May 16th, 2012

Regional conflicts are no simple matter

In trying to understand the source of a regional conflict we should avoid focusing too narrowly on a single issue of identity, said Lee Kong Chian Fellow Graham Brown during a May 15 seminar at Stanford. Brown gave examples from Southeast Asia to illustrate the complex nature of conflicts.

• » Stanford Daily article about event
• » Event podcast

April 23rd, 2012

An on-the-ground perspective of North Korean society

Life in North Korea today is much more vibrant than the stark slopes and muted grey concrete buildings Katharina Zellweger encountered when she began traveling to North Korea in the mid-1990s. The 2011-12 Pantech Fellow spoke with Shorenstein APARC about the positive change she has watched slowly ripple throughout the country for 17 years. Read more »

March 21st, 2012

Graham K. Brown, University of Bath, in residence this spring

SEAF welcomes Graham K. Brown as the Lee Kong Chian NUS-Stanford Distinguished Fellow in-residence during the spring quarter. Brown is working on a project to understand the dynamics between global narratives and local identity conflicts, with a focus on Southeast Asia. He directs the Centre for Development Studies at the University of Bath.

March 9th, 2012

Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellowship program grows

In the coming academic year, the Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellowship program will double in size. The four incoming fellows represent the best of the next generation of contemporary Asia scholars. Their research ranges from civil society and authoritarian governance in China to ethnic conflict in South Asia, and Korean migration and identity to election politics in Japan. Read more »

January 13th, 2012

James Ockey in residence as 2012 Lee Kong Chian Fellow

What can the strong tradition of political families in Thailand's parliament tell us about the country's contemporary political system? James Ockey, a 2012 Lee Kong Chian NUS-Stanford Distinguished Fellow, continued his research and writing on this timely topic during his winter quarter residence at Stanford. Ockey, who specializes in the politics of Thailand, is a political science professor at Canterbury University in New Zealand.

January 10th, 2012

Predoctoral fellowship and undergraduate/graduate internship opportunities

Are you a Stanford student studying Asia? Shorenstein APARC offers fellowship opportunities for predoctoral students studying contemporary East Asia, and internship opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students interested in gaining firsthand work experience in East Asia this summer. Now accepting applications.

• » Shorenstein APARC/Takahashi Predoctoral Fellowship
• » East Asia Internship Program

December 6th, 2011

Lee Kong Chian NUS-Stanford Distinguished Fellowship program accepting applications

The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Stanford University are offering qualified scholars working on contemporary Southeast Asia the unique opportunity to spend time at both campuses (for a combined total of up to six months) writing, researching, and interacting with NUS and Stanford scholars and students. Up to two awards will be made. Applications for the 2012-13 Lee Kong Chian NUS-Stanford Distinguished Fellowship will be accepted until February 10, 2012.

• » Lee Kong Chian NUS-Stanford Distinguished Fellowship on Contemporary Southeast Asia 2012-2013

November 11th, 2011

Development aid to North Korea urged

Development cooperation with North Korea is critical to dealing with the country's chronic food shortage. Katharina Zellweger, Stanford KSP 2011-2012 Pantech Fellow and the former head of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation office in Pyongyang for the past five years, spoke with the Voice of America about her observations and experiences of the country and its people.

• » Voice of America (article in Korean): Development aid to North Korea urged

Cambodia's successful battle against HIV/AIDS

When Siyan Yi was a medical student in Cambodia 12 years ago, he volunteered with a collaborative government-NGO project to provide young women at high risk for HIV/AIDS -- the victims of sexual exploitation -- with housing, vocational training, medical care, and psychological support. Cambodia at that time had one of Asia’s highest HIV-infection rates. That rate has dropped by half, thanks to government policy measures, international NGO support, and the efforts of medical professionals like Yi. Read more »

November 10th, 2011

Korean-American community is important for the future of U.S.-ROK relations

During the recent North American Chasedae Forum, 2011 Koret Fellow Joon-woo Park stated: "[...As the United States and Korea] grow closer together, the role of the Korean-American community becomes crucial for the future of U.S.-ROK relations." The forum, held November 4-6, was organized by the San Francisco Chapter of the National Unification Advisory Council.

