HISTORY OF ICKS
The International Council on Korean Studies (ICKS or Gukje Hanguk Hakhoi) was found in March 1996 as a non profit and non partisan organization dedicated to the advancement of Korean studies and related academic and professional research in the field of Korean affairs in the United States as well as abroad through international conferences, seminars, publications, and other relevant activities. The Council aims to promote the significance of Korean studies and explore issues of the Korean Reunification among the professionals and the new generation of Koreans and Korean Americans.
1996-2000: The founding members created the ICKS by incorporating the “International Council on Korean Studies” in Virginia State Corporation Commission, and signing the first By-Laws in New York on March 1996. The Board of Directors elected Dr. Woong B. Lee as Chairman of its Board, Dr. Ilpyong J. Kim as President, and Dr. Hugo Wheegook Kim joined as Secretary General. The founding members tried to make a solid foundation of the Council in the first four years through the contribution of some thousand dollars of their own money and time. The inaugural conference was held in Arlington, Virginia in November 1996 under the theme of “Two Koreas in the World Affairs” with 28 papers and almost 200 participants, which was successful and significant. The selected conference papers were published in the inaugural issue of the International Journal of Korean Studies (IJKS or Gukje Hanguk Hakbo) in 1997, funded by the Korea Society. Despite limited resources, the leadership focused on annual conferences and journal publication through continuous funding efforts. In this period, the Council published the IJKS, one issue each year, although two annual conferences were skipped.
2001-2004: The leadership moved to Dr. Ung Soo Kim as Chairman of the Board of Directors; Dr. Hang Yul Rhee as President; Dr. Eui Hang Shin, Dr. Hugo Kim, and Dr. Soon Paik as Vice Presidents. Chairman Kim and President Rhee established and pursued three goals during their tenure: more commitment with Korea American society, financial independence, and a five year plan for conferences. The Council revised and passed new By-Laws with ten Articles at the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors in Annandale, Virginia in June 2000. In this stage, the number of the Board of Directors increased to twenty eight, and activities to recruit memberships and to raise funds were visible. The ICKS Website appeared in 2000 owing to efforts of Secretary General Ms. Julie JK Park with the help of Mr. Anthony Chang as webmaster. After two-year service of Chairman Kim, Dr. Youn-Suk Kim succeeded the chairmanship, while President Rhee continued his second term of presidency. The Council held annual conferences under the themes of “The Korean War after Fifty Years: Challenges for Peace and Prosperity” in 2001, “The Korean Americans: Past, Present, and Future” in 2002, “U.S.-Korea Alliance: Continuity and Change” in 2003, and “The Impact of the 2004 U.S. and Korean Elections on their Politics, Economics, and Societies” in 2004. Dr. Hong Nack Kim served as Editor-in-Chief and published one issue in a year but two issues in 2001.
2005-2008: The leadership moved to Dr. Hang Yul Rhee as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr. Hong Nack Kim as President, Dr. Soon Paik and Dr. Hugo Wheegook Kim (joined in the second term) as Vice Presidents, and Dr. Richard T. Shin and Dr. Kwang Soo Cheong as Secretary General. In this period, the annual conferences were held with the themes of “Korea and Major Powers: The Quest for a Nuclear-Free Korea” in 2005, and “The U.S.-Korea Relations in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Prospects” in 2006 in Washington. In 2007, the ICKS held its annual conference under the theme of “Impending Changes on the Korean Peninsula and the Future of U.S.-Korean Relations” in Hawaii jointly with the East West Center. In 2008, the ICKS had a joint conference with the Heritage Foundation and the Council on U.S.-Korean Security Studies in Washington. Dr. Young Whan Kihl served the IJKS as the Editor-in-chief, and published two issues of IJKS during 2005-2007.
