January 28, 2026 - Learning the Korean language opens the doors into a completely new depth of understanding Korean culture, and perhaps a career you never imagined having. Join acclaimed media figures Tyler Rasch and Nidhi Agrawal—familiar faces from major Korean broadcast networks including JTBC, KBS, and MBC—for a reflection on their personal journeys living in Korea and learning Korean, and how those experiences led to their new venture. In this engaging conversation, Tyler and Nidhi will delve into how language can function as both a cultural bridge and a creative medium, and how Hangeul can travel beyond Korea through design, storytelling, and shared cultural moments in everyday settings.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/2111-from-learning-to-creating

January 28, 2026 - Join us for a virtual program examining the geopolitical impact of South Korea's development of nuclear submarines.

When Republic of Korea (ROK) President Lee Jae Myung hosted US President Donald Trump for a State Visit in Gyeongju, South Korea in October of last year, the allies committed to developing the maritime and nuclear relationship. A Fact Sheet published after the summit meeting describes that: "The United States has given approval for the ROK to build nuclear-powered attack submarines… [and] will work closely with the ROK to advance requirements for this shipbuilding project, including avenues to source fuel."

Rather than focusing on the engineering processes and logistical challenges of shipbuilding cooperation, which you can learn about here, this discussion explores the strategic and geopolitical consequences of South Korea's emergent nuclear submarine program. Against a backdrop of North Korea's quickly evolving nuclear arsenal as well as revived interest in diplomatic engagement, this program investigates how nuclear submarines impact South Korea's defensive capabilities and strategic posture, its contribution to and coordination with the US-ROK alliance, its regional role, and the balance of power and relations with North Korea.

The discussion features Dr. Sang Hyun Lee, Fellow Emeritus of the Sejong Institute, and Dr. James R. Holmes, J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the U.S. Naval War College, and Minkyung Jung, Staff Reporter for The Korea Herald, in conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado.

This program is made possible by the generous support of the Korea Foundation and our individual and corporate members.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/2104-south-koreas-nuclear-submarine-strategy

January 23, 2026 - The Korea Society is calling for entries for "Startup Scene: 2026 Emerging Design Competition." The competition is a part of Startup Scene: Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow (hereinafter Startup Scene), a program initiative dedicated to empower the startup entrepreneurial community that encompasses the US and South Korean economic landscape. This is proudly supported by Hanwha Life exclusively. The "Startup Scene: Emerging Design Competition" is designed to encourage innovative thinking, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit among Korean-American and Korean students enrolled in colleges, universities, and graduate schools across the United States. This year, the participants are challenged to pitch an innovative startup concept that leverages emerging technologies to address pressing challenges and issues. Application Period: Monday, December 15, 2025 to Monday, March 30, 2026 (11:59 PM EST)

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/emergingdesign

January 22, 2026 - As we step into the new year, wellness and innovation take center stage. Korea's rapidly advancing medical and biotechnology industries are reshaping how people pursue healthier, longer, and more connected lives—spanning AI-enabled diagnostics, precision medicine, global clinical collaboration, and wellness tourism. Join us for a timely discussion with William Ban (Himedi), Taesoo Sean Kim (IceMiller), and Ken Nesmith (Lunit) spotlighting Korea's health-tech startups, scale-ups, and leading institutions at the forefront of medical innovation. The conversation will explore where Korean startups are creating value across the healthcare continuum, how they are partnering with U.S. healthcare systems, investors, and regulators, and what these cross-border collaborations mean for the future of patient care, precision medicine, and wellness-driven industries.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/corporate/2106-new-year-new-you-powered-by-k-health

December 18, 2025 - Join us for a discussion with Ambassador Peter Semneby, the Swedish Government's Special Envoy for the Korean Peninsula. In conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado, Ambassador Semneby will provide a brief overview history of Sweden's role in Korea, examine Sweden's convening capacity as exhibited in 2018-2019, investigate whether Sweden's interests and perspective have been affected by North Korea's involvement in the Russo-Ukraine War and Sweden's ascension to NATO, and explore ideas for how to break the current impasse.

This program is made possible by the generous support of the Kim Koo Foundation.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/2094-swedens-role-in-korean-peninsula-diplomacy-with-ambassador-peter-semneby

December 11, 2025 - Join us for a conversation on the obstacles and pathways for enhanced US-Korea shipbuilding cooperation with Jeffrey Voth, President of Herren Associates, Inc., an engineering and technology firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. He is author of a recent article, "The US-ROK test case: Can visas and rules unlock American shipbuilding?"