• » U.S.-ROK Relations and the Role of the Korean-American Community

October 24th, 2011

Huang Jianli discusses experience as Lee Kong Chian Fellow

Jianli Huang visited Stanford University during the spring quarter while serving as the 2010-11 Lee Kong Chian Fellow at the Southeast Asia Forum. Jointly sponsored by Stanford and the National University of Singapore (NUS), the fellowship was established in 2007 to promote scholarship on contemporary Southeast Asia. Huang recently spoke with NUS about his experience at Stanford and about the research that he is conducting on Singapore entrepreneur and philanthropist Lee Kong Chian.

• » FASS, NUS: Huang Jianli interview

September 2nd, 2011

Opportunity for two junior scholars studying contemporary Asia

We are pleased to announce our annual call for the Walter H. Shorenstein Fellowship, which offers an exciting opportunity for two junior scholars to take part in the center’s research and publishing activities during the 2012–13 academic year. Application submission deadline is December 31, 2011.

• » Shorenstein Fellowships in Contemporary Asia

August 16th, 2011

Volume takes multidimensional look at South Korean security

Beyond North Korea, co-edited by Byung Kwan Kim, Gi-Wook Shin, and David Straub, is the first in a new series of policy-related studies on contemporary South Korea sponsored by the Koret Foundation of San Francisco. In this volume, top American and Korean academics and officials offer a fresh and timely perspective on traditional and non-traditional threats to South Korea's security and provide authoritative advice for meeting them. The book is based on research findings from the first Koret conference, Enhancing South Korea's Security: The U.S. Alliance and Beyond, held March 2009.

• » Beyond North Korea: Future Challenges to South Korea's Security

August 9th, 2011

Kushida named Takahashi Research Associate

In July, the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center Shorenstein APARC named Stanford alumnus Kenji Kushida as its Takahashi Research Associate in Japanese Studies. Read more »

June 23rd, 2011

Joon-woo Park, 2011-2012 Koret Fellow, to explore South Korean foreign policy

In September, Joon-woo Park, a former senior diplomat from Korea, will join the Korean Studies Program at Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center as the program's 2011-2012 Koret Fellow. Read more »

Incoming Pantech Fellow Katharina Zellweger brings a humanitarian perspective on North Korea

The Korean Studies Program at Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center announces that Katharina Zellweger, currently the North Korea country director for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, will be the program's 2011-2012 Pantech Fellow. Read more »

Incoming Koret and Pantech Fellows bring extensive bilateral and North Korea experience

Stanford University's Korean Studies Program (KSP) looks forward to welcoming its Koret and Pantech Fellows for the 2011-2012 academic year. Joon-woo Park, a former senior diplomat from Korea with over thirty years of foreign policy experience, will arrive in September to serve as the program's Koret Fellow. While at Stanford, he will conduct research on South Korean foreign policy, including increased U.S.-Korean collaboration on China and prospects for East Asian regional integration based on the European Union model. Katharina Zellweger, currently residing in Pyongyang as the North Korea country director for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, will join KSP in November as the Pantech Fellow. She is a Swiss national who has spent over fifteen years conducting humanitarian work in North Korea. Her research will explore how aid intervention can stimulate positive sustainable change in that country. The Koret Foundation of San Francisco and the Pantech Company and Curitel Communications (known as the Pantech Group) of Korea generously fund these fellowships.

• » Joon-woo Park, 2011-2012 Koret Fellow, to explore South Korean foreign policy
• » Incoming Pantech Fellow Katharina Zellweger brings a humanitarian perspective on North Korea

June 13th, 2011

Conditions for equitable development in Southeast Asia

The Southeast Asia Forum looks forward to the August publication of The Institutional Imperative: The Politics of Equitable Development in Southeast Asia by former Shorenstein Fellow Erik Kuhonta (2003–04). In his new book, Kuhonta argues that the realization of equitable development hinges heavily on strong institutions and on moderate policy and ideology. Allen Hicken of the University of Michigan praised The Institutional Imperative, saying: "This boldly comparative book will be widely read, widely assigned, and widely debated in the field. There are few comparable works out there.”

