Seventy-five years after the onset of Asia’s Cold War, the world remains focused on the geopolitics of inter-Korean relations. Meanwhile, an emerging community of more than 33,000 refugees from North Korea currently live in South Korea; half aspire to become entrepreneurs. Despite the potential insight the refugee community could offer, there is insufficient data and limited understanding of their circumstances and specific needs. To fill this gap, The Asia Foundation produced North Korean Refugee Entrepreneurs in South Korea: Unveiling Korea’s Hidden Potential, conducting a series of interviews and a landmark survey of 131 refugee entrepreneurs.

Join The Asia Foundation and the Korea Economic Institute for an in-depth discussion of this report which offers a window into the lives of refugee entrepreneurs, exploring their aspirations, experiences, challenges, and opportunities amid discrimination, limited financial access, and barriers in culture and language. Experts will discuss insights from North Korean refugee entrepreneurs and offer a set of strategic recommendations to bolster social inclusion and support refugee entrepreneurs in Korea.

Featuring

Randall Jones, Non-Resident Fellow, Korea Economic Institute and Professional Fellow, Columbia University Center on Japanese Economy and Business

Kwang Kim, Country Representative, The Asia Foundation Korea

Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S. – Korea Policy, Council on Foreign Relations

Moderator

Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, President and CEO, Korea Economic Institute, and Trustee of The Asia Foundation

Date: Thursdsay, February 4, 2021, 11pm (in Korea)

          Thursday, February 4, 2021, Washington, DC 9am – 10am ET

RSVP : Register to attend (click).