The Future of the Korean Peninsula and the US-ROK Alliance
Public Lecture
10/25/2012, 05:00pm-06:30pm
Location: UC San Diego, Institute of the Americas Auditorium
Open to: Public
Speaker: U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Sung Kim and the Republic of Korea's Ambassador to the U.S., Choi Young-jin
Important changes are taking place on the Korean peninsula, including elections in the South and the succession and possible reforms in the North. Yet progress on the denuclearization of the peninsula through the Six Party Talks remains blocked. The U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea's Ambassador to the U.S. will reflect on recent developments and the current state of the alliance.
Speakers:
Sung Kim is the Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Korea. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Kim was the Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks with the rank of Ambassador. From August 2006 to July 2008, he headed the Office of Korean Affairs at the Department of State, and has served in a variety of positions in the East Asia Pacific region including overseas assignments in Seoul, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Kim worked as a public prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Choi Young-jin is the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States. Prior to his appointment, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed Choi Special Representative for Côte d’Ivoire, mandated to certify the Ivorian presidential election of fall 2010 and defuse the political crisis which arose in its aftermath. In January 2004, Choi was appointed vice minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, followed in May 2005 with an appointment as South Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations, a position he filled until 2007, when he took an appointment as a resident diplomat scholar at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Moderator:
Susan Shirk is the chair of the 21st Century China Program and Ho Miu Lam Endowed Chair in China and Pacific Relations at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) at UC San Diego. She also is director emeritus of the University of California, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC), and chair of the IGCC International Advisory Board. From 1997-2000, Shirk served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, with responsibility for China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mongolia. She served as the director of IGCC 1991–1997, research director 2000–2006, and director 2006–2011.
Registration is required for this event. Please register by Wednesday, October 24th.
For event-related questions, email Portia Bibb at pbibb@ucsd.edu.
