Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law
Center for International Security and Cooperation
Center on Food Security and the Environment
Stanford Health Policy
The Europe Center
Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center
Program on Energy and Sustainable Development
Rural Education Action Program
Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education
Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies
Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies
Center for Innovation in Global Health
Stanford Center at Peking UniversityJune 30th, 2011
Top security experts explore Korean Peninsula situation and policies
Shorenstein APARC NewsThe sixth Korea-U.S. West Coast Strategic Forum, held June 2011 at the Walter. H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, provided an arena for informed, policy-oriented discussion of major peninsular and regional issues impacting South Korea and the United States. The executive summary from this event is now available. Read more »
June 24th, 2011
Assessing U.S.-DPRK educational exchanges
Shorenstein APARC NewsAlthough there are no formal diplomatic relations between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, nonetheless there have been constant attempts by U.S. academia, friendship organizations, and NGOs to develop and promote educational interaction and exchanges between the citizens of these two countries. Drawing from a conference that took place at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center in November 2010, a newly published downloadable book and a related article by Karin J. Lee and Gi-Wook Shin in 38 North provide an insightful analysis of past educational exchanges and offer suggestions for the future.
- » U.S.-DPRK Educational Exchanges: Assessment and Future Strategy
- » 38 North: U.S.-DPRK educational exchanges: Status and future prospects
June 23rd, 2011
Joon-woo Park, 2011-2012 Koret Fellow, to explore South Korean foreign policy
Shorenstein APARC NewsIn September, Joon-woo Park, a former senior diplomat from Korea, will join the Korean Studies Program at Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center as the program's 2011-2012 Koret Fellow. Read more »
Incoming Pantech Fellow Katharina Zellweger brings a humanitarian perspective on North Korea
Shorenstein APARC NewsThe Korean Studies Program at Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center announces that Katharina Zellweger, currently the North Korea country director for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, will be the program's 2011-2012 Pantech Fellow. Read more »
Incoming Koret and Pantech Fellows bring extensive bilateral and North Korea experience
Stanford University's Korean Studies Program (KSP) looks forward to welcoming its Koret and Pantech Fellows for the 2011-2012 academic year. Joon-woo Park, a former senior diplomat from Korea with over thirty years of foreign policy experience, will arrive in September to serve as the program's Koret Fellow. While at Stanford, he will conduct research on South Korean foreign policy, including increased U.S.-Korean collaboration on China and prospects for East Asian regional integration based on the European Union model. Katharina Zellweger, currently residing in Pyongyang as the North Korea country director for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, will join KSP in November as the Pantech Fellow. She is a Swiss national who has spent over fifteen years conducting humanitarian work in North Korea. Her research will explore how aid intervention can stimulate positive sustainable change in that country. The Koret Foundation of San Francisco and the Pantech Company and Curitel Communications (known as the Pantech Group) of Korea generously fund these fellowships.
- » Joon-woo Park, 2011-2012 Koret Fellow, to explore South Korean foreign policy
- » Incoming Pantech Fellow Katharina Zellweger brings a humanitarian perspective on North Korea
May 25th, 2011
United States may resume much-needed DPRK food aid
Shorenstein APARC in the news: Washington Post on May 20, 2011Responding to warnings about severe food scarcity in North Korea, on May 31, the United States sent its first official envoy to North Korea since 2009. U.S. government food assistance to North Korea ended due to concerns that some of it actually ended up feeding the military. "It's very hard for the administration not to respond," says David Straub, associate director of the Stanford Korean Studies Program, who suggests however that it does not change the U.S. position on North Korea's nuclear program.
May 9th, 2011
Straub discusses lifelong career in Korean affairs
Shorenstein APARC in the news: KEMS TV on April 14, 2011Stanford Korean Studies Program associate director David Straub was interviewed April 14 for KEMS TV on his observations and experiences in thirty-plus years of working on Korean affairs for the U.S. Department of State and at Stanford University, including his views on North Korea policy.
- » KEMS TV: Won Yi's talking with people, April 28 (in Korean)
- » KEMS TV: Won Yi's talking with people, May 5 (in Korean)
May 4th, 2011
Identify key questions for possible scenarios now
Shorenstein APARC in the news: KEMS TV on April 21, 2011During an April 21 television interview, visiting fellow Sang-Hun Choe, an International Herald Tribune journalist with many years of experience reporting on North Korea, addressed the complexity of the country's current political situation, noting the lack of firsthand information and the mixture of fear and genuine belief motivating adherence to the longstanding official party line. Choe emphasized the importance for the countries most closely tied to North Korean political developments -- especially South Korea, the United States, and China -- to consider the key questions regarding the future of North Korea, including what shape a transfer of power or a regime collapse could take. Read more »
April 22nd, 2011
From Democracy to Civil Society
Shorenstein APARC NewsThe key involvement of social movement groups in establishing South Korea's democratic government in 1987 laid the groundwork for the country's diverse and politically active social movement sector today, suggests the new publication South Korean Social Movements: From Democracy to Civil Society. Edited by Gi-Wook Shin and Paul Chang, this insightful volume covers South Korea's democratization process and highlights numerous segments of the social movement sector ranging from human and gender rights groups to environmental protection organizations. South Korean Social Movements is the first in a series of six books produced by the Stanford Korea Democracy Project with generous funding from the Academy of Korean Studies.
