Korean Kontext

Every year on January 13, the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) sponsors a luncheon in Washington, DC to mark Korean American Day and recognize the local and national Korean American community. As part of the ceremony, KEI recognizes prominent Korean Americans that have made significant contributions in their field. This year, we recognized leaders in the culinary arts, including today's guest.Chef Rachel Yang is co-owner of three restaurants in the Seattle area: Joule, Revel and Trove. Born in Seoul, she moved to the United States as a teenager, and tries to marry these two cultures in her cooking. In this episode, we discuss Chef Yang's background, her creative process, and how her husband won her over by making kimchi.

With Washington DC stuck in a snowstorm, please enjoy this episode of Korean Kontext originally published in 2012.B.R. Myers is the author of “The Cleanest Race” and regular contributor to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic. From his book “The Cleanest Race”, Myers stands out from the rest for arguing that North Korea's political system is based neither on Communism or Stalinism and that attempts to understand North Korea as aConfucian patriarchy operating within a Cold War framework are misguided.  His views have received mixed opinions from the think-tank orthodoxy.  While some regard his outlook as a fresh approach to the topic, others have rebutted his interpretation of North Korea as a national socialist country and continue to view it through the lens of cold war politics.Join us for a fascinating interview with Myers about his feelings on the North Korea watcher community’s reception to his work, his feelings of North Korea's current situation and about the future of North-South relations.

Every year on January 13, the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) sponsors a luncheon in Washington, DC to mark Korean American Day and recognize the local and national Korean American community. In 2015, KEI honored Korean Americans leaders in sports. One of the honorees was Jim Paek, two-time Stanley Cup winner who was the first person of Korean descent to play for the NHL.In this episode, KEI senior director Troy Stangarone sits down with Jim to talk about getting into hockey as a child, what it was like to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and how he has made the move from player to coach.

Every year on January 13, the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) sponsors a luncheon in Washington, DC to mark Korean American Day and recognize the local and national Korean American community. In 2015, KEI honored Korean Americans leaders in sports. One of the honorees was Toby Dawson, Olympic bronze medalist and now coach of the South Korean national freestyle ski team. In this episode, KEI senior director Troy Stangarone sits down with Toby to talk about how he got his start in skiing, what it was like to compete in the Olympics, how he dealt with the transition from athlete to coach, and much more.

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.

It started in 2009 with a few audio lessons. Within just six years, Talk to Me in Korean has grown into a huge hit, with millions of listeners from all over the world visiting the site to improve their Korean language skills. The organization has now expanded to include video lessons, textbooks, and even a coffee shop.In this episode of Korean Kontext, host Jenna Gibson connects with TTMIK founder Hyunwoo Sun to discuss how how he got the idea for the site, how they have dealt with its popularity, and his thoughts on teaching Korean culture along with teaching language.

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 new 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.

With the Korean Wave crashing all over the world, more and more people are getting swept up in Korean pop culture. Through taekwondo classes, movie screenings and even art exhibitions, the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, DC is working to deepen the conversation and expose fans to more aspects of the Hallyu phenomenon.In this episode of Korean Kontext, host Jenna Gibson sits down with Adam Wojciechowicz, a public affairs specialist at the KCC, to discuss the center's public outreach, how perceptions of Korea have changed over the years, the growing popularity of Korean food in the United States, and more.

On a frozen day in December, 1950, as the Korean War raged below him, Jesse Brown crash landed on a North Korean mountainside. A few minutes later, Tom Hudner followed suit, deliberately slamming his aircraft into the mountain in an effort to rescue his friend from behind enemy lines.This heroic story is the subject of Devotion, a new book by bestselling author Adam Makos. In this episode, guest host Nicholas Hamisevicz sits down with Adam to discuss this incredible story, how he chose to tell it in his book, and the trip Adam took with Tom Hudner in 2013 back to North Korea to fulfill the promise he had made to bring his friend home.

Starting on October 20, 2015, a group of South Koreans will have the chance to cross the DMZ to meet with brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, and other family members that they have not seen in 65 years. For this round of meetings, more than 65,000 South Koreans were eligible, but only 100 were chosen by lottery to participate. Many of them are in their 80s and 90s.In this episode, Korean Kontext host Jenna Gibson sits down with Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director executive director of The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK), to discuss this round of family reunions in the larger context of North Korean human rights. They also discuss the growing urgency to reunite families, the politicization of these meetings, and much more.

On October 16, 2015, President Park Geun Hye and President Barack Obama will hold a summit meeting, where they are expected to address a range of issues concerning South Korea and the United States. Everyone will see the final product - the handshake, the press release, the speech - but what went on behind the scenes to make this meeting happen?In this episode, Korean Kontext's Jenna Gibson sits down with KEI Vice President Mark Tokola, a 38-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service, to discuss his experience with summit meetings and what to look out for when these two presidents meet this weekend.

From 1966 to 1981, around 2,000 Peace Corps volunteers lived and worked in South Korea. After returning to the United States, many volunteers wanted a way to share their Korean experience. So, in the 1990s, they formed Friends of Korea (FOK), an organization dedicated to fostering cultural awareness and friendship between Americans and Koreans. FOK has since grown to include anyone interested in learning more about Korea and promoting ties between Korea and the United States.In this episode, KEI's Jenna Gibson sits down with Nancy Kelly, president of FOK, and David Lassiter, a member of the Board of Directors. They discuss Nancy and David's Peace Corps experience and their work with Friends of Korea, including a new DVD they have produced on Korea's economic transformation over the past 60 years.

October 3, 2015 will mark 25 years since the official reunification of East and West Germany after decades of separation. Meanwhile, the Korean Peninsula remains divided. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has referenced Germany many times as an inspiration for the "unification bonanza" she hopes to foster while in office.Can the German model provide some guidance for Korean unification? What can South Korea do now to prepare? What about the role of the North Korean regime in a unified Korea? Jenna Gibson sits down with KEI's Troy Stangarone to discuss these questions and much more.

The Eugene Bell Foundation has been working in the DPRK for 20 years. Now the focus on multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), a deadly disease that is incredibly expensive and time-consuming to treat. KEI's Jenna Gibson sits down with the founder and chairman of Eugene Bell, Dr. Stephen Linton, to discuss the work that the foundation has been doing to provide care to the North Korean people. They also discuss the obstacles the organization has faced so far and the long road ahead. 

In the recent agreement between Seoul and Pyeongyang to defuse tensions along the DMZ, the two governments included a promise to "vitalize" non-governmental organization (NGO) exchanges in various fields. KEI's Jenna Gibson sits down with Keith Luse, the executive director of the National Committee on North Korea, to get his perspective on this agreement and the potential for greater cooperation between the North and the South. They also discuss current NGO work within the DPRK and some of the challenges that aid workers face working in-country.