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The Korea Society's Members' Newsletter | May 2026
Published about 2 months ago • 13 min read
Members' Newsletter | May 2026
Editor: Stephanie Hwang, Development Program Officer
WELCOME MESSAGE
Welcome to May, corporate & individual members!
This month, South Korea celebrates Buddha's Birthday (석가탄신일) as a public holiday on Sunday, May 24 — a moment that offers a window into the depth of Korean culture and history. South Korea is a multi-religious nation: roughly half the population has no religious affiliation, while among those who do, Christianity and Buddhism are the two most practiced faiths.
Buddhism was introduced to Korea from China during the Three Kingdoms Era and later flourished as the state ideology under the Goryeo Dynasty. Buddhism offered a moral and philosophical framework that shaped the Korean worldview and common way of thinking, an intellectual legacy that quietly remains today. It also gave rise to enduring cultural developments: monasteries would encourage production of grand temples and pagodas, paintings and statues of the Buddhist pantheon, and celebrated works of art that are maintained as part of Korea's living heritage.
That heritage comes alive each spring through the Lotus Lantern Festival, or Yeon Deung Hoe (연등회), one of Seoul's most beloved public celebrations. The lotus is a powerful symbol, as the lotus flower roots in mud, then rises to remarkable beauty on the surface of the water. The streets of central Seoul are illuminated by intricate lanterns shaped as lotus flowers, dragons, and Buddha sculptures, each carrying wishes of warmth and goodwill. The festival is a time when social boundaries dissolve and communities come together in shared joy — values that resonate deeply with our own mission of building bridges between the United States and Korea.
Read on to learn what programs are available at The Korea Society this month across our Business & Economics, Policy, Arts & Culture, and Education departments.
Thank you for being a member of The Korea Society and for all you do to support our organization! Please help us connect with new members by spreading the word, sharing our programs, and providing this link to join our membership program.
Mon, May 18, 2026 | 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM | Baltusrol Golf Club
The Korea Society, in partnership with the Korea Finance Society, warmly invites you to the 35th Annual Van Fleet Memorial Golf Tournament on May 18, 2026. We are pleased to return to Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey, with this year’s tournament to be held on the renowned Upper Course. As we celebrate the 35th anniversary of this special event, we are honored to continue this legacy and to welcome our members, supporters, and friends for a memorable day of championship golf and camaraderie, while strengthening business, government, and cultural ties between the United States and Korea.
Thu, May 21, 2026 | 11:30 AM - 7:00 PM | Citi Headquarters
The Korea Society is honored to announce the return of the 2026 Startup Scene annual forum, “Startups in Focus: AI Powering the Way We Live.” This year, the annual forum brings together founders, investors, and technology leaders shaping the next chapter of applied artificial intelligence, examining how AI is transforming the way we live, work, create, and make decisions across sectors. This program is supported by Hanwha Life
From May 15–26, Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) and Subway Cinema present Korean Cinema’s Celluloid Fever: The 1970s - a transformative time period in Korean cinema and its influence on the films of today, including rare archival prints and new restorations of some of the most daring and emotionally charged filmmaking in Korean history.
📢 Members of The Korea Societyare invited to join the code CELLULOID70S in the promo code box at checkout to enjoy a $5 discount on your ticket purchase! Ticket purchasers must enter the code prior to adding tickets to the cart to see the discount applied.
MEMBERS-ONLY DISCOUNT
2026 PEN WORLD VOICES FESTIVAL
📅 Festival Dates: Wed, April 29 - Sat, May 2
📢 USE CODE PENPAL26 FOR A 20% OFF DISCOUNT ON ANY TICKETED PROGRAM!
🎫 May 1 - Beyond Empire: Radical Possibility & Genre Fiction - This event welcome writers of color working across genres to speak on use of narrative archetypes to confront the lasting effects of racism. Features Korean author Silvia Park (Lumnious), Samrat Upadhyay, Quan Barry, Rivers Solomon, and Gabino Iglesias.
🎫 May 2nd - Who Belongs? Stories Against a Narrowing World - This event looks at how globally, forces (including literature) are aligning to champion a diversity of cultures. Features Korean-American author Susan Choi (Flashlight), Dinaw Mengestu, Tash Aw, Patricia Smith, & Madeleine Thien.
🎫 May 2nd - The Transformative Power of Graphic Novels for Kids - This panel of graphic novelists will explore what makes them so powerful and reveals the challenges and joys of the creative process. Features Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Jennifer and Matthew Holm, Huda Fahmy, and Korean-American author/illustrator Robin Ha (The Fox Maidens, Almost American Girl).
The Korea Society is proud to be a community partner of the PEN World Voices Festival, and we are excited to share these programs featuring Korean and Korean-American authors.
