The Korea Society

November 5, 2026 - Join us for a timely discussion with a bipartisan pair of former Members of Congress analyzing America's 2026 midterm election results and their implications for U.S. domestic politics, foreign policy, economics, and America's dynamic relationship with South Korea. Q&A and audience participation are encouraged!

The conversation features Former Representative John Katko (R-NY, 2015-2023) and Former Representative Kathy Manning (D-NC, 2021-2025), and is moderated by Professor Emeritus at American University Mr. Leonard Steinhorn. Drawing from their distinguished legislative careers and firsthand experiences traveling to South Korea with FMC as current or former Members, Katko and Manning will explore how the election results will shape America's politics, foreign policy, and economic outlook in the leadup to the 2028 presidential and congressional elections, including impacts on the U.S.-ROK Alliance, the U.S.-Korea trade and investment relationship, and regional geopolitics.

This program is presented in collaboration between The Korea Society, FMC's Congressional Study Group on Korea (CSGK), and The APEC Study Center at Columbia University. This program is made possible by the generous support of our individual and corporate members and the Korea Foundation.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/geopolitical-affairs/unpacking-the-2026-midterm-elections-implications-for-the-us-korea/

October 26, 2026 - The Korea Society's Business & Economics team, together with co-hosts Association of State Offices of Korea (ASOK) and Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), hosted a special webinar, "The New U.S.-Korea Trade Risk Landscape: Recent Trends in Tariffs, Export Controls and Sanctions for Korean Companies," discussing how changing U.S. trade rules affect Korean companies operating in or investing in the United States.

The panelists examined how tariffs, export controls, and sanctions, once separate areas of compliance, increasingly overlap. They covered what is changing, where the risks are, and what companies can do to prepare. The program is presented in part of the Korea Society's U.S.-ROK New Economic Paradigm series.

Some highlights of the webinar include:

• Clinton Yu (Partner & Co-Chair, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP) covered tariff and customs developments. He highlighted the shift from the 15% IEEPA tariff under the late-2025 U.S.–Korea agreement to a 12.5% net Section 301 tariff, and the Section 301 "structural excess capacity" investigation that names Korea among 16 economies. He also flagged the USMCA review and the June 3 executive order on customs enforcement, which could raise the bar for who qualifies as an importer of record.
• Katie Hilferty (Partner & Practice Lead, Morgan Lewis) walked through changes to semiconductor export controls and U.S. sanctions programs. She noted the gap between rules on the books and rules being enforced, and how foreign companies can still fall under U.S. controls. She also discussed the expanded outbound investment program, which now covers biotechnology, supercomputing, and hypersonic systems.
• Moderated by Chris Kim (Managing Director, Stout) the panel reviewed recent enforcement actions as lessons for companies of every size. Drawing from previous day-to-day compliance cases, Korean companies were advised to structure a regular monitoring process that tracks developments from the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and other relevant agencies.
• Speakers described how U.S. agencies are using AI for enforcement, and advised small and mid-sized companies to rely on official sources, verify AI-generated advice, and build a trusted support network.

The webinar drew a transatlantic audience of U.S.-based professionals and Korean company officials, reflecting the cross-border nature of developing trade and compliance regulations to both U.S. and Korean companies.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/business-economics/the-new-u-s-korea-trade-risk-landscape/

October 28, 2026 - The Korea Society is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2026 Sherman Family Korea Emerging Scholar Lecture Competition is Dr. Jae Yeon Kim, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fellow at the Civic Power Lab at Harvard Kennedy School, and Better Government Lab Fellow at the University of Michigan's Ford School of Policy.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming public administration and public policy, but all too often, the discussion is dominated by the latest technological breakthroughs, rather than their potential utility in serving the public. To this point, Dr. Kim argues that the primary challenges facing AI in government are human and organizational rather than technological. Longstanding barriers to public services—such as administrative burdens, complex paperwork, and unequal access—predate artificial intelligence. Without intentional institutional changes, adopting automated systems risks digitizing and accelerating existing inefficiencies rather than resolving them.

Drawing on research in civic technology, policy implementation, and digital service delivery across South Korea and the United States, Dr. Kim outlines a framework for human-centered government. He examines how South Korea—a recognized global leader in e-government—can advance beyond basic automation. By prioritizing citizen needs through human-centered design, civic data, and participatory governance, public institutions can ensure AI reduces administrative friction and expands democratic access for everyone, particularly marginalized communities and future generations who will live longest with these technologies.

