officially arrived in Korea.

 

This week, we sat down with China expert Yun Sun to discuss China's side of the THAAD controversy. Sun, who is a Senior Associate with the East Asia Program at the Stimson Center, focuses on Chinese foreign policy and Chinese relations with the U.S. and its neighboring countries. In this episode, she provides insights into why China is so concerned about THAAD, what they are doing to pressure Seoul, and what the parties involved can do to move forward.

Can Information Really Pry Open North Korea?

Much has been discussed about the power of outside information to open the eyes of the North Korean people and convince them of the truth about the outside world. Some high-profile defectors have even cited American movies and South Korean dramas as catalysts that pushed them to defect - Park Yeon Mi famously credited the movie Titanic with her moment of realization. But is this kind of information campaign really enough to change North Korea from within?

 

Jieun Baek's new book - North Korea's Hidden Revolution - focuses on this exact question. In this episode, Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson sits down with Baek, who is currently a Ph.D candidate at Oxford Universtiy, to discuss how information has changed North Korean society already - and the limits to what it can accomplish. 

 

Photo from comradeanatolii’s photostream on flickr Creative Commons.

New Silk Road? Korea in China's One Belt, One Road Initiative

In 2013, China announced its One Belt, One Road project, an ambitious attempt to recreate some of the economic networks that once bridged Europe and Asia through the Silk Road. Around the same time, South Korea announced its vision for regional cooperation, the Eurasia Initiative.

 

What do these two plans have in common? Are the bound to clash? And how realistic are their goals to connect East Asia to Europe, the Middle East, and even Africa? Dr. Balbina Hwang, visiting professor at Georgetown University, digs into the two projects and Korea's place in regional integration.

[Rebroadcast] The Kim Monarchy: Reframing Political Legitimacy in North Korea

Since the death of Kim Il-sung in 1994 there have been numerous predictions that the collapse of the North Korean political system would be imminent, yet the Kim dynasty continues to rule. In his paper for KEI, Dr. Wang Son Taek argues that the reason we have been so wrong about North Korea's stability is that we need to treat Kim Jong Un more like a monarch than a charismatic leader.

 

In this episode, Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson sits down with Dr. Wang to discuss his theory on the legitimacy structure of North Korea's leadership, and what this paradigm shift could mean for how we deal with the reclusive regime.

Documenting Human Rights in North Korea

In February 2014, the United Nations' special Commission of Inquiry on on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched their report, laying out more than 400 pages of evidence that the regime in Pyongyang was engaged in a variety of human rights violations against their own people. About a year later, the UN opened a new office in Seoul dedicated to continuing the documentation of human rights concerns in the DPRK.

 

In this episode, Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson speaks with Signe Poulsen, head of this new UN human rights office in Seoul. They discuss the human rights situation, the work that the UN is doing to document human rights concerns taking place in the DPRK, and what accountability could mean in the future.

The Tearful Reunion Myth: Exploring Challenges Korean Adoptees Face While Searching for Their Birth Families

Starting from the period after the Korean War and continuing today, more than 100,000 Korean children were adopted around the world. As they get older, many of them decide to conduct a search for their birth families in Korea, beginning what often turns out to be a long, difficult and emotional process for all involved.

 

Today's guest, Katelyn Hemmeke, is currently in Seoul as a Fulbright researcher, speaking to adoptees about their experiences conducting a birth family search. She has found that it's often incredibly difficult to find information that can help track down birth families, and that even when a search is successful, the emotional journey is not over. Learn more about the challenges adoptees face when they decide to conduct a birth family search in this week's episode of Korean Kontext.

 

Photo taken by Andrew Le.

Using Information to Reduce the North Korean Threat

Much has been said about the power of outside information - news, weather, and even soap operas - to influence the North Korean public. But a new report takes a different angle on a possible information campaign toward the North.

 

In this new report, North Korea watcher Skip Vincenzo lays out a strategy that would target the North Korean elites and those close to Pyongyang's center of gravity, with the hopes of de-escalating a major crisis. The idea would be to give those elites hope of a life after Kim, encouraging them to lay down arms were an emergency scenario to occur.

 

Skip joined Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson for a chat about his report and the information strategy that he proposes, as well as some of the ways it could fit in with what we are already doing to address the North Korean threat.

 

Please click here to learn more and view the report.

