[Hybrid Lecture]

An Understanding of the Korean Military: Past and Present

SPEAKER: In-Bum Chun (Lieutenant General of ROK, Ret.)

DATE: Tuesday. February 14, 2023. 7:30PM (Seoul)
ADMISSION (Online & In-person): Free for Members & Student (*Student ID required); W10,000 for Non-members

• If you would like to attend online Zoom, please RSVP by Monday (February 13). We will email you the link on Tuesday.
• To attend in-person, RSVP is not required

SUMMARY:
The Korean peninsula was divided into North and South Korea in 1945. Despite efforts to preserve the Korean nation two ideologically different nations emerged on the Korean peninsula in the form of a communist state in the North and a democratic state in the South each supported by the Soviet Union and the United States. In 1950, North Korea invaded the South that started the Korean War. The war lasted for three years and created the most militarized region in the world. This lecture will seek to understand the military situation on the Korean peninsula and remind the participants that “Freedom is Not Free”.

BIO:
Lieutenant General In-Bum Chun (ROK, Ret) served his country with both honour and integrity for nearly four decades. Chun retired in 2016 after distinguished service in the South Korean Army. During his military career which started in 1978 at the Korea Military Academy he ascended to positions of leadership that included, the Chief of the Election Support Branch, Civil Military Affairs/Strategic Operations Directorate of the Multinational Forces in Iraq, the Director of U.S. Affairs at the Ministry of National Defense (ROK), Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff of Operations for the U.S.-ROK Combined Forces Command, Senior member of the UNCMAC, the Commander of the ROK Special Warfare Command, and the Deputy Commander for the First ROK Army.

Chun is a holder of three U.S Legions of Merit, the US Bronze Star Medal and the USSOCOM Medal. His interests and expertise in national defense and security policy saw him awarded positions that included Visiting Fellow at the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, Visiting researcher at the US-Korea Institute at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University and as Visiting fellow at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Tech.

Currently, Chun is serving as the Senior Vice president of the both Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Korea Chapter and the US Air and Space Forces Association (AFA) MIG Alley Chapter and is on the Advisory board for the National Bureau of Asian Research, the Global SOF Foundation, the Global American Business Institute and the Korean Modelers Association as well as a Senior Contributor for the Asia Society Korea and a fellow with the Institute of Corea American Studies.

He is also a board member for the Korean Animal Welfare Association which advocates for animal rights and humane treatment of all animals.

In addition to his many roles with various military and defense organizations, he is active on social media as a military analyst with his YouTube channel where he uploads videos discussing defence and security matters related to South Korea and Northeast Asia.”

VENUE: Online Zoom & In-person