The Asia Foundation Korea Office Pays Tribute to the Late Philip Rowe, First Country Representative

January 13, 2025 - On Friday, January 3, Dr. Kyungjin Song, Country Representative of The Asia Foundation Korea Office, and staff visited the Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery to pay tribute to the late Philip Rowe, the first Country Representative of The Asia Foundation Korea Office. The late Philip Rowe was appointed as the first Country Representative in 1954 and made significant contributions to the establishment and early development of the Korea Office. However, as the office was beginning to stabilize, his health deteriorated, and he passed away in Korea in 1955 at the young age of 34. His funeral was held at Chungdong First Methodist Church, and he was laid to rest at the Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery. Marking the new year, Dr. Song and the staff commemorated the dedication and achievement of the late Philip Rowe. The Asia Foundation Korea Office remains committed to honoring the late Philip Rowe by continuing its efforts ..

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January 13, 2025

Dr. Kyungjin SONG’s op-ed, 'Media Literacy as an Indicator of Democracy' in the Seoul Shinmun.

Dr. Kyungjin SONG’s op-ed, 'Media Literacy as an Indicator of Democracy,' was published in the Seoul Shinmun on January 8. She emphasized the importance of strengthening digital and media literacy capacity, mentioning that media literacy has become an indicator of democracy with digitalization. She also highlighted the need for digital and media literacy education that reflects the changes of the times, as well as education in logic, mathematics and philosophy, and lifelong learning. Please click the link below to see the full op-ed (in Korean). The translated English version can be downloaded from the attachment. Title: [열린세상] 민주주의 지표 된 미디어 문해력 Date: January 8, 2025 Link: https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/editOpinion/world-stories/2025/01/08/20250108031008

Media Coverage

January 08, 2025

Call for Application: U.S.-ROK-Japan Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Summit (~1/19)

The U.S. Embassy Korea is calling for applications for U.S.-ROK-Japan Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Summit 2025. Applications are open until January 19th, 2025. The YTL Summit - supported by the U.S. Department of State - will convene 50 youth participants (ages 18-35) from U.S., Korea, Japan and the Indo-Pacific region to develop their expertise in leadership, strategic thinking, and innovative solutions in response to various global challenges. ㅇ Date: July 2025 ㅇ Location: Osaka, Japan ㅇ Fee: Fully Covered (Including airfare, meals, and accommodations) ㅇ Requirements: Citizens of the United States, Republic of Korea, or Japan between 18-35 with strong English fluency ㅇ Application Deadline: 23:59 on January 19, 2025 Please see http://ytlsummit2025.com for more information.

Call for Application

December 30, 2024

The Asia Foundation publishes Northeast Asia Climate Youth Exchange Program 2024: Participants' Report

December 16, 2024 - The Asia Foundation Korea Office published Northeast Asia Climate Youth Exchange Program 2024: Participants' Report – a first of its kind. This report was led by Kohichi Sado, a participant from Japan, based on contributions from all program participants. Northeast Asia Youth Exchange Program was hosted from July 31 to August 31, 2024, focusing on net-zero transition in the region. The report includes participants' program experience, lessons learned, and recommendations to further improve the program. The Asia Foundation Korea Office published Northeast Asia Climate Youth Exchange Program 2024: Participants' Report – a first of its kind. This report was led by Kohichi Sado, a participant from Japan, based on contributions from all program participants. Northeast Asia Youth Exchange Program was hosted from July 31 to August 31, 2024, focusing on net-zero transition in the region. The ..

News

December 16, 2024

Dr. David I. Steinberg, former Korea Representative of the Asia Foundation, dies at 96

[Obituary] December 8, 2024 - The Asia Foundation Korea Office expresses its deepest condolences to the bereaved family and friends of Dr. David I. Steinberg who died on December 5, 2024, aged 96. Well known for a prominent Asia expert (Korea, Myanmar, and Southeast Asia) in the United States, Dr. David I. Steinberg served as a Country Representative of the Asia Foundation’s Korea Office twice from 1963 to 1968 and from 1994 to 1998. During the Korean War he worked for the National Security Agency. Before coming to Korea, he also served, 1958-1962, as a Country Representative of the Asia Foundation’s Myanmar Office. He also worked for almost two decades in the U.S. government on East Asia and other regions, including at the U.S. Agency for International Development. In 1990 Dr. Steinberg joined Georgetown University as a professor of Korea Studies and and directed the Georgetow..

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December 08, 2024

The Asia Foundation and Microsoft Launch Skills2Work Digital Upskilling Project in Korea

December 5, 2024 - Exciting news from Seoul! We’re thrilled to announce that we're partnering with Microsoft’s Datacenter Community Affairs team to launch Skills2Work in Korea. As emerging technologies reshape the job market, the demand for skilled professionals in the digital economy, particularly in the datacenter sector, continues to rise. This project fills this gap by preparing the next generation of tech talent, including women, with the essential skills to launch successful careers. Skills2Work is part of The Asia Foundation’s Future Skills Alliance, a collective impact platform for private and public sector partners to deliver future skills at scale to the region’s underserved groups.

News

December 05, 2024

Dr. Kyungjin SONG’s op-ed, 'Why Korea-India Summit Must Be Prioritized' in the Seoul Shinmun.

Dr. Kyungjin SONG’s op-ed, 'Why Korea-India Summit Must Be Prioritized,' was published on December 4 in the Seoul Shinmun. She emphasized that trust-building is needed through multidimensional exchanges, recognizing the growing importance of India. Please click the link below to see the full op-ed (in Korean). The translated English version can be downloaded from the attachment. Title: [열린세상] 한·인 정상회담 서둘러야 할 이유 Date: December 4, 2024 Link: https://www.seoul.co.kr/news/editOpinion/world-stories/2024/12/04/20241204031007?wlog_tag3=naver

Media Coverage

December 04, 2024

The Asia Foundation Hosts Personal Initiative Training for North Korean Refugee Entrepreneurs

December 6, 2024 – The Asia Foundation Korea Office hosted Personal Initiative (PI) Training for North Korean refugee entrepreneurs on November 23-25, 2024. * PI training model was originally developed to support East Germans to adapt market economy after the unification. Participants showed a 30% profit increase and 2.7 times more profitability than traditional training models (Source: Journal of Science). The training was led by Hayul Lim (CEO, Solemaman), Jihye Yoon (CEO, Endless), and Jiwoo Park (CEO, In Good Company) who have successfully managed their businessesafter participating in PI Training hosted by The Asia Foundation in 2022. After the opening remarks from Dr. Kyungjin Song, Country Representative of The Asia Foundation Korea, the participants actively engaged in discussions and case studies, building personal initiative traits represented by self-starting, future thinking, and overcoming barriers. ..

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December 03, 2024

Dr. Kyungjin Song Participates as Moderator in the 1st Korea-US-India 1.5 Track Dialogue

December 3, 2024 - Dr. Kyungjin Song moderated the second session of the 1st Korea-US-India 1.5 Track Dialogue, which was co-hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in India and the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA)* on November 26. The dialogue was held under the theme “Indo-Pacific: Exploring Korea-US-India Trilateral.” *KNDA was established in 1963 with the support of The Asia Foundation. Dr. Song moderated the session on “Trilateral Potentials in Economic and Maritime Security, Defense Industries, and Beyond,” during which the issues were discussed in detail. The speakers emphasized trilateral cooperation in various areas, from conventional security to economic security (supply chain resilience, infrastructure, critical emerging technologies, critical minerals, etc.). Also, they called for stronger collaboration in maritime security, including maritime information sharing, defense industries, disaster manageme..

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December 03, 2024