FALL 2008
Crossing the Line: Screening and Discussion
October 29, 2008: Crossing the Line, a documentary directed by Daniel Gordon and co-produced by Nicholas Bonner, goes inside North Korea to tell Dresnok’s story for the first time. Allowed unprecedented access to Dresnok by the North Korean authorities, the filmmakers reveal the full story of his defection, as well as the political intrigue and personal passions that have kept him behind the Cold War’s last frontier ever since.
This event was co-sponsored by the U.S.-Korea Institute, the Sejong Society of DC, and the National Committee on North Korea. It is part of a nationwide tour organized, in part, by the Korea Society.
Meltdown: The Inside Story on the North Korean Nuclear Crisis
September 25, 2008: When George W. Bush took office in 2001, North Korea’s nuclear program was frozen. Kim Jong-Il had signaled to the outgoing Clinton administration he was ready to negotiate an end to his missile program. Today, North Korea has become a full-fledged nuclear power, with enough fissile material to stage an underground test in 2006 and manufacture as many as ten more warheads. How did the United States fail to prevent a long-standing adversary like North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons?
Longtime CNN correspondent and North Korea expert Mike Chinoy discussed his new book Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis. Chinoy has produced a gripping account of one of America's longest-running, most volatile foreign policy crises that explains why North Korea remains a danger today—and why it didn't have to be this way.
Listen to audio or download transcripts of the day's events.
On-going Political and Social Change in North Korea
Septermber 24, 2008: The Venerable Pomnyun Sunim, Chairman of Good Friends and The Peace Foundation, discussed the current political and social climate in North Korea, including the spread of the black market economy and the increase in political control over North Korea's elite.
Joining this discussion, was Dr. Cho Seong-ryoul, Director of the New Security Studies Program at the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), who offered his insights on current and future inter-Korean relations.
Download transcripts of Venerable Pomnyun's and Dr. Cho's remarks.
The Reemergence of Korean Nationalism: Implications for U.S.-Korea Relations
September 8, 2008: Dr. Chung Woo-Taik, Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do Province, South Korea, offered his insights into what he termed, "the reemergence of Korean nationalism," and how this trend impacts the future of Korean relations with the U.S.
Listen to audio or download transcripts of Gov. Chung's remarks.
Understanding the Real North Korea
August 14, 2008: Kim Dong-su is a senior research fellow at the Institute of National Security Strategy in South Korea and a North Korean defector who held key posts in North Korea's Foreign Ministry until defecting to South Korea in 1988. Mr. Kim will present his personal life story and his views on North Korea's domestic and foreign policy strategy. NOTE: The speaker's comments were off the record.
This event was co-sponsored by The Sejong Society.