WMU HOME > ABOUT WMU > WMU NEWS

WMU News

Expert panel discusses U.S.­Korean relations

May 31, 2005

KALAMAZOO--A panel of diplomats from Washington, D.C., will be at Western Michigan University on Thursday, June 2, to discuss U.S.­Korean relations, including the dispute over North Korea's efforts to develop its nuclear capabilities.

The "Future of Korea" luncheon program will begin at noon in the Fetzer Center on WMU's main campus in Kalamazoo and culminate with a panel discussion from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The cost to attend the event is $20.

Scheduled to participate are: Susan Bremner, political unit chief for the Office of Korean Affairs in the U.S. State Department; Chongghee Ahn, economic counselor at the South Korean embassy; and Joseph Winder, a 30-year U.S. Foreign Service veteran who now is president of the Korea Economic Institute.

Panel members will discuss all aspects of U.S.­Korean relations and the situation on the Korean peninsula, including political, economic and security issues. Participants will give opening remarks and take questions from the audience following the discussion.

The program is being organized by WMU and sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, which is based in Grand Rapids.

The Grand Rapids council is one of nine such councils nationwide to receive a grant to bring in a team of diplomats from Washington, D.C., to discuss U.S.­Korean relations. The other councils serving as hosts for "Future of Korea" panel discussions are based in Louisville, Ky.; Dayton, Ohio; Chicago; Cincinnati; Houston; Milwaukee; San Antonio; and Sonoma County California.

The World Affairs Council, located online at <www.worldaffairsmichigan.org>, is dedicated to educating people in western Michigan about other countries, cultures and regions of the world, as well as providing a forum for discussion of critical foreign policy issues facing the nation. It has been in existence since 1949 and is an educational non-profit organization.

For more information or to make a reservation, call the council office at (616) 776-1721.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 269 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
269 387-8400
www.wmich.edu/wmu/news