The Korea Society’s Young Professionals’ Network presents Balancing Ambition and Passion, a career panel about balancing personal passions on top of pressures from full-time professional careers. Join us in-person for the conversation, which will be followed by opportunities for networking with the speakers. Dinner will be provided.
We are joined by Samuel Cho (J.P. Morgan Asset Management), author of Forge Through 40, and author Patricia Park (American University), author of Ambrosia Lee Drops the Mic. This program is produced in partnership with the Asian American Dental Society.
Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime’s Greatest Weakness
Thu, May 7, 2026 | 4:00 PM (EDT) | Live webcast only
Join us for a discussion with Dr. Jieun Baek, author of “Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime’s Greatest Weakness.” In conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado, Baek reveals a world of forbidden information, simmering resentment, and survival-driven masks, based on hundreds of hours of interviews with high-level escapees. Baek argues that the officials who seem most invested in preserving North Korea’s status quo may become its most dangerous disruptors, not for ideological reasons but because of simmering resentment and vanishing alternatives.
Join us for a discussion with Sarah Laderman, Senior Analyst for Open Nuclear Network, a PAX sapiens programme, on the rollout of a recent series of reports examining North Korea’s nuclear program. In conversation with policy director Jonathan Corrado, Laderman discusses a myriad of findings on North Korea's nuclear fuel cycle and weaponisation capabilities, including the research project’s development of innovative methodologies to assess an otherwise opaque program. The discussion reviews the high-level findings and unpacks implications for verification, monitoring, and diplomacy. More information on the project findings can be found here.
The Promised Republic: Developmental Society and The Making of Modern Seoul, 1961-1971
Thu, May 14, 2026 | 4:00 PM (EDT) | Live webcast only
Join us for a discussion with Dr. Russell Burge, author of “The Promised Republic: Developmental Society and the Making of Modern Seoul.” In conversation with policy program officer Chelsie Alexandre, Burge delves into the hidden histories of South Korea’s rapid urban transformation during South Korea’s developmental period under Park Chung Hee. Burge challenges the traditional “miracle on the Han River” narrative and provides a critical lens through which to view the high price of progress and the enduring struggle for a truly inclusive republic.
Dress historian Dr. Minjee Kim will offer fresh insights into Korean period costume as a visual and narrative language closely aligned with the development of plot and storyline. She will demonstrate how period costumes produce the “illusion of pastness” rather than the past itself, operating within a narrower range of sartorial possibilities, thereby negotiating historical accuracy, constructing stylized appearances, and translating dynamically into contemporary aesthetics.
This program is co-hosted by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York.
*In-person attendance for this event is by invitation only
This special event marks the opening of the exhibition, Kim Koo: Dreaming of Peace Through the Power of Culture, and features a presentation prepared by The Association of Commemorative Service for Patriot Kim Koo. It also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Kim Koo Professional Series at The Korea Society.
The program will feature Dr. Han Kyung-Koo, who served as the Secretary-General of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and played a pivotal role in the 2026 UNESCO designation. Congratulatory remarks are provided by Kim Koo Foundation chairperson Dr. Kim Mee. This program is produced in partnership with The Association of Commemorative Service for Patriot Kim Koo and is made possible by the support of the Kim Koo Foundation.
GALLERY EXHIBITION
Kim Koo: Dreaming of Peace Through the Power of Culture
📅 Exhibition Dates: May 28 - Aug 31
📅 Gallery Hours: Mon–Fri, 10AM–4:30PM
The Korea Society is honored to host a special exhibition honoring the life, enduring vision, and profound legacy of Kim Koo—one of the most revered leaders of the Korean independence movement. To commemorate UNESCO’s designation of 2026 as the 150th anniversary of Kim Koo’s birth, The Korea Society offers a unique opportunity to reflect on his legacy through a visual exhibition.
To make a gallery appointment, please contact info@koreasociety.org at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled visit.
The Korean Language Program offers four terms of study throughout the year with courses spanning nine levels of instruction from beginning to advanced. Classes generally meet for two hours, once per week, for a period of 10 weeks. We offer both comprehensive and conversation classes which are among our most popular. We also offer short, two-hour workshops focused on specific topics of interest, e.g. K-Pop, K-Drama, Survival Korean and Tips.
As part of your TKS membership benefits, we're pleased to offer a 10% discount on language classes to all members of The Korea Society (at Individual Level+). Returning students from the previous term receive an additional 10% discount.
Thu, May 14, 2026 | 7:00 PM (EDT) via Zoom | $35 Registration
This workshop explores Korean cuisine beyond the idea of a single, unified tradition, highlighting the diversity of hansik and introducing Key Korean culinary expressions!
Participants will learn how history, rice cultivation, and social structures have shaped food culture, from royal court cuisine to everyday meals, while also being introduced to key Korean language vocabularies and phrases throughout each topic.