Key Points

• Human and Organizational Dynamics – The main hurdles facing public sector AI are organizational and institutional. AI risks automating pre-existing administrative burdens if core public institutions do not adapt.
• Human-Centered Civic Data Infrastructure – Human-centered design, civic data, and participatory governance can modernize public services, strengthen democratic access, and empower citizens to help govern public AI.
• Real-World AI Governance – Public procurement, service delivery, and back-end infrastructure shape citizen experiences just as significantly as frontier AI models.

About the Sherman Family Korea Emerging Lecture Award The primary goal of the award is to encourage U.S. thought leadership on Korea among a new generation. The award is presented to emerging thought leaders from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds working in the U.S. Prior awardees have explored topics in the arts, architecture, history, industrial policy, political science, and technology and have included Ph.D. candidates, junior professors (tenure and non-tenure track), researchers and professionals. Click here to view presentations of former award winners.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/general/how-can-ai-serve-all-people-in-korea-and-the-us/

October 27, 2026 - We all know cooks whose fingertips seem to infuse every meal with deliciousness. In Korean, that magic touch is called sohn-mat, or "hand taste"―but you don't have to be born with it. Esther Choi picked hers up from her halmoni, or grandmother, who used her hands for everything from smearing cabbage with pepper paste to make kimchi to crumbling tofu for mandu (dumpling) filling and tossing vibrantly flavored noodles for japchae. Hand taste starts with seasoning but ultimately describes a way of cooking rooted in heritage, intuition, and heart. In her hotly anticipated debut cookbook Hand Taste: Cook Like a Korean Grandmother Choi offers delicious entry points to Korean and Korean-American cuisine, with foundational techniques alongside quick weeknight recipes and show-stopping traditional spreads. In her conversation with Eric Kim, Esther Choi will discuss her career and her debut cookbook. Order your copy of Hand Taste: Cook Like a Korean Grandmother here.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/cuisine/hand-taste/

October 22, 2026 - "What Stacy Kim understands, and what took me too long to appreciate myself, is that our darkest emotions often shed the most light. ENVY makes a rigorous, wise, and compassionate case that the feeling high achievers are most ashamed to admit may offer one of the clearest signals of what they truly want."

— Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE POWER OF REGRET and DRIVE

We all want things that other people have. It's natural, yet we are ashamed of how it makes us feel—a mix of inferiority, ill will, and injustice. In the West, we're told "Comparison is the thief of joy," and taught to avoid this "deadly sin." Meanwhile, in Korea, people publicly make social comparisons and express their envy. Drawing on how Koreans used their envy of Japan to transform a war-torn country into a pop-culture powerhouse, Dr. Stacy S. Kim teaches us that when we examine our envy, we can learn what we want, whom to emulate, and how to get it. ENVY: WHY WANTING WHAT THEY HAVE IS THE KEY TO GETTING WHAT YOU WANT is for those of us who do everything we can to build our best life yet still find ourselves feeling behind or unfulfilled. Thanks to social media and smartphones, we can experience this negative emotion at any hour, anywhere, and the feeling remains largely buried and unspoken. But through stories, interviews, and research, Dr. Kim provides concrete strategies on how to convert unexamined reckless use of envy into a guiding force and powerful motivator.

In a conversation with Hyeseung Song, Dr. Kim discusses her new book and research.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/literature/envy-why-wanting-what-they-have-is-the-key-to-getting-what-you-want/

October 20, 2026 - Mountains, rivers, trees, flowers, the dark, a cat, a train. In the elemental forms and figures of our world, Lee Seong-bok finds repositories for thought, sounding boards against which he can test his reflections. Again and again, in sequences, he probes his subjects—five "Mountain Path" poems, three "River" poems, three commentaries on the I Ching— not to solicit answers, like Moses impatiently striking the rock for water, but to savor the muted tones that echo in response.

That Summer's End is a collection of one hundred and six poems of self-reflection and exquisite beauty—an intoxicating blend of Seon Buddhism and French Symbolism from one of South Korea's most celebrated and influential poets. The poems of That Summer's End, though acutely conscious of the self, are free of an inhibiting self-consciousness, speaking directly of youth, love, fear, family, grief, old age, impermanence, and all that's central to life. As enticing as they are profound, Lee Seong-bok's poems have made him not only a poet's poet but a favorite of RM, leader of K-pop superstars BTS, whose support of his work on social media has brought him international attention.

