Published on September 11, 2013
Utter the words “Taft-Katsura” to an average American and the response will undoubtedly be a blank stare. But I learned from my years of teaching in Korea that the words “Taft-Katsura” will almost invariably invoke a long discourse from Korean professors and students on America’s betrayal of Korea in exchange for Japanese recognition of U.S. interests in the Philippines. “Taft-Katsura” is engraved in many minds as a key element in the victimization of Korea at the beginning of the twentieth century. ~ Dennis P. Halpin
On August 14, 2013, an article from the Korea Times quoted Dr. Kim Hak-joon, president of the Northeast Asian History Foundation (NAHF), who suggested former President Theodore Roosevelt be stripped of his 1906 Nobel Peace Prize.
Dennis P. Halpin, former House Foreign Relations Committee staff member and current Visiting Scholar at the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS, examines the history of the Taft-Katsura Agreement in defense of Roosevelt’s legacy.
Download USKI Policy Brief “Teddy Roosevelt and the Taft-Katsura Agreement,” by Dennis P. Halpin.
Dennis P. Halpin is currently a visiting scholar at the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in South Korea, U.S. consul in Pusan, and a House Foreign Affairs Committee staff member for over twelve years.
Published on August 15, 2013
“An August 1, 2013 editorial in the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest circulation daily, carried the title “Comfort Women Allegations Distort Japanese History.” The greatest distortion here is the amnesia of an influential portion of Japanese society in addressing World War II history.” ~ Dennis P. Halpin
The Yomiuri Shimbun recently published a controversial editorial that challenged the characterization of comfort women as “sex slaves,” and suggested that such labels were historically inaccurate. It noted that the Japanese government could not find official documents proving that the women were recruited by force.
Dennis P. Halpin, former House Foreign Relations Committee staff member and current Visiting Scholar at the US-Korea Institute at SAIS, examines the 1945 report, “Amenities in the Japanese Armed Forces,” published by command of General MacArthur (declassified in 1992) and compiled by the Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Forces (SCAP), which refutes the Japanese government’s claims.
Download USKI Policy Brief “MacArthur Document Reports Imperial Japanese Military’s “Sanction” of Comfort Women Brothels,” by Dennis P. Halpin.
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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.
Published on November 11, 2010
USKI and Freedom House co-sponsored the November 11, 2010 event titled, “North Korean Human Rights Advocacy: Making the Most of Scarce Data.” This seminar examined the findings of the 2010 White Paper on North Korean Human Rights, published by the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) and the Freedom in the World Index, published by Freedom House, and will discuss ways in which these different types of data can be used for human rights advocacy.
Opening remarks were made by USKI Director Jae H. Ku and NKDB Chairman Kim Sang Hun. Featured panelists included: Kim In Sung (Researcher, NKDB), Lee Ja Eun (Senior Researcher, NKDB) and Paula Schriefer (Director of Advocacy, Freedom House).
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Transcript | “North Korean Human Rights Advocacy: Making the Most of Scarce Data” (Nov. 11, 2010)
Miscellaneous | Speaker Biographies
Published on November 1, 2010
On November 11, 2010, the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS and Freedom House will co-host a semiar that examines the findings of the 2010 White Paper on North Korean Human Rights, published by the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) and the Freedom in the World Index, published by Freedom House, and will discuss ways in which these different types of data can be used for human rights advocacy.
The seminar will be held at the Rome Auditorium at SAIS (1619 Massachusetts Ave., NW), from 2 – 4pm.
Click here for more details and to RSVP.
Published on July 1, 2010
USKI and the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) co-sponsored a conference on July 1, 2010, titled “Trust Building and Cooperation in Korean-American Relations: Changing Contexts and Actors.” Bringing in two teams of scholars from the U.S. and South Korea, the panelists discussed findings from their three years of personal research, as well as offered commentary and opinions on the works of their colleagues.
The first panel, “Trust, Mistrust, and Bilateral Relations” featured Byoung Kwon Sohn (Chung-Ang University) as the moderator, and panelists Youngshik Bong (School of International Service, American University), Joon-Hyung Kim (Handong Global University), Seonjou Kang (Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security), and Abraham Kim (Vice President, KEI).
The second panel, “Domestic Determinants of Trust Building and Cooperation” was moderated by Dr. Geun Lee (Korea Institute for Future Strategies) and discussed by Taeku Lee (University of California, Berkeley), Thomas Kim (Executive Director, Korea Policy Institute and Scripps University), Dr. Yoonhee Kang (Kookmin University), and Katharine Moon (Wellesley College)
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Transcript | “Trust Building and Cooperation in Korean-American Relations: Changing Contexts and Actors” (July 1, 2010)
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.
