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Upcoming Event: Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Balancing Act
Crisis, Four Power Diplomacy,
& the Foreign Policy of Lee Myung Bak
with
Tong Kim
The Sejong Society is proud to host a talk by Prof. Tong Kim on the foreign policy and first year of the Lee Myung Bak administration in the Republic of Korea, on Tuesday October 14, 2008 at 6:45pm. Professor Kim will provide some background for Lee's election as president, his political leadership style and struggles with U.S.-Korea relations during a serious domestic crisis.
He will also comment on major elements of South Korea's political challenges - including an ideological, geographical and economic polarization among the population - and President Lee's policy toward North Korea, which ended inter-Korean dialogue and constrained South Korea's role in the process of North Korean denuclearization. Professor Lee will conclude with a discussion of the prospects of U.S.-Korea relations and their impact on the region.
This event is free and light Korean food will be provided. Please RSVP here.
About the Speaker
Professor Tong Kim is currently a visiting scholar and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), a research professor at Korea University’s Ilmin Institute of International Relations, a visiting professor at Graduate University of North Korean Studies, a fellow at the Institute of Corea American Studies (ICAS), and an advisor to the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center, and has been a regular biweekly columnist of The Korea Times since January 2006, writing extensively on North Korea and domestic politics of the South.
Tong Kim retired from the U.S. Department of State as the senior Korean language interpreter in June 2005 after 27 years of service, during which he interpreted for four American presidents – Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. He also interpreted for Secretary of State Albright’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2000. He participated in almost all bilateral negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang until his retirement, after which he spent two years in Seoul doing research, writing and teaching.
Professor Tong Kim has written numerous pieces on the North Korean nuclear issue and U.S. policy toward the Korean peninsula and has given over 45 press interviews for Korean and international TV and radio programs, newspapers and news magazines, discussing the issues of the North Korean nuclear program and U.S.-Korea alliance. He has also provided more than 40 special lectures and speeches to academic and research institutes, regarding U.S.-North Korea relations.
Professor Kim has a strong background in journalism working with several Korean and English news organizations – including Washington bureaus of The Joongang Ilbo, The Hankook Ilbo, and the Voice of the United Stations Command in Korea.
Professor Tong Kim has written numerous pieces on the North Korean nuclear issue and U.S. policy toward the Korean peninsula and has given over 45 press interviews for Korean and international TV and radio programs, newspapers and news magazines, discussing the issues of the North Korean nuclear program and U.S.-Korea alliance. He has also provided more than 40 special lectures and speeches to academic and research institutes, regarding U.S.-North Korea relations.
Professor Kim has a strong background in journalism working with several Korean and English news organizations – including Washington bureaus of The Joongang Ilbo, The Hankook Ilbo, and the Voice of the United Stations Command in Korea.
Tong Kim received a master’s degree from SAIS in 1973 and has a BA in English from Korea University.
| Date: Time: Location: | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 6:45 - 8:00 pm Berstein-Offit Building, Room 500 Johns Hopkins SAIS 1717 Massachussetts Ave., NW Washington, DC (Closest Metro: Dupont Circle) | |