[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 Georgetown University’s Asia Studies from 1997 to 2007.

He wrote 14 books, including a book on Korea, “Stone Mirror: Reflections on Contemporary Korea” (2002).

He is survived by his wife, Anne Myongsook Lee, two sons and two grandchildren.