The Korea Society is a

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

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based in the

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that promotes understanding and cooperation between the United States and Korea. It was founded in 1957 and is currently based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It receives funding from endowments, donations, and grants.Korea Society, "History of the Korea Society," The Korean Society, accessed October 15, 2019, https://www.koreasociety.org/history-of-the-korea-society The organization adopted its current name following an amalgamation of several groups in 1993 to form The Korea Society.

History

Background

In 1953, near the end of the Korean War, US General James Van Fleet left Korea. He had been commander of all US ground forces, the

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces with 365,0 ...

, and all ground forces of the UN between 1951 and 1953. During a 29 January 1953 speech on the steps of the Korean Capitol Building, Van Fleet said, "I shall come back. You have made me a part of you. I know you are a part of me. I shall not ask you to give me back my heart. I leave it with you." James A

Upon his return to the US, Van Fleet commenced a campaign to raise funds to facilitate reconstruction efforts and aid support for the people of Korea. Following his position during the war, Van Fleet occupied the position of chairman to the American-Korean Foundation (AFK) in the 1950s.Carlo W. D'Este, "The Will to Win: The Life of General James A. Van Fleet," ''The Journal of Military History'' 66, no. 2 (2002): 618. Van Fleet was successful in facilitating a fund drive aimed at humanitarian efforts for the Korean people in need of aid. This success led to other aspirations in using his relationships and position to further cooperation between the United States and the people of Korea. In this effort, he sought the input of leaders such as

Arthur Hays Sulzberger Arthur Hays Sulzberger (September 12, 1891December 11, 1968) was publisher of ''The New York Times'' from 1935 to 1961. During that time, daily circulation rose from 465,000 to 713,000 and Sunday circulation from 745,000 to 1.4 million; the staff ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'',

Henry Luce Henry Robinson Luce (April 3, 1898 – February 28, 1967) was an American magazine magnate who founded ''Time'', ''Life'', '' Fortune'', and ''Sports Illustrated'' magazines. He has been called "the most influential private citizen in the Amer ...

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, Spyros P. Skouras of

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William Randolph Jr. William Randolph II (November 1, 1681October 19, 1741), also known as William Randolph Jr. or Councillor Randolph, was an American planter and politician. He was the State Treasurer, Treasurer of Colony of Virginia, Virginia and the oldest child ...

Van Fleet also sought the involvement of

William Zeckendorf William Zeckendorf Sr. (June 30, 1905 – September 30, 1976) was a prominent American real estate developer. Through his development company Webb and Knapp — for which he began working in 1938 and which he purchased in 1949 — he developed ...

, a real estate developer, Juilliard President,

William Schuman William Howard Schuman (August 4, 1910February 15, 1992) was an American composer and arts administrator. Life Schuman was born into a Jewish family in Manhattan, New York City, son of Samuel and Rachel Schuman. He was named after the 27th U.S. ...

, and Ben C. Lim, the first Korean Ambassador to the UN.

Foundation

On 20 November 1957, Van Fleet was one of the five signers of the

certificate of incorporation A certificate of incorporation is a legal document/license relating to the formation of a company or corporation. It is a license to form a corporation issued by the state government or, in some jurisdictions, by a non-governmental entity/corporati ...

for the Korea Society. On the certificate, the stated purpose of the organization was: The Korea Society set up its first operation center at 420 Lexington Avenue. The organization received its first acknowledgment from

President Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary ...

through a government endorsement. The Society granted awards to various figures, including

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

Chey Tae-won Chey Tae-won (; born December 3, 1960) is a South Korean billionaire businessman and the Chair (officer), chairman of SK Group, the country's second largest conglomerate, that includes 186 subsidiaries such as SK Telecom, SK Hynix, and SK Innov ...

, Park Yong-man,

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...

, Chung Mong Koo,

Lee Kun-hee Lee Kun-hee (; 9 January 194225 October 2020) was a South Korean businessman who served as the chairman of Samsung from 1987 to 2008 and from 2010 to his death in 2020. He is also credited with the transformation of Samsung to one of the world' ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

, and

Kim Dae-jung Kim Dae-jung (, ; 6 January 192418 August 2009) was a South Korean politician, activist and statesman who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. Kim entered politics as a member of the new wing of the Democratic Pa ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Korea Society 501(c)(3) organizations Korean-American organizations Organizations based in New York City Korean studies South Korea–United States relations