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WELLESLEY, Mass. -- On Thursday, Nov. 13, Sung-Joo Han,
ambassador to the United States from the Republic of Korea,
will present a lecture, “Coping with the North Korean
Challenge,” at 4:30 pm in Collins Cinema at Wellesley
College. Katharine Moon, Wellesley College professor of
political science, notes the lecture comes at a crucial
time in U.S.-Korean relations.
“The ambassador’s visit is particularly welcome
and timely given the political tensions between the U.S.
and both Koreas, South and North, over North Korea’s
nuclear program,” she said. “This has been
a hot issue for over a year now with very little progress
toward resolution. It has created tensions in our relationship
with South Korea, with whom we mark the 50th anniversary
of a military alliance this year.”
Moon was instrumental in bringing Han to Wellesley. “I’ve
known Ambassador Han since 1985 and had the good fortune
of being in D.C. when he became ambassador in the spring,” she
said. “He represents the government under the new
South Korean president, Roh Moo Hyun. I had the pleasure
of dining with the ambassador a few times in D.C., and
he expressed interest in visiting Wellesley—and of
course, I had planned to ask him to visit anyway.”
Han is one of the premier political scientists in South
Korea, specializing in Korea-U.S. relations, Asian regional
issues, the United Nations and more. He has long served
on the faculty of one of Korea’s top universities,
Korea University, and served as acting president of that
university last year.
“He also served as Foreign Minister in 1993-94 when
the first nuclear crisis concerning North Korea was unfolding,” Moon
said. “He has been a key player in the development
of Korean foreign policy and the bilateral relationship
with the U.S. for several decades.”
The lecture is sponsored by the Department of Political
Science. For more information, call 781-283-2203.
Since 1875, Wellesley College has been a leader in providing
an excellent liberal-arts education for women who will
make a difference in the world. Its 500-acre campus near
Boston is home to 2,300 undergraduate students from all
50 states and 68 countries.
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