“History in the Making: The U.S. and the Korean Peninsula in 2018”
Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte on Thursday, September 27th at the Charlotte City Club as we host expert panelists:
- Kathleen Stephens, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea (2008-2011) and President, Korean Economics Institute
- Lieutenant Commander, Adam Miller, Military Advisor in the Office of Korean Affairs
- Dohwan Kim, Economic Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Korea
The United States and South Korea have been engaged in a comprehensive alliance since the close of the Korean War in 1953. In addition to being the United States’ sixth-largest goods trading partner, South Korea hosts more than 20,000 American troops to counter North Korean aggression. Following the North Korea-United States summit in June, all eyes have been on the Korean peninsula to see whether denuclearization will become reality.
As an expert on U.S.-South Korea bilateral relations, Ambassador Kathleen Stephens will provide a lucid analysis of the current situation and the implications of the summit for the future of the South Korean-American alliance. She will be joined by fellow panelists Adam K. Miller, Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, and Dohwan Kim, economic officer at the South Korean Embassy in Washington. As an advisor to the U.S. State Department on North Korea, Miller will unpack North Korea’s motivations for the summit, while Kim will offer a South Korean perspective at this critical juncture in his country’s history.
A program of the World Affairs Councils of America and the Korean Economic Institute.
Thursday, September 27th
Location:
Charlotte City Club
Check-In, Networking and VIP Reception:
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Lunch, Presentation, and Q&A:
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Cost:
$35 WACC student/educator/TMS member
You must be an individual WACC educator/student/TMS member to qualify for the $35 rate
$45 WACC Member Rate
$65 Non-Member Rate
- Credit card payments (non-PayPal transactions): Please call 704-687-7762 for payment processing over the phone
- Check payments: Please make your check payable to “World Affairs Council of Charlotte” and mail it to the following address:
World Affairs Council of Charlotte
UNC Charlotte – CHHS 227
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223
All reservation cancellations must be completed at least 3 business days prior to an event for a full refund. Pease let us know in advance if you have dietary restrictions so that we can make the appropriate accommodations.
Biographies
Ambassador Kathleen Stephens is the incoming President and CEO of the Korea Economic Institute of America. She was the United States ambassador to South Korea from 2008 to 2011. She also served as Acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in 2012 as well as the United States’ Chargé d‘affaires to India from March to December 2014. In September 2015, Ambassador Stephens was named the William J. Perry Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University’s Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC).
Ambassador Stephens joined the United States Foreign Service in 1979. Early in her career, she served at U.S. missions in the People’s Republic of China (1980–1982) and in Trinidad and Tobago (1978–1980). Her tour of duty in South Korea included roles as internal political unit chief at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul (1984–1987) and Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Busan (1987–1989). She assumed her duties as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs in June 2005. She had particular responsibility for the management of U.S. relations with Japan and Korea.
Ambassador Stephens holds a B.A. from Prescott College and an M.A. from Harvard University. Prior to joining the Foreign Service in 1978, she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Korea and an exchange student and Outward Bound instructor in Hong Kong.
Adam K. Miller, Lieutenant Commander, USN
Adam is the Military Advisor in the Office of Korean Affairs, DPRK Unit, at the U.S. Department of State. He is an active duty U.S. Navy officer assigned to the State Department who leads the East Asia Pacific Bureau’s maritime anti-smuggling efforts regarding the DPRK. Adam is a Foreign Area Officer assigned to the PACOM area of responsibility and served in Busan, Republic of Korea from 2014 to 2017 embedded with the ROK Navy.
Prior to becoming a Foreign Area Officer, Adam was a submarine officer having served in USS MIAMI (SSN 755), USS WYOMING (SSBN 742), and most recently as the Combat Systems Officer in USS JEFFERSON CITY (SSN 759). Ashore, he worked at the Pentagon in OPNAV N52- Office of International Engagement, taught at U.S. Naval Submarine School, served as a response officer at the San Diego Nuclear Emergency Response Center, and was a UN Military Observer in Liberia.
Adam is a graduate of Boston University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, is a qualified Naval Nuclear Engineer, and earned his M.A. in National Security Affairs and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. He currently lives in Falls Church, Virginia with his wife Rebecca and daughter Britnee.
Dohwan Kim; Econ Officer (Second Secretary) at theEmbassy of the Republic of Korea to the United States
1. Education
Seoul University, Bachelor of English Language and Literature (2010)
Oxford University, Diplomatic Studies / Foreign Service Programme (2013)
2. Professional Experience
Embassy in the United States of the ROK, Washington DC (2017-Current)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Seoul (2010-2017)
– Deputy Director, Spokesperson’s Office
– Deputy Director, Eurasia Division, European Affairs Bureau
– Deputy Director, Policy Coordination Office
– Deputy Director, ROK-US Security Cooperation Division, North American Affairs Bureau