April 14th, 2011
JKS goes digital with Project Muse
Shorenstein APARC AnnouncementDuring the 1980s and early 1990s, the Journal of Korean Studies (JKS) was a premier academic journal for publishing innovative, in-depth research on Korea. It fell out of publication for nearly a decade until Gi-Wook Shin, in collaboration with John Duncan at the University of California, Los Angeles, brought it back into circulation -- and prominence -- through Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. It was housed at the Stanford Korean Studies Program from 2004 to 2009 before moving to its current home, the University of Washington. Full-text versions of all JKS volumes to date are now available online through Project Muse, a subscription-based journal service offered by many academic libraries, including Stanford.
April 13th, 2011
Developing a strong, well-rounded Korean-American identity
Shorenstein APARC NewsOn March 26, 2011, Gi-Wook Shin, director of the Stanford Korean Studies Program and the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, presented the keynote address "Teaching Korea to Korean American Students" at a gathering of two hundred Korean-language instructors organized by the Korean Schools Association of Northern California. Read more »
April 6th, 2011
North Korea economic officials visit Stanford
Shorenstein APARC NewsOn Friday, April 1, Stanford University hosted twelve North Korean officials making an unprecedented economic tour of the United States. Organized by Professor Susan Shirk of the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, the two-week tour of American businesses and academic institutions was an opportunity for the visitors to see firsthand what improved relations with the United States might mean in terms of economic cooperation. Read more »
South Korea must take care not to alienate China or the United States
Shorenstein APARC in the news: Korea Times on April 1, 2011"The challenges Seoul faces in the coming years will be how to balance its military alliance with the United States and its economic partnership with China," suggested Gi-Wook Shin, director of the Stanford Korean Studies Program, in a recent interview with the Korea Times. Shin suggested the idea for involving universities more in regional diplomacy discussions, and he briefly described his new research project which explores an alternative approach for South Korean diplomacy.
March 29th, 2011
John Everard, Pantech Fellow, to join UN Security Council Panel of Experts
Shorenstein APARC AnnouncementJohn Everard, 2010–2011 Pantech Fellow with the Stanford Korean Studies Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center and former UK Ambassador to North Korea, left Stanford at the end of March to take up a position with the UN Security Council's Panel of Experts, which advises and assists the UN committee that enforces military and economic sanctions against North Korea. Read more »
March 22nd, 2011
Prepare now for possible change in North Korea
Shorenstein APARC Op-ed: Seoul Shinmun on March 21, 2011When major political change in North Korea will occur is difficult to predict, but it is inevitable, suggests David Straub, associate director of the Stanford Korean Studies Program. In a March 21, 2011, Seoul Shinmun op-ed, Straub urges, "Since we cannot predict exactly when or how change will come to North Korea or what its nature will be, South Koreans and their allies and friends abroad need to begin to prepare now for many possibilities." English- and Korean-language versions of the op-ed are both available. Read more »
March 21st, 2011
Everard discusses social change and reform in North Korea
Shorenstein APARC in the news: Radio Free Asia on March 21, 2011How is North Korean society changing and what is the potential for an Egypt-style revolution? John Everard, 2010-2011 Pantech Fellow and former U.S. Ambassador to North Korea, addressed this question in a recent Radio Free Asia (RFA) interview, noting that senior government leaders pose the greatest obstacle to reform. Korean-language transcripts of two segments of the interview are available on the RFA website.
- » RFA: Unclear for now what effect will be on North Korea of events in Egypt
- » RFA: Senior leadership, and their fear of loss of legitimacy, is the biggest obstacle to reform in North Korea
March 3rd, 2011
Interview with U.S. Ambassador to the ROK Kathleen Stephens
Shorenstein APARC, FSI Stanford in the news: Yonhap News on March 3, 2011U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Kathleen Stephens presented the talk "U.S.-Korea Relations: Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going" on March 2 at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. In a post-event interview with Yonhap News, Ambassador Stephens discussed key points in the U.S.-ROK relationship, and spoke to her experience as an ambassador and as a Peace Corps volunteer in the ROK. 
Audio & Video transcripts available
Read more »
March 1st, 2011
Annual Koret Conference analyzes North Korea’s future
Shorenstein APARC in the news: Stanford Daily on February 25, 2011"North Korea is at a crossroad," said Myung Hwan Yu, a former South Korean minister of foreign affairs and trade and a visiting scholar with Stanford's Korean Studies Program (KSP), during the keynote address at the annual Koret Conference, DPRK 2012, held on February 24. The conference, organized by KSP, brought together an international panel of Korea scholars and former government officials to discuss the future global and domestic implications of North Korea's current political situation and social conditions.