 

Image from Will De Freitas' photostream on flickr Creative Commons.

Korean American Day 2017: Exploring Space with Dr. David Oh

Growing up in Tennessee and Alabama, Dr. David Oh never imagined he would one day be leading a mission to explore a metallic asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. But as project systems engineer for NASA's Psyche mission and former lead flight director for the Curiousity Mars rover, Dr. Oh has done plenty of extraterrestrial exploring.

 

Listen to this episode to learn more about these missions, how Dr. Oh sees his Korean-American identity, and what it's like to put your whole family on Mars time.

 

This is the first of our interviews with the three Korean American Day honorees for 2017, all of whom are doing awesome things in the fields of science and technology. Below are some of our previous Korean Kontext interviews with Korean American Day honorees.

 

Korean American Day 2016: Chef Edward Lee

Korean American Day 2015: Olympic Skier Toby Dawson

Actor Daniel Dae Kim

 

U.S. Forces Korea: The Big Move to Camp Humphreys

In 2017, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) will complete the move of thousands of troops and support staff from Yongsan Garrison in Seoul to Camp Humphries, 50 miles south of the capital city. This project has taken over a decade to complete, partially because it involved building and rennovating infrastructure for the thousands of troops and their families that will be moving there.

 

Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson sat down with Major General James Walton, Director for Transformation and Restationing, who has headed up this relocation project since 2014. They discuss the background of the move and its progress, as well as the future for the land in Yongsan that will be vacated by USFK.

2017 on the Korean Peninsula

For the first Korean Kontext podcast of 2017, five members of the KEI staff sat down with host Jenna Gibson for a chat about the volitility of 2016 and what it could mean for the year ahead. They discuss the surprising election of Donald Trump and how his administration is shaping their policy toward Korea, what the political turmoil in Seoul could mean for U.S.-Korea relations, and even how Korean culture will continue to gain popularity.

 

For more insights and predictions, check out the two blogs that accompany this discussion: The Year of the Unexpected: A Look Back At the Korean Peninsula in 2016 and 10 Issues to Watch for on the Korean Peninsula in 2017.

Will UN Sanctions Finally Stop North Korea?

The last several rounds of UN sanctions against the DPRK have been called the "strongest ever," and the new sanctions passed on November 30 are no different. There are some new provisions, such as a specific cap on coal exports and a strengthened ability to deter other countries from cooperating with the North on illicit activities. But are these sanctions finally enough to change North Korea's calculus and get them back to the negotiating table?

 

Here to talk about this is renouned North Korea expert Dr. Stephan Haggard. He sat down with KEI senior director Troy Stangarone after the new sanctions were passed to discuss how they are different, and what affect they may have on the North Korean regime.

 

Image from blake.thornberry's photostream on flickr Creative Commons.

How to Write About North Korea

Many of the news stories about North Korea that make their way into the Western media fall into one of two categories: 1) breaking news about provocations and the nuclear crisis or 2) look at the crazy thing Kim Jong Un did today. As a journalist who covered the DPRK from both Seoul and Pyongyang, Jean Lee is working to get past the caricatures that often make their way into how we see North Koreans. 

 

Jean, who is now a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center, is here in DC for an event she organized about this very topic. The seminar features journalists, novelists and historians who all face unique challenges in gathering information and writing about the DPRK. She agreed to sit down with us while here in town to give us a preview of the roundtable, which will take place on December 7 at the Wilson Center.

 

To hear more from Jean and learn about her work covering North Korea, you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram with the handle @newsjean.

Tracking Korea's Transportation System with Kojects

For many people who visit Korea for the first time, one of the things that stands out the most is the country's clean, reliable, and efficient public transportation. This was the case for Andy Tebay when he moved to Korea from New Zealand. The system inspired him to begin researching and writing about transportation and urban planning in Seoul and around the country.

 

Started as Andy's personal blog, Kojects has since grown into a hub for information for English-speakers to get information about Korea's many transportation options as well as news about new projects and improvements. Along with co-author Nikola Medimorec, Kojects aims to help anyone visiting or living in Korea get where they need to go.

 

Image from Keith Lee's photostream on flickr Creative Commons.

Addressing Inequality and Inefficiency in the Korean Labor Market

South Korea faces rising social inequality, low and stagnating productivity, and unsustainable demographic changes, all of which threaten long-term economic growth prospects as well as social stability. This week's guest is an expert in some of the structural problems that are holding the Korean labor market back and allowing inequality to grow.