2009-Present: The Board of Drectors’ Meeting was held at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington just after the annual conference in October 2008, by which the leadership was transferred to Dr. Hong Nack Kim as Chairman of the Board of Directors; Dr. Soon Paik as President; Dr. Jae O. Kang and Dr. Richard T. Shin as Vice Presidents; Dr. Kwang Soo Cheong as Secretary General, and Dr. Gwanhoo Lee as Treasurer. Dr. Hugo Wheegook Kim serves the IJKS as Editors-in-Chief. President Paik announced that “The first emphasis of my presidency would be to invite more young scholars on the field of the Korean Studies on only from the United States but also from overseas, and my second emphasis to base the ICKS headquarters in the Washington DC area, for which Dr. Hugo Wheegook Kim has agreed positively for the ICKS office to be at his East-West Research Institute, Centreville, Virginia.” In his written announcement, he intended to initiate the Advisory Board under Article V section 5 of the ICKS By-Laws, to recommend Dr. Uk Heo and Dr. Terence J. Roehrig as new board members, and to suggest the reduction of the annual membership fee of the Board of Directors to the minimum level. To increase publicity and to reduce budget constraint, the Executive Board agreed to publish IJKS jointly with the Council on Korea-U.S. Security Studies from the issue of Fall/Winter 2008. New Editors-in-Chief Kim reorganized the Editorial Board as well as the Editorial Advisory Board with several new members as posted on the web. Vice President Dr. Richard T. Shin leads to invite young scholars and other professionals from universities, governments, and private firms.
The membership of ICKS has increased to more than three hundred, and the readers of the IJKS reached one thousand professionals and scholars in the United States and abroad as of the year 2003. The goal of ICKS in the coming years is to increase its membership by invitng the younger generation of Korean-Americans and by providing them opportunities to work out their identity problems through seminars and discussions related to the Korean American affairs. We invite all the one-half and the second generation of Korean Americans to take part in the activities of the ICKS. We also solicit bright new ideas from the Korean-American communities for the advancement of Korean studies when we organize conferences and seminars, publish the journal, and conduct academic research. With the help of the Korean American Community, the ICKS could be able to achieve the established goals in the age of globalization in the twenty-first century. The history of ICKS has been made by voluntary service of all members of Board of Directors and Executive Board as well as ICKS members, individuals and institutions, Korean American communities, and many others. We appreciate for the supports of all participants, with which the history of ICKS has been and will be created continuously toward harmonious civilization of the world.
HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP
Period |
Chairman |
President |
Vice Presidents |
Secretary General |
1996-1998 |
Woong B. Lee |
Ilpyong J. Kim |
Not Filled |
Hugo W. Kim |
1999-2000 |
Woong B. Lee |
Ilpyong J. Kim |
Hang Yul Rhee |
Julie J. K. Park |
2001-2002 |
Ung Soo Kim |
Hang Yul Rhee |
Soon Paik |
Jacqueline Park |
2003-2004 |
Youn-Suk Kim |
Hang Yul Rhee |
Soon Paik |
Jae O. Kang |
2005-2006 |
Hang Yul Rhee |
Hong Nack Kim |
Soon Paik |
Richard T. Shin |
2007-2008 |
Hang Yul Rhee |
Hong Nack Kim |
Soon Paik |
Kwang Soo Cheong |
2009-2010 |
Hong Nack Kim |
Soon Paik |
Jae O. Kang |
Kwang Soo Cheong |
HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP FOR
ANNUAL CONFERENCES AND JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
Year |
Conference Program Chair |
Editor-in-Chief, IJKS |
1996 |
Ilpyong J. Kim |
No Journal |
1997 |
Ilpyong J. Kim |
Ilpyong J. Kim |
1998 |
No Conference |
Ilpyong J. Kim |
1999 |
No Conference |
Ilpyong J. Kim |
2000 |
Hugo W. Kim |
Ilpyong J. Kim |
2001 |
Hugo W. Kim |
Hong Nack Kim |
2002 |
Soon Paik and Hugo W. Kim |
Hong Nack Kim |
2003 |
Hugo W. Kim |
Hong Nack Kim |
2004 |
Soon Paik |
Hong Nack Kim |
2005 |
Soon Paik |
Young Whan Kihl |
2006 |
Soon Paik and Yoon-shik Park |
Young Whan Kihl |
2007 |
Soon Paik and Hugo W. Kim |
Young Whan Kihl |
2008 |
Hugo W. Kim |
Young Whan Kihl |
2009 |
Dr. Richard T. Shin |
Hugo Wheegook Kim |