- » Stanford Daily: Yu urges end to North Korean nuclear program
- » AFP: Fast progress of N.Korea reactor alarms Seoul: media
February 28th, 2011
Celebrating ten years of Korean studies at Stanford
Shorenstein APARC, FSI Stanford NewsGi-Wook Shin came from the University of California, Los Angeles to Stanford University in 2001 to establish a program in Korean studies. "Naturally, I had mixed feelings—of excitement and hope, but also of anxiety and uncertainty," says Shin. "Looking back, I made the right decision." The Stanford Korean Studies Program, today a thriving and vibrant program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, recently held a series of major events to celebrate its tenth anniversary in February 2011. Read more »
Pantech Fellow John Everard discusses North Korea’s markets and ruling elite
Shorenstein APARC in the news: New York Times and Washington PostAs the world continues to wonder about the possibility of a regime change, North Korea, in the grip of a record-breaking harsh winter, has asked for international food aid. Does this spell social and political unrest? John Everard, the 2010-2011 Pantech Fellow at the Stanford Korean Studies Program, was quoted recently in the Washington Post and the New York Times, regarding North Korea’s markets and ruling elite perspectives about food distribution within the context of the current situation.
- » Washington Post: Starving N. Korea begs for food, but U.S. has concerns about resuming aid
- » New York Times: Hardships fail to loosen regime's grip in N. Korea
February 24th, 2011
David Straub suggests a difficult road ahead for North Korean nuclear negotiations
Shorenstein APARC in the news: Radio Free Asia on February 8, 2011North Korea's revelation last year that it has constructed a full-scale, modern uranium enrichment facility has fundamentally changed the diplomatic situation regarding its nuclear weapons program, suggested David Straub, associate director of the Stanford Korean Studies Program, in a Radio Free Asia interview on February 8. According to Straub, North Korea has made negotiating an end to its nuclear weapons program practically unachievable. After years of denying even any interest in uranium enrichment, North Korea has lost what little credibility its statements had. Furthermore, argued Straub, by secretly building the facility in Yongbyon -- the one location that outsiders watch most closely -- North Korea itself has proven there is no way that outsiders could verify a nuclear agreement.
- » Radio Free Asia (Korean-language transcript): Fundamental reform or regime change the only options
February 9th, 2011
Pantech Fellow John Everard's observations of markets in North Korea's capital city
Shorenstein APARC in the news: Dong-A Ilbo on February 7, 2011During his time as UK Ambassador to North Korea from 2006 to 2008, John Everard frequently studied the bustling official and unofficial markets in the capital city of Pyongyang. The markets are places to purchase everything from food to domestic wares to even luxury goods, and they are probably also centers for the exchange of information. Everard concludes that the North Korean government warily tolerates the markets due to their economic importance, and that they serve as "both an ideological and a political challenge to the regime." He shared his observations at a talk held at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) on February 2, 2011. Full audio and video recordings of the event are available on the KEI website, as well as a copy of Everard's presentation slides and his paper "The Markets of Pyongyang." Everard is the 2010-2011 Pantech Fellow with the Stanford Korean Studies Program.
February 3rd, 2011
Straub questions successful outcome from Korea talks
Shorenstein APARC in the news: Christian Science Monitor on February 1, 2011South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has agreed to holding "working-level" talks between North and South Korean military colonels on February 8 in the Demilitarized Zone village of Panmunjom. They will be the first talks held between the two countries since September 30, 2010. David Straub, associate director of the Stanford Korean Studies Program, remains wary of fixing too much hope on a successful outcome from the talks, saying: "It is likely that the upcoming North-South Korean military talks won't get very far."
January 7th, 2011
Inspectors would see only part of the picture in North Korea, says Straub
Shorenstein APARC in the news: Voice of America Korean Service on January 3, 2011Looking into the new year at prospects for making progress on the North Korean issue, David Straub, associate director of Stanford KSP, recently spoke with Voice of America's (VOA) Korean Service. Straub outlined North Korea's strategy in dealing with the United States and South Korea, explaining, for example, why the North's reported willingness to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back to North Korea is not necessarily a good idea. Inspectors would almost certainly have access to only some North Korean nuclear facilities, he contended, while others would remain hidden, and North Korea would use the presence of the international inspectors to try to give the international community the impression that their nuclear program is legitimate. The full text of the Korean-language interview is available on the VOA Korean Service website, and the full audio is on iTunes (VOA Korean Evening Broadcast, Jan. 3, 2011, minute 13:09 to minute 22:19).
January 5th, 2011
Inter-Korean relations
Shorenstein APARC Op-ed: The Korea Times on January 4, 2011Gi-Wook Shin, director of Shorenstein APARC and Stanford KSP, speculates on what inter-Korean relations will be like after the sinking of the Cheonan and the artillery firing at Yeonpyeong island, in a column in the The Korea Times. While predicting that tension and reconciliation efforts will go side-by-side with one another in the inter-Korean relations in the next few months, Shin further contends that the Lee Myung-bak administration should take on the task of improving inter-Korean relations by diplomatic solutions, not by military means, and that this strategy should be approached in a broader context which takes into account U.S.-Korea relations and the relations among Northeast Asian countries.
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