Dr. Vladimir Hlasny of Ewha Womans University discusses his new paper on this topic, which was written for KEI as part of our Academic Paper Series. He discusses some of the pitfalls in the way Korean companies look for employees, the problematic ways job-seekers build skills and market themselves, and much more.

President Donald Trump and His Impact on Korea

More than 100 million Americans cast their ballots on November 8, and we have a new president-elect. The Trump victory came as a surprise to most, with polls and pundits alike predicting a Clinton sweep. In Seoul and across Asia, people are watching the Trump team closely, looking for signs of what's to come for American foreign policy.

 

In this episode of Korean Kontext, we sit down with KEI President Donald Manzullo. President Manzullo is no stranger to elections, having been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for 20 years. He shares his insights on the election and the sentiments of the American people that drove Trump to victory. And he digs into what this new administration could mean for the US-Korea relationship and American policy toward North Korea.

[Rebroadcast] Escaping North Korea - Mike Kim

In this episode, which originally aired in 2011, 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.

A Primer on Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 Crisis

Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 woes have hit a crescendo in recent weeks, with the company officially halting production and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officially banning the devices from all U.S. flights.

In this week's episode of Korean Kontext, we dig into this issue and its potential long-term impact on both Samsung and the South Korean economy at large. Our guests this week are KEI experts Troy Stangarone and Kyle Ferrier, senior director for congressional affairs and trade and director for academic affairs and research, respectively. They discuss the crisis, Samsung's response, and what it might mean for chaebols going forward.

A Look into Korean Literature

This spring, Han Kang became the first Korean author to win the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for her novel, "The Vegetarian." And, for the first time in the prize's history, the award was shared by the novel's translator, Deborah Smith.

While this award has brought attention to Korean literature around the world, Korean authors are still relatively unknown outside of the peninsula. What is behind this phenomenon? What are some of the challenges of translating Korean into other languages? And what can be done to boost the popularity of Korean literature around the world?

To answer these and other interesting questions, we are joined this week by Dr. Susan Hwang, assistant professor of contemporary Korean literature and culture studies at Indiana University.

Image from Sam Bae's photostream on flickr Creative Commons.

Flooding in North Korea: Humanitarian and Human Rights Concerns

North Korea recently experienced one of the worst natural disasters in its history, as flood waters swept through towns in the northeast part of the country. Up to 600,000 people could be affected, and aid is sorely needed. But the situation is complicated by the fact that the regime in Pyongyang continues to divert its funds toward its nuclear and weapons programs.

In this episode, Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson talks with Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, who has been following this issue closely. They discuss the extent of the crisis, the balance between providing humanitarian assistance and taking a tough stance on security concerns, and much more.

Middlebury Says Annyeonghaseyo to its School of Korean

Middlebury College, famous for its immersive language programs, added Korean as its 11th language in 2015. Now, after two summers, the School of Korean is helping students from a variety of background improve their Korean abilities.

For this week's episode, Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson sits down with Dr. Sahie Kang, director of Middlebury's School of Korean. They talk about the school's establishment, the type of students who choose to study Korean, how to increase the popularity of Korean language learning in the United States, and more. 

Image from Jung Yoon's photostream on flickr Creative Commons.

A Look at the Peninsula from the Next Generation of Korea Scholars

With the goal of supporting the next generation of scholars interested in Korea and Northeast Asia, the U.S.-Korea Next Gen Scholars Program brings together young professionals from various backgrounds to work together and shape the future of Korean studies in the United States. The program, sponsored by CSIS Korea Chair and USC Dornsife Korean Studies Institute, chose 10 scholars this year.

In this episode, we are joined by two Next Gen participants - Dr. Sheena Greitens and Dr. Lauren Richardson. Dr. Greitens is an assistant professor at the University of Missouri, and Dr. Richardson is a teaching fellow at the University of Edinburgh. They both join Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson to discuss some of the pressing issues on the peninsula today -- including North Korea's recent nuclear test -- as well as their thoughts about the future of Korean studies.

Economic Cooperation Between South Korea, Japan and the United States

When you hear about trilateral cooperation between the United States, South Korea and Japan in the news, people are usually talking about how these three countries can work together to counter the security threat posed by North Korea. But there is also a lot these three countries are doing to cooperate in the economic realm.

