[KS] Korean War 50th Anniversary Conference

[Alina Oh]

Korean War 50th Anniversary Conference
June 23-25, 2000
The Bunn Intercultural Center Auditorium
Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Organized by Korea University, Georgetown University, The Korea Society
with major support from International Foundation for Korea University 
(IFKU) and U.S. News & World Report

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The overall objective of this conference is to assess the long-term 
significance and lasting consequences of the Korean War for all concerned 
parties from the vantage point afforded by the commemoration of the 50th 
anniversary of its outbreak in 1950. Issues related to the background and 
origins of the war will be highlighted as well, but primarily from the 
perspective of how they relate to subsequent developments beginning from 
the immediate aftermath of the war and continuing right up to the present. 
The tragedies of the Korean War such as the No Gun Ri incident also will be 
an important topic of discussion, but primarily from the perspective of 
their significance in the development of U.S.-Korea relations during the 
ensuing decades and their continuing impact in the contemporary context. In 
short, the objective is to focus attention primarily on the whole spectrum 
of the relationships that have evolved as a consequence of the Korean War 
between Korea and the United States as well as the Northeast Asian region 
as a whole, rather than to re-visit in depth the various factors leading up 
to the war or any particular events of the war itself.

The guiding assumption in presenting this conference is that the modern 
political, strategic, economic and cultural relationships of the Korean 
people with the U.S. and the other countries of Northeast Asia can only be 
fully appreciated if viewed through the prism of the Korean War in all of 
its multifaceted dimensions. The lingering impact of the war, in both 
direct and indirect ways, permeates and informs both the substance and 
texture of these relationships. As a basis for the final resolution of the 
impasse created by the lingering structure of the Cold War on the Korean 
peninsula, every aspect of these relationships needs to be re-examined from 
an objective point of view that takes into account past shortcomings as 
well as future possibilities.

The conference will be open to the public and conducted with a minimum of 
the customary academic formalities. In adopting this format, we hope that 
the conference will be a tangible expression of the commitment to foster 
on-going, honest dialogue among all those who have a stake in fostering a 
better understanding of the Korean War, principally Koreans and Americans, 
but also representatives of the other participants in the war who have a 
continuing vital interest in the future of the Korean peninsula.

REGISTRATION
All panel sessions of the conference are open to the public and 
registration is free of charge. If you are planning to attend the 
conference, we encourage you to register at your earliest convenience. 
On-site registration for the panel sessions also is permitted.

The two luncheons with keynote addresses also are open to the public, but 
pre-registration and payment of a nominal fee ($25; $15 Academics/Gov't; 
$10 students) is required. As space is limited, if you would like to attend 
one or both of the luncheons, we must receive a completed conference 
registration form with payment by June 16 at the latest. Registrations will 
be processed on a first come, first served basis.

See our website www.koreasociety.org for registration forms.
We hope you will join us for this special event. For registration or to 
confirm space availability for the luncheons, please contact Richard 
Hitchcock at 202-293-2174 or 212-759-7525 ext. 12 or 
richard.ny at koreasociety.org <mailto:richard.ny at koreasociety.org>.



Thursday, June 22

6:00 pm 	Reception, Riggs Library, Georgetown University

Friday, June 23

8:00 am	Breakfast and Registration

8:30 am	Welcoming Remarks
Robert L. Gallucci, Georgetown University)

Donald P. Gregg, The Korea Society

Sihak Henry Cho, The International Foundation for Korea University

8:45 am	Congratulatory Address
Jung Bae Kim, Korea University

9:00 am	Panel 1: Background: The Korean War Revisited
(Chair: Bonnie B. C. Oh, Georgetown University)

Occurrence at No Gun Ri Bridge: An Inquiry into the History and Memory of a 
Civil War
Bruce Cumings, University of Chicago

The Rationale for War in Korea
Kathryn Weathersby, The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Korean War Studies Revisited: Third Wave and Beyond
In-Taek Hyun, Korea University

The Effects of the Korean War in the Context of the Cold War: A View
Through the Prism of the Vietnam War
Stanley Karnow, Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist and Author

10:30 am	Coffee Break


10:45 am	Panel 2: War as Crucible: Development of Korean Nationalism and 
Identity
(Chair: Chae-jin Lee, Claremont-McKenna College)

Chuch'e Ideology: Origins, Theory and Practice
B.C. Koh, University of Illinois at Chicago

Effects of the Korean War on the Social Structures of the Republic of Korea
Eui Hang Shin, University of South Carolina

