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

Dr. Kyungjin Song Introduces The Asia Foundation at the KCCI Mid-sized Enterprises Committee Meeting

December 3, 2024 - Dr. Kyungjin Song attended, November 27, the 29th KCCI Mid-sized Enterprises Committee Meeting to give an introduction on The Asia Foundation’s achievements and key initiatives as well as its special relationship with Korea since the Korean War to the committee members. Highlighting the Foundation’s primary partners, including governments, public institutions, and corporations, she emphasized the need for Korea’s active participation to support development endeavors elsewhere in Asia and the Pacific. She also mentioned that their goodwill partnerships with The Asia Foundation may be helpful for their networking and outreach activities in the United States as well as in Asia and the Pacific. ​Written by Han Eunhye, External Relations Officer

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December 03, 2024

The Asia Foundation Hosts a Roundtable Dialogue on "Trump 2.0 and the Indo-Pacific"

December 2, 2024 - The Asia Foundation Korea Office, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in India, co-hosted a roundtable dialogue, "Trump 2.0 and the Indo-Pacific," on November 27. The roundtable featured Dr. Tanvi Madan, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Mr. LIM Sang-Woo, the Minister of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of India, as panelists. Dr. Kyungjin Song, Country Representative of The Asia Foundation, moderated the dialogue. After Dr. Song made a brief introduction about The Asia Foundation, she invited the two panelists to provide their insights into the potential impacts of the Trump 2.0 administration on the Indo-Pacific region, with a focus on the Korea-U.S., the U.S.-India, the Korea-India, and the Korea-US-India trilateral relations. Dr. Tanvi Madan highlighted that Trump’s policies toward China are likely to significantly sh..

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December 02, 2024

The Asia Foundation Korea Hosts Special AI Lectures for Female STEM University Students

November 27, 2024 - The Asia Foundation Korea, in partnership with the Global Women’s ICT Network, organized special AI lectures as part of its STEM ConnectHER (SCH) program for female STEM students at Sookmyung Women’s University. Sunmee Lee, Senior Program Officer at The Asia Foundation Korea, introduced The Asia Foundation and the SCH program during the lectures. ※ SCH program aims to strengthen women’s capacity and build networks in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) across Asia by offering various opportunities, including 1:1 mentoring and workplace tours. On November 25, approximately 180 students attended a lecture, “AI Based on Databases,” delivered by Prof. PARK Young-Ho from the Division of Artificial Intelligence Engineering, College of Engineering at Sookmyung Women’s University. Students gained valuable insights into AI’s diverse applications and the future of careers shaped by AI technologies..

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November 27, 2024

Dr. Song’s op-ed, “Media Literacy and Democracy,” reprinted in The Security World

Dr. Kyungjin SONG’s op-ed, “Media Literacy and Democracy,” published in the Seoul Shinmun on November 1, has been reprinted in the November issue of The Security World, a Bangladesh bi-monthly magazine specialized in foreign affairs and security. Please check the content in the attached file.

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November 25, 2024

Dr. Kyungjin SONG Participates as Speaker at Korea-Bangladesh Cooperation Seminar, Nov 5, Dhaka, Bangladesh

November 11, 2024 - Dr. Kyungjin SONG, Country Representative of The Asia Foundation Korea, participated as a speaker at “Seminar on Indo-Pacific Strategy and Its Beyond: How to Consolidate Bilateral Relations Between Korea and Bangladesh” on November 5 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Bangladesh. Kyungjin introduced the vision and principles as well as 9 core lines of effort of Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. Emphasizing the importance of implementation, she proposed the following. - Create a regular Korea-Bangladesh policy dialogue to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest such as emerging technologies, space security, climate response, environment, health, and trade; - Enhance Korea’s engagement in multilateral fora in South Asia such as IORA, IOC, BIMSTEC, etc.; - Strengthen cooperation on Maritime Domain Awareness ..

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November 11, 2024

The Asia Foundation Co-Authors "GTIPA Perspectives: The Vital Importance of Digital Inclusivity for Global Economic Growth"

The Asia Foundation contributed to Global Trade & Innovation Policy Alliance (GTIPA)'s newest crowd-sourced report titled "GTIPA Perspectives: The Vital Importance of Digital Inclusivity for Global Economic Growth". The report introduces key policies from 17 countries including the US, India, and Philippines to narrow digital divide for inclusive and sustainable economic growth. In the report, The Asia Foundation delves into Korea's case study, specifically focusing on Korea's policy efforts to narrow the digital divide between SMEs and conglomerates to further expand the country's global competitiveness. Attachment 1. Full Report Attachment 2. Excerpt on Korea's Case Study authored by The Asia Foundation

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November 04, 2024

1st Consultation Meeting for the APAC Cybersecurity Fund Program

October 31, 2024 - The Asia Foundation (TAF) Korea Office organized a consultation meeting to prepare cybersecurity training for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as part of the APAC Cybersecurity Fund Program. TAF Korea Office, along with partner organizations, discussed program contents and structure, target group selection, and promotion strategies, among others. The partner organizations include the Academy of Entrepreneurship, Seedgen, the Korea Institute of Information Security and Cryptology, and the Korea Information Technology Research Institute. Cybersecurity training for MSMEs is scheduled to launch in February 2025.

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November 01, 2024