This week's guest is Shihoko Goto, senior Northeast Asia associate at the Woodrow Wilson Center's Asia Program, who spent more than 10 years as a journalist covering economics and Asian markets. She sits down with Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson to discuss what the three countries have been doing to improve economic relations, and what opportunities they can seize in the future.

[Rebroadcast] Korea’s English-Language Media: A Discussion with the President of Arirang TV

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 role of women in South Korea, her experiences as a journalist, and more.

High-Level Defections and the North Korean Regime

Last week, the news of a high-level defection by a North Korean diplomat stationed in London captivated North Korea watchers. For the next few says, analysts and the media speculated about Thae Yong-Ho, his motivations for defecting and what this news will mean for Pyongyang.

Here to talk about this and other high-profile defections is Keith Luse, executive director of the National Committee on North Korea. Luse discusses what we know and don't know about defections, and why it's so difficult to speculate about North Korea.

Shamans, Goblins, and Ghosts: A Look at Korean Folk Culture

Ghosts and goblins are everywhere in Korean folktales, causing havoc for people through their antics. Equally common are the shamans who act as intermediaries, helping offer solutions to life's supernatural problems.

For this week's episode of Korean Kontext, host Jenna Gibson interviewed Dr. Michael Pettid, of the State University of New York at Binghamton, who specializes in pre-modern Korea, particularly the role shamanism and folk culture has played in Korea. They discuss the history and experience of Korean shamans over the centuries, how they fit into folk tales, and what to do when a hobgoblin tries to steal your shoes. 

Photo from Woohae Cho's photostream on flickr Creative Commons.

Marriage Migrants and Multicultural Families in South Korea

For many years, South Korea has been a homogeneous country. But with more foreigners coming to live in Korea, that is starting to change. In fact, the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs estimates that the number of multicultural families in Korea could reach nearly 750,000 by 2020. 

This week's guest is Dr. Daisy Kim, who studies these multicultural families, with a particular focus on marriage migrants - women who move to Korea to marry a Korean man. We discuss some of the particular issues these women and their families face, what the Korean government has done to support them, and much more.

The Battle over THAAD

In early July, the United States and South Korea announced that they had come to an agreement to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system near the city of Seongju. This announcement sparked a wave of protest both from local groups in South Korea and from countries like North Korea and China.

Our guests this week are KEI experts Troy Stangarone and Mark Tokola. They sit down with Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson to discuss the THAAD system itself, the decision to deploy it, and the negative responses to that decision. 

Election 2016: Party Politics and Their Implications for Korea

With Election 2016 well underway, KEI's very own Phil Eskeland has been closely following how both the Republican and Democratic parties have been talking about foreign policy and Asia. He sits down with Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson to share his insights from nearly 30 years working in government, including 25 years as a staffer on the Hill.

Phil and Jenna talk about the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, party unity, the two vice presidential picks, and how all this could impact Korea and Asia more broadly.

Korean Diaspora in Central Asia

In the late 1930s, nearly 200,000 ethnic Koreans were forcibly removed from the Soviet Far East, packed into trains and sent to Central Asia. More than 70 years later, their descendants still live in the former Soviet Union, most of them in what is now Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Victoria Kim grew up in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, knowing that her grandfather was Korean. But it wasn't until much later that she began looking into what that meant - how her grandfather and other Central Asian Koreans arrived in Uzbekistan and made their lives there. This story became a multimedia project called "Lost and Found in Uzbekistan: The Korean Story."

In this week's episode, we talk with Victoria about the experience of Central Asian Koreans in the 1930s until today, how her project delved into these stories, and much more.

To view Victoria's project, please click here.

South Korea's Outreach to the Middle East

From nuclear power in the United Arab Emirates to new free trade agreement negotiations opening with Israel, to South Korean President Park Geun Hye's visit to Iran, 2016 seems to be a year of increased Korean outreach to the Middle East.

Here to talk about this phenomenon and offer some insight into the best ways for Korea to continue reaching out to the Middle East is Dr. Alon Levkowitz. Dr. Levkowitz is a Lecturer  and Coordinator of the Asian Studies Program Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel. He is an expert in Korea and Northeast Asia's connections with the Middle East. He sits down with Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson to present the findings of his recent KEI paper, "The Middle East Reopens for Business but with Old and New Hazards for South Korea."