By Jane Han
NEW YORK — Starting next month, the Korea Society is set to kick off a national outreach in the United States centered on policy, business and arts programs as part of a long-term plan to build stronger links between Korea and the U.S.
“The outreach is going to be something new and very comprehensive,” said Stephen Noerper, senior vice president of the Korea Society, a New York-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering ties between the people of the two countries.
Unlike other promotional blitzes in the past, the new series will include a “comprehensive menu to show the beauty and brilliance of Korea,” he explained.
The kickoff event will be in Atlanta, Ga., on Dec. 9 and 10, where former U.S. Ambassador Thomas Hubbard and Han Duck-soo, Korean ambassador to the U.S., plan to discuss at a roundtable forum the current state of Korea-U.S. relations.
The agenda is going to highlight Seoul’s hosting of the G20 summit and the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA), which is yet to be ratified since it was signed in 2007.
Besides the forum, a panel discussion on Christianity in Korea, business luncheon with ambassadors and corporate leaders and a photo exhibition are among other events scheduled for the Atlanta outreach.
“Policy and business issues are important, but we also want to show the wonderful cultural flowering of Korea,” said Noerper.
Following Atlanta, the Korea Society is planning to continue the outreach in Austin, Texas; Chicago, Ill.; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Phoenix, Ariz., throughout next year.
“We anticipate going into less traditional markets, where there is an emerging Korean population and businesses,” said Noerper, adding that the group is going to evaluate the evolution and penetration of Korean businesses, the level of interest in Korean policies, and the alliance between Seoul and Washington.
The outreach will be extended for the next several years, according to the nonpartisan organization that has made consistent efforts to promote better bilateral economic relations.
On the Korea-U.S. FTA, Noerper, an Asian scholar and Korea expert, said prospects were bright.
“There are new challenges to work with but we are all positive about the current momentum,” he said.