US President Donald J. Trump has met twice with Republic of Korea President Lee Jae Myung, first in Washington in August and next in Gyeongju on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in October. The two leaders agreed to The Korea Strategic Trade and Investment deal, which includes a commitment by Korea to invest $150 billion in the US shipbuilding sector. According to the joint fact sheet released after the two summits, Korea has committed to help the US modernize and expand its shipbuilding industry via investments in American shipyards and workforce. And the US has approved Korea's development of nuclear-powered attack submarines, and will "work closely" with Korea to advance requirements for this shipbuilding project, including avenues to source fuel. To help facilitate this collaboration, the US and Korea also agreed to create a shipbuilding working group on maintenance, repair, and overhaul, workforce development, shipyard modernization, and supply chain resilience.

Drawing on decades of shipbuilding and combat system integration experience, including direct work on Korea's Sejong the Great class of destroyers, which are among the largest and most heavily armed Aegis Combat System-equipped surface combatants outside the US Navy, Jeffrey Voth will discuss construction challenges and allied collaboration opportunities in conversation with Korea Society policy director Jonathan Corrado.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/2087-us-korea-shipbuilding-cooperation-with-jeffrey-voth

December 10, 2025 - In the next program of our Young Professionals' Network series, The Korea Society is hosting a panel discussion to explore what it takes to navigate leadership roles in multinational companies, make major career transitions, and think strategically on a global scale.

Panel Speakers

• Melissa Choi: Director, Global Marketing at Elizabeth Arden Skincare, Revlon
• Youngjin Yoon: Director at Morgan Stanley

Moderated by Stephanie Hwang, Development Program Officer at The Korea Society, the discussion will also highlight how national and organizational culture shape leadership styles, decision-making, and career growth in international companies. Speakers will share practical strategies and lessons that young professionals can apply as they pursue global careers.

Join us in-person at The Korea Society on Wednesday, December 10th at 5:30 PM for this conversation, followed by opportunities for discussion and networking with the speakers.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/corporate/2093-gaining-global-perspective-insights-on-workplace-culture

December 4, 2025 - Join us for a discussion with Dr. Ji-Young Lee for an examination of the circumstances and methods of Chinese military intervention in the Korean Peninsula. Dr. Lee is Associate Professor of International Relations at American University's School of International Service, and author of China's Hegemony: Four Hundred Years of East Asian Domination (2016) and an upcoming work under contract titled: The Great Power Next Door, a historically informed analysis of when and how China has chosen to militarily intervene in the Korean Peninsula. Dr. Lee's 2020 article, "The Geopolitics of South Korea–China Relations," speaks to the contemporary dimension of the evolving relationship. The moderator of the program is policy director Jonathan Corrado.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/2088-korea-china-relations-a-history-of-intervention

December 2, 2025 - The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art presents Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared, the first U.S. exhibition of significant works from the renowned Lee Kun-Hee Collection. On view through February 1, 2026, Korean Treasures features over 200 works, including a dozen National Treasures designated by the Korean government. The largest and most comprehensive presentation of Korean art ever mounted at the National Museum of Asian Art, the exhibition spans 1,500 years—from ancient Buddhist sculptures and ceramics to paintings, furnishings and modern masterpieces of the 20th century.

Donated to the Republic of Korea in 2021 by the family of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-Hee, the collection reflects more than 70 years of generational collecting and comprises more than 23,000 works, a testament to a decades-long commitment to preserving and sharing Korea's artistic legacy and cultural heritage. Korean Treasures presents a remarkable selection from the collection to American audiences for the first time, alongside additional loans from the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, Korea, shown exclusively in Washington, D.C.

In a conversation with The Korea Society, three curators from the National Museum of Asian Art–Carol Huh, J. Keith Wilson, and Sunwoo Hwang–explore the depth and diversity of Korean art and reflect on the practice of collecting in Korea.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/gallery-talks/2081-korean-treasures-collected-cherished-shared-the-curatorial-roundtable

Recorded November 14, 2025 - The Van Fleet Policy Forum is The Korea Society's flagship policy event. Through panel discussions, keynote remarks, and networking opportunities, the forum convenes senior thought leaders from the US and Korea for dynamic, informative, and analytical discussions on security, diplomacy, geoeconomics, and alliance history.

This year's conference was held in The Atlantic Council's office in Washington D.C. and produced in partnership with the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative in The Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. The 2025 Van Fleet Policy Forum was made possible by the generous support of The Kim Koo Foundation as well as The Korea Society's individual and corporate members.

Diplomacy Panel - Adaptation or Transformation?

Moderator: Ambassador (Ret.) Kathleen Stephens, Korea Society Board Chair Ambassador (Ret.) Kim Hyoung-zhin, Former Republic of Korea Ambassador to the European Union and Deputy National Security Advisor Ambassador (Ret.) Philip Goldberg, Former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/2060-us-korea-cooperation-across-domains-and-through-history