James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies
Meyerson B1
* Co-sponsored by Penn for LiNK, the James Joo-Jin Kim Program in Korean Studies, the Center for East Asian Studies, the Korean Student Association, and the Asian American Studies Program
A roundtable discussion with distinguished panelists:
Chad O'Carroll
Chad O'Carroll is the Founder of NK News, a subscription-based website that provides news and analysis about the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. NK News aims to be a one-stop-shop on North Korea, bringing together news, opinions and analysis, research tools, data, and subject specialists in one convenient place. Chad established the service in April, 2010 and has been a specialist journalist for NK News since. He also has four years’ experience in senior communications roles for leading think tanks in Washington, DC. Chad received a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and French Language from the University of Sussex and a Master's degree in Non-Proliferation and International Security from King's College, London.
Amb. Sung Kim
On November 6, 2014 Ambassador Sung Kim began his term as Special Representative for North Korea Policy and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Korea and Japan. From November 3, 2011 until October 2014, he was the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea. Previously, Ambassador Kim was the Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks with the rank of Ambassador. Before that, he headed the Office of Korean Affairs at the Department of State from August 2006 to July 2008. Ambassador Kim also served in a variety of positions in the East Asia Pacific region including overseas assignments in Seoul, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Ambassador Kim’s Washington assignments have included stints as a desk officer in the State Department’s Office of Chinese Affairs and Staff Assistant in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Kim worked as a public prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Hannah Song
Hannah Song is the President and CEO of LiNK (Liberty in North Korea), which raises awareness of the human- rights situation in North Korea and provides resettlement support to North Korean refugees. Before joining LiNK, Song worked in advertising at OgilvyOne and Mindshare, with a focus on digital media and emerging technologies. Song, who had previously been unaware about the situation in North Korea, says that she was changed by her reading of Aquiariums of Pyongyang, the true account of a boy who spent 10 years in a North Korean prison camp in North Korea. In 2006, she started working full-time at LiNK's headquarters in Washington, DC. She worked as Deputy Director until 2008, when Hong chose her to become the organization's new CEO and Executive Director.