Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

U. North Carolina-Charlotte hosts Korean delegates
By David Sudzina
The University Times (U. North Carolina-Charlotte)
12/29/2006

(U-WIRE) CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Korea has made quite a name for itself in the recent months. Most of this news and controversy is based on North Korea's desire to acquire a nuclear weapons program. This has placed quite a bit of strain on the relations between North Korea and the United States of America. What about South Korea? They are a nation that has aspirations to achieve a democratic society modeled after the United States, and they are well on their way to doing so.

On Wednesday, Nov. 29, three distinguished speakers met in the Lucas Room of the University of North Carolina-Charlotte's Cone Center talk about the future of Korea. They are on a countrywide tour of universities to educate students about the future of US-Korean Relations. The event was held thanks to a collaboration between the UNC Charlotte International Studies Program and the city of Charlotte's World Affairs Council, with help from the University's Office of International Programs.

Korea is the seventh-largest trading partner to the United States and the 10th largest economy in the world. This obviously means that they play a major role in the world economy and they hope to strengthen their bonds with the United States.

Counselor Kim Hyoung-zhin of the Korean Embassy, said that he feels the relationship between the States and Korea is 'not as bad as it seems.' He also stated that South Korea and the States are currently in the final stages of negotiating a trade agreement between both nations.

Counselor Hyoung-zhin has spent the past nine months working at the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C. He also has played a part in the negotiations with North Korea over that country's nuclear aspirations.

Also speaking on the panel were Jordan Heiber from the U.S. State Department and Charles L. Pritchard from the Korea Economic Institute. Heiber works as part of the State Department's Office of Korean Affairs, with a focus on the economic relations between South Korea and the United State. Pritchard meanwhile, serves as the president of the Korea Economic Institute in Washington.

One of the big questions seemed to be how Korea's economic situation will affect people in the United States. If the current trade agreement goes through, the panel believes it will mean a larger flow of goods to and from South Korea. It's believed this will help strengthen the economy for both nations.

Counselor Hyoung-zhin also said that he feels bad that North Korea has given both the North and South a bad name in general. The panel voiced hope that the agreements will go through and the world will benefit.

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