The U.S. Bases in South Korea: Their Continuing Impact
Katharine H. S. Moon, Wellesley College

Changing Images of Americans in Korea
Donald N. Clark, Trinity University

12:15 pm 	Luncheon

Keynote Address
Settling Old Scores: The War's Political Legacy
Sung-Joo Han, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Ilmin
 International Relations Institute, Korea University

1:45 pm	Panel 3: Concordant Discord: Reviving Suppressed Memories of the 
Korean War
(Chair: Donald P. Gregg, The Korea Society)

Revolution and Poetry: Ambiguity of Choice
Uchang Kim, Korea University

Faithful Endurance of Families in Divided Korea: Social Devastation
and Cultural Strength
Choong Soon Kim, University of Tennessee at Martin

The Korean War: Forgotten and Remembered
David R. McCann, Harvard University

Whether Enemy or Brother: Patriotism in Conflict with Brotherhood
in the Poetry of the Korean War by Korean Poets
Ji Moon Suh, Korea University

3:30 pm 	Coffee Break

3:45 pm	Panel 4: Current Perspectives on the DPRK
(Chair: Don Oberdorfer, Johns Hopkins University)

DPRK Relations with China, Russia and Japan
John Merrill, U.S. Department of State

U.S.-DPRK Relationship: Retrospect, Prospect and Policy Recommendation
Ok-Nim Chung, Brookings Institution

Fourteen Months North of the Parallel: Experiences and Reflections
Tibor Meray, Award Winning Author and Journalist

Foreign Economic Policy Constraints of the DPRK in the Global Era:
A New Breed of Ideation?
Han S. Park, University of Georgia

6:00 pm	Cocktails & Dinner, Riggs Library, Georgetown University

7:15 pm	Evening Forum: The Tragedies of the Korean War: No-Gun-Ri
Panelists
Donald P. Gregg, The Korea Society
Hong-Choo Hyun, Law Firm of Kim & Chang
Don Oberdorfer, Johns Hopkins University

Saturday, June 24

8:00 am 	Breakfast

8:30 am	Panel 5: U.S.-ROK Relations: Cost and Benefits of the Korean War
(Chair, Kyung-Won Kim, Institute of Social Sciences)

The Korean War and the U.S. Relationship with Korea
William Stueck, Jr., University of Georgia

Civil-Military Relations and Political Development in Korea
James R. Lilley, American Enterprise Institute

U.S. Priorities in the Cold War and Post-Cold War Eras
Ralph A. Cossa, Pacific Forum-CSIS

>From Patron To Partner: U.S.-ROK Economic Relations-Past and Future
Marcus Noland, Institute for International Economics

10:30 am	Coffee Break

10:45 am	Panel 6: Korea and Her Neighbors: Future of the Korean Peninsula
(Chair: Nancy Bernkopf Tucker, Georgetown University)

ROK-Japanese-U.S. Relations: An American Perspective
Victor D. Cha, Georgetown University

ROK-Japanese-U.S. Relations: A Japanese Perspective
Ko Shioya, Bungei Shunju

Russian-Korean Relations: A Russian Perspective
Alexandre Y. Mansourov, Brookings Institution

China-Korea Relations: A Chinese View
Xiaoming Zhang, Peking University

U.S.-Korea Relations: A Korean Perspective
Kyong Soo Lho, Seoul National University

12:15 pm	Luncheon

Keynote Address
The Korean War and Its Unsettled Legacy
Hong Koo Lee, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States

1:30 pm	Panel 7: Reflections on the Long-term Impact of the Korean War
(Chair: Sihak Henry Cho, IFKU)

Transgenerational Impact of the Korean War
Hesung Chun Koh, East Rock Institute

The Forgotten ROK Soldiers of the Korean War
John K. C. Oh, The Catholic University of America

Some Remembrances and Reflections About Korea:Before, During and After the 
War
Edward L. King, U.S. Senate Professional Staff Member (Ret.)

A Retrospective from the Trenches: The War from a Marine Lieutenant's 
Perspective
Bernard E. Trainor, Council on Foreign Relations

3:30 pm	Coffee Break

3:45 pm	Panel 8: Conference Summary and Wrap Up
(Chair: Kyung-Won Kim, Institute of Social Sciences)
Panelists
Donald P. Gregg, The Korea Society
Sung-Joo Han, Korea University
Hong-Choo Hyun, Kim & Chang
David I. Steinberg, Georgetown University

6:30 pm 	Closing Dinner at Woo Lae Oak Restaurant

Sunday, June 25

10:00 am	Wreath-laying Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetary (optional)







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