The Korea Society

April 23, 2026 - Join us for a discussion with Mark Christopher, author of the new book: America's Taiwan Dilemma: Allies' Reactions and the Stakes for US Reputation. In conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado, Cristopher unpacks the findings from his rigorous open-source analysis of how America's key allies—South Korea, Japan, and Australia—would respond to US intervention or inaction in a Taiwan conflict. If Beijing attempts to forcibly annex Taiwan, Washington's decisions will have far-reaching consequences for its credibility in East Asia and beyond. Yet, the long-term implications of these choices on America's alliances and global standing remain largely unexamined—until now. Based on over 100 interviews with leading experts from South Korea, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and the United States, this book provides unparalleled insight into how America's allies view the stakes in a Taiwan contingency. It captures, in their own words, their perspectives—sometimes contradictory but consistently pragmatic—as they grapple with their reliance on the United States as a distant security guarantor and their unease with an increasingly assertive China nearby.

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/2142-taiwan-dilemma

April 21, 2026 - Across Languages: New Voices in Korean Poetry brings together acclaimed South Korean poets Lee Jenny, Yoo Heekyung, Oh Eun, and Shin Hae-uk with award-winning literary translators Archana Madhavan and Stine An, for a Korean–English bilingual reading and conversation to share the dynamism and innovations of language in Korean poetry culture. Through poetry and discussion, the speakers examine the cultural centrality of poetry in Korea and consider translation as a critical, creative practice that reshapes how literature circulates, sounds, and is felt across languages.

This program is presented in partnership with Ugly Duckling Presse and Zephyr Press.
For more information, please visit the link below:
https://www.koreasociety.org/arts-culture/literature/2145-ac-korean-poetry

April 13, 2026 - Join us for a book talk with Jonathan Cheng, author of the new history book Korean Messiah, which explores "the rise of the Kim dynasty and its surprising ties to American Christianity." In the book, Cheng, who is The Wall Street Journal's current China bureau chief and former Korea bureau chief, documents the profusion and lasting impact of Christianity in North Korea's current capital of Pyongyang, which was once described as the "Jerusalem of the East." Based on letters, diaries, and archival materials, his book reveals how the Kim regime's personality cult "traces its roots back to the Christian fervor of post–Civil War America."

Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, joins the conversation as a discussant. She described the book as "provocative and fascinating… Jonathan Cheng shows how this country, more hostile to religion than any in the world, was built on a bedrock of Christianity by its founder Kim Il Sung, who discarded the evangelical faith of his family and harnessed its power to create a cult of personality that has endured into the third generation."

The discussion is moderated by policy director Jonathan Corrado, and jointly produced by the Policy and the Arts and Culture teams.

This program is made possible by the generous support of the Korea Foundation and our individual and corporate members.  
This program is co-hosted by The Center for Korean Research at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University.
For more information, please visit the link below:
https://koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/2112-korean-messiah

Recorded April 2, 2026 - As part of our commitment to building the next generation of founders, The Korea Society is bringing Startup Scene to Yale Ventures – connecting one of the world's most dynamic consumer technology investors with Yale's entrepreneurial community. We are honored to welcome Eric Kim, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Goodwater Capital and Yale University alumnus, for a fireside conversation on building global consumer technology companies across borders.

Eric Kim will reflect on his journey to founding Goodwater Capital, a leading global venture firm with a portfolio of transformative consumer technology companies including Kakao, Coupang, Spotify, ByteDance, and Stitch Fix. Please join us as Eric shares insights on the rise of the global startup ecosystem, cross-border investment strategy, and how investors identify and scale the next generation of consumer platforms.

This conversation will be moderated by Josh Geballe, Senior Associate Provost for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Yale University and Managing Director of Yale Ventures.
This program is supported by Hanwha Life

Co-Hosted with Yale Ventures
For more information, please visit the link below:
https://www.koreasociety.org/corporate/2135-eric-kim

April 8, 2026 - Join us for a virtual tour of archival resources about Korea and U.S.-Korea relations available for virtual and U.S.-based researchers. This discussion highlights a diverse array of both longstanding and emerging collections, providing a wide survey of available historical resources. How can educators, researchers, historians, writers, and students best take advantage of this treasure trove of materials? What stories await and what impact can they have? What are some tips and tricks from librarians, center directors, and archivists?

Participating resource centers include: the new Van Fleet Digital Archive, The University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for East Asian Studies U.S.-Korean Relations Collection, The Library of Congress Korean Collection, and The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. This program is jointly produced by the Policy and the Education teams. Featuring: Dr. David Fields, Associate Director of the Center for East Asian Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Joe McChristian, Jr. President of The Van Fleet Foundation, Dr. Sam Rushay, Supervisory Archivist at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, and Dr. Elli Kim, Korea Reference Librarian Asian Division at The Library of Congress.

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, please visit the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeMJ8XWKvYg
For more information, please visit the link below:
https://www.koreasociety.org/policy-and-corporate-programs/2129-resources-us-korea