Selected at age 24 to become an official state propaganda artist, Song Byeok’s faith in Kim Jong Il was ultimately betrayed when famine struck North Korea in the late 1990s. Millions of people-including Song’s father, mother, and sister-perished. Before finally escaping to South Korea in 2002, Song endured brutal torture at the hands of the regime he once praised in his work for attempting to cross into China to find food. Now, dedicated to promoting freedom, he paints pieces that satirize oppressive regimes worldwide.

On April 12, 2012, join the US-Korea Institute at SAIS and the Sejong Society of Washington, DC for a discussion with Song Byeok, about his transformation from North Korean propaganda artist into the world renowned Korean contemporary artist and satirist he is today.

Find event details and RSVP HERE.

Song Byeok’s exhibit of twenty acrylic paintings will also be showing at The Dunes gallery in Washington, DC (1402 Meridian Place, NW), from April 13-30. For more information about the artist, please visit www.songbyeok.com.

2010 SAIS U.S.-Korea Yearbook

Published on May 7, 2011

The U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS is pleased to announce the release of the 2010 Edition of the SAIS U.S.-Korea Yearbook.

The Yearbook analyzes important developments in North and South Korea that characterized their relations in 2010. Each paper was written by a SAIS student from the course, “The Two Koreas: Contemporary Research and Record,” in the fall of 2010. Their insights were based on extensive reading and study as well as on numerous interviews conducted with government officials, scholars, NGO workers, academics and private sector experts both in Washington and Seoul.

Explore the 2010 SAIS U.S.-Korea Yearbook.

2009 SAIS U.S.-Korea Yearbook

Published on May 7, 2010

The U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS annouces the release of the fourth edition of the SAIS U.S. -Korea Yearbook.

Each fall semester at SAIS, the Korea Studies Program offers the course, “The Two Koreas: Contemporary Research and Record,” where students prepare an in-depth report on an issue of importance to Korean affairs in that year. As part of their research, students make a one-week research trip to Seoul to test their ideas with experts and officials. The SAIS U.S.-Korea Yearbook is a compilation of these student papers.

Student authors include: Tze Chin “Alvin” Wong, Paul Elliott, Sogaku Miyamoto, Ian Howard, Kee Hoon Chung, Jason Park, Momoko Sato, Neil K. Shenai, Nick Borst, Naoko Aoki, Zander Lanfried, and Sarah Yun.

Download the 2009 SAIS U.S.-Korea Yearbook.

Stories Filed Under “Refugees”

Lost and Found in Uzbekistan:

The Korean Story