In a conversation with Stine An, Lee Seong-bok and his translator Anton Hur will discuss his poetry and career.

Pre-order your copy of That Summer's End here.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/literature/author-talkslee-seong-bok-anton-hur/

October 6, 2026 - Delve into the frontlines of humanitarian aid in North Korea. Join us for a special discussion with seasoned experts Kathi Zellweger, Mike Chinoy, and Jerome Sauvage as they share first-hand insights from years of experience on the ground inside North Korea. In Miss Kathi: Saving Lives in North Korea, Swiss aid worker Kathi Zellweger collaborates with veteran journalist and author Mike Chinoy to chronicle her nearly three decades in North Korea. Dubbed the "Mother Teresa of North Korea" by local officials, Zellweger navigated state suspicion and international skepticism to deliver life-saving relief to thousands of vulnerable North Koreans, focusing especially on children. The book is available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. In Witness to North Korea: Three Years on the Ground in the DPRK, former UN Resident Coordinator Jerome Sauvage offers a rare insider account of daily life and operational realities inside Pyongyang. Drawing on his tenure leading international aid operations, Sauvage reflects on the successes and challenges of delivering humanitarian assistance and offers strategic guidance for future engagement. The book is available for purchase here, with a 20% discount using the code: WITNESS20. The discussion is moderated by Korea Society 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/geopolitical-affairs/on-the-ground-in-north-korea/

September 1, 2026 - Join The Korea Society for a rapid reaction discussion exploring recent shifts in Korean Peninsula security and diplomacy. Featuring Ambassador (ret.) Joseph Yun, this program will examine President Donald Trump's decision to modify joint military exercises with South Korea and his revelation of ongoing communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The program is moderated by policy director Jonathan Corrado. The session will draw lessons from past negotiation cycles, assess how the geopolitical climate has evolved since Trump and Kim last met, dissect the implications of North Korea's new "hostile states" policy, examine South Korea's shifting role as a diplomatic pacemaker, and explore how the surrounding geopolitical situation—such as the expanding Russia-North Korea alliance and The Iran War—is reshaping dynamics in Northeast Asia. Ambassador Yun will also share insights from his multi-decade career managing Korean Peninsula relations. This program is made possible by the generous support of our individual and corporate members and the Korea Foundation.

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/geopolitical-affairs/rapid-reaction-an-olive-branch-for-north-korea/

June 17, 2026 - Join us for a conversation with Dr. Jonathan Brewer, Visiting Professor at King's College, London, on the differences, similarities, and trajectories of international sanctions on North Korea and Iran. In conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado, Dr. Brewer discusses evolving UN Security Council sanctions, their utility within larger diplomatic frameworks, their implementation and circumvention, and North Korea and Iran's proliferation and financing strategies for their sanctioned programs. Dr. Brewer was Acting Coordinator of the UN Panel of Experts on North Korea and financial expert of the UN Panel on Iran. 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/2160-critical-comparison-sanctions-on-north-korea-vs-iran

June 10, 2026 - Join us for a virtual program exploring new thinking on Korea's aging, shrinking society with Dr. Youngtae Cho, Director of the Population Policy Research Center and professor of demography at the School of Public Health at Seoul National University (SNU). Although South Korea's total fertility rate rebounded slightly to reach 0.8 babies per woman, it remains the lowest in the world and well below the replacement rate of 2.1 needed to maintain the population level. Consequently, Korea's population structure is experiencing a whipsaw demographic shift; by 2050, the working age population is projected to halve, with over 40 percent of the population over 65 years old. This transition will usher in profound social and economic challenges that will require ingenuity and accommodation to address. Professor Cho is one of South Korea's most prominent demographers. His research interests include Korea's low fertility, its fundamental causes and policy reactions, Vietnam's new population policy, business demography, and population profiling. He is best known for his "Population as a Determined Future" thesis, which argues that while demographic shifts are predictable and inevitable, society can mitigate their impact through strategic adaptation. The discussion is moderated by policy director Jonathan Corrado. This program is made possible by the generous support of the Korea Foundation and our individual and corporate members.

For the video version of this program including slides, please visit the link below: https://www.youtube.com/live/rQuiuDtkV-c

For more information, please visit the link below: https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/2148-aging-society