The session examines the influence of trade and cultural exchange, along with practices such as fermentation and kimjang. Finally, it considers Korean cuisine in a global context, reflecting on tradition, adaptation, and authenticity.
No prior knowledge of Korean is required.
*Registration opens soon
Project Bridge Community Presentation
Wed, May 27, 2026 | 6:00 PM (EDT) | Hybrid
The highlight of the Society’s Project Bridge Youth Ambassador Program is the Community presentation by the New York City Youth Ambassadors. Eight NYC public high school student were selected last fall via a highly competitive competition, to participate in a full academic year program of workshops in which they explored Korean culture, cuisine, education, history and language, economics and current events on the peninsula.
Further, they engaged in numerous activities focused on leadership and intercultural competence skill development and a ten-day study tour to Korea. In their Community Presentation the students share what they have learned and the insights they have gained and to celebrate an academic year of hard work and exploration. Reception follows.
Spotlight: Resources on Korea and US-Korea Relations
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?
Features 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.
In the launch event for Korean Messiah, Wall Street Journal China Bureau Chief Jonathan Cheng challenged conventional thinking around North Korea and described the surprising, enduring influence of American Presbyterian Christianity on Kim Il Sung's cult of personality.
His book, which explores “the rise of the Kim dynasty and its surprising ties to American Christianity,” documents the profusion and lasting impact of Christianity in North Korea’s current capital of Pyongyang.
Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, joins the conversation as a discussant. This program was hosted in collaboration with The Center for Korean Research at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, and is moderated by policy director Jonathan Corrado.
“Her fiction is a breath-taking piece of cinematic art itself. Reminiscent of the world we experienced in Matrix, Inception, and Dark City, still it leads us to this entirely original structure, which is a ground-breaking, mystic literary and cinematic experience. Indeed, powerful and graceful.”—Bong Joon-ho, Oscar-winning director of Parasite.
In her mind-expanding work of speculative fiction, Bo-young Kim explores the driving forces of humanity—love, hope, creation, destruction, and the very meaning of existence. Her strikingly original work teems with human and non-human beings, all of whom are striving to survive through evolution, whether biologically, technologically or socially. An award-winning author widely recognized as a pioneer and inspiration in Korean literature, Bo-young Kim discusses her career in this episode of Author Talks.
"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.
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.
America's Taiwan Dilemma: Allies' Reactions and the Stakes for US Reputation
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.
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 their perspectives as they grapple with their reliance on the United States as a distant security guarantor and their unease with an increasingly assertive China nearby.
In If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light, Korean science fiction superstar Kim Choyeop leads us to places we never thought we’d reach, imagining worlds galaxies away and unfamiliar lifeforms with near-dizzying humanity. A stunning and poignant collection of literary speculative fiction stories that explore the complexities of identity, love, death, and the search for life’s meaning, Kim’s stories dismantle the borders between normal and abnormal, material and abstract, earthly and otherworldly.
With unforgettable inventiveness and pathos, If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light heralds the arrival of an essential voice in contemporary fiction.
In this episode of Author Talks, Kim and her English translator Anton Hur discuss her English debut.
The Korea Society’s Young Professionals Network presents the Lessons Learned series in partnership with the Korea Finance Society. This program features Karen Choi, Partner at Capital Group, who reflects on her professional journey and share lessons from building a long-term career at the highest levels of the global finance industry. She offers candid perspective on leadership and the realities of sustaining a career while balancing competing priorities, with insights for young professionals as they consider the intersection of growth and purpose in their own careers. The discussion is moderated by Sandra Schubert, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. Drawing on shared industry experience, the conversation was followed by an interactive audience Q&A.
What programs would you like to see at The Korea Society? Are there speakers, topics, industries, or cultural events you’re excited about? Do you have ideas for collaborations or member benefits you’d value?
Share your suggestions through our quick suggestion box survey! Your input helps us design programming and partnerships that better serve our community.
Feel free to submit your thoughts anonymously, and we appreciate your thoughtful input.
Thank you for helping shape what’s next!
YOUTUBE SHORTS
Check out our past programs on The Korea Society's YouTube Channel and subscribe today!
Thanks to our Media Program Associate Bradley Sheen, you can see the best clips from our guest speakers on YouTube Shorts. Click on the most recent highlight shown here, or visit the page below for our full collection of shorts.
Translator, Anton Hur, speaks on the uniqueness of Korean science fiction and the literary landscape leading up to Kim Cho-yeop’s speculative work in her newly translated short story collection, "If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light."
We are always looking to improve the quality of our organization's programs and content! If you have any feedback, suggestions, or ideas about how we can improve, email us at development@koreasociety.org
A nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization with individual and corporate members that is dedicated solely to the promotion of greater awareness, understanding, and cooperation between the people of the United States and Korea.
This monthly newsletter is designed to keep our community of members informed about our latest achievements, upcoming programs, and other exciting updates.
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