• » The Institutional Imperative: The Politics of Equitable Development in Southeast Asia

March 29th, 2011

John Everard, Pantech Fellow, to join UN Security Council Panel of Experts

John Everard, 2010–2011 Pantech Fellow with the Stanford Korean Studies Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center and former UK Ambassador to North Korea, left Stanford at the end of March to take up a position with the UN Security Council's Panel of Experts, which advises and assists the UN committee that enforces military and economic sanctions against North Korea. Read more »

March 21st, 2011

Everard discusses social change and reform in North Korea

How is North Korean society changing and what is the potential for an Egypt-style revolution? John Everard, 2010-2011 Pantech Fellow and former U.S. Ambassador to North Korea, addressed this question in a recent Radio Free Asia (RFA) interview, noting that senior government leaders pose the greatest obstacle to reform. Korean-language transcripts of two segments of the interview are available on the RFA website.

• » RFA: Unclear for now what effect will be on North Korea of events in Egypt
• » RFA: Senior leadership, and their fear of loss of legitimacy, is the biggest obstacle to reform in North Korea

March 18th, 2011

New fellows to study China's automotive industry and religious tolerance in Indonesia

In September, Crystal Chang and Jeremy M. Menchik will join the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center as its Shorenstein Fellows for the 2011-2012 academic year. Read more »

March 16th, 2011

New Asia Health Policy Postdoctoral Fellows

The Asia Health Policy Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) is pleased to announce its new Asia Health Policy Postdoctoral Fellows: Ang Sun of Brown University (2011-2012) and Yuki Tagaki of Harvard University (2012-2013). The research of these two postdoctoral fellows will complement the Shorenstein APARC research initiative on demographic change in East Asia. Read more »

February 28th, 2011

Celebrating ten years of Korean studies at Stanford

Gi-Wook Shin came from the University of California, Los Angeles to Stanford University in 2001 to establish a program in Korean studies. "Naturally, I had mixed feelings—of excitement and hope, but also of anxiety and uncertainty," says Shin. "Looking back, I made the right decision." The Stanford Korean Studies Program, today a thriving and vibrant program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, recently held a series of major events to celebrate its tenth anniversary in February 2011. Read more »

February 16th, 2011

Leif-Eric Easley discusses issues of Korean and U.S. identity

In the case of the Korean Peninsula, what is the possible political significance of soccer? How do South Koreans view the United States, especially vis-à-vis North Korea's nuclear program? Leif-Eric Easley, the 2010-2011 Northeast Asian History Fellow at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, answered these and other identity-related questions in a recent news brief published by the University of Southern California's Korean Studies Institute (KSI). Easley is a former visiting fellow at KSI and has contributed to previous news briefs dealing with inter-Korean relations and South Korean politics.

• » USC Korean Studies Institute: Soccer and nuclear weapons: South Korean views of North Korea and the U.S.

February 9th, 2011

Pantech Fellow John Everard's observations of markets in North Korea's capital city

During his time as UK Ambassador to North Korea from 2006 to 2008, John Everard frequently studied the bustling official and unofficial markets in the capital city of Pyongyang. The markets are places to purchase everything from food to domestic wares to even luxury goods, and they are probably also centers for the exchange of information. Everard concludes that the North Korean government warily tolerates the markets due to their economic importance, and that they serve as "both an ideological and a political challenge to the regime." He shared his observations at a talk held at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) on February 2, 2011. Full audio and video recordings of the event are available on the KEI website, as well as a copy of Everard's presentation slides and his paper "The Markets of Pyongyang." Everard is the 2010-2011 Pantech Fellow with the Stanford Korean Studies Program.

• » KEI: The markets of Pyongyang
• » Dong-A Ilbo: Rice aid in North Korea's black markets