This talk will discuss the historical and contemporary foreign policy objectives and dynamics of the North Korean government.

Benjamin R. Young will examine the foreign policy shifts undertaken by North Korea under the leadership of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un. He will explore how the Kim family regime has pivoted away from its previous emphasis on solidarity with "small countries" and the Third World, instead reasserting North Korea's focus on building stronger ties with the "big countries," particularly Russia. Young will analyze the motivations behind this strategic reorientation, the implications for North Korea's regional and global positioning, and the broader geopolitical dynamics that have shaped this foreign policy transformation under Kim Jong Un’s rule.

Yong Suk Lee will examine the key foreign policy lessons learned by North Korea over the past three decades, from the four-party talks in the late 1990s to the Hanoi Summit in 2019 and beyond. Drawing on his observations and analyses from his senior leadership position within the CIA, Lee will provide insights into the evolution of US-North Korea relations, North Korea’s engagement with China, and the dynamics of the inter-Korean relationship. By reflecting on North Korea's diplomatic maneuvers, Lee will offer a nuanced understanding of the driving forces and strategic calculations behind Pyongyang's foreign policy decision-making during this pivotal period.

Ria Roy, a Hoover Fellow at the Hoover Institution, will lead the discussion.

SPEAKERS:

Mr. Yong Suk Lee is the Director of Global Risk Analysis for Google’s Global Security & Resilience Services. Mr. Lee leads analytic teams based in Boulder, Dubai, London, New Delhi, New York, São Paulo, Singapore, Washington DC, and Zurich. He is currently a Visiting Scholar, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; Senior Fellow for Asia, Foreign Policy Research Institute; and a Fellow, National Security Institute, George Mason University. Before joining Google, Mr. Lee served for 22 years in various senior leadership positions with the Central Intelligence Agency as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service. His key assignments included service as the Deputy Assistant Director of CIA for the Korea Mission Center, Chief of Korea Department, and as a Briefer on the President’s Daily Briefing staff. Mr. Lee joined the CIA in 1997 as a North Korea analyst. He has a BA from the University of Colorado and an MA from Ohio University.

Benjamin R. Young is currently an assistant professor of homeland security and emergency preparedness at Virginia Commonwealth University. In August 2024, he will be a Stanton Foundation Nuclear Security Fellow at the RAND Corporation. He is the author of the book, Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World (Stanford University Press, 2021). Previously, he taught at Dakota State University and the U.S Naval War College. He has published more than a dozen peer-reviewed articles on various aspects of North Korean history, international security, and U.S-Asia relations. He was a 2018-2019 CSIS/USC NextGen US-Korea Scholar and has also written journalistic pieces for The Washington Post, The Diplomat, Nikkei Asia, The National Interest, and NKNews.org. 
 

DISCUSSANT: Ria Roy, a Hoover Fellow at the Hoover Institution, is a specialist in the history of modern Korea and East Asia. Her doctoral dissertation, which she is currently turning into a book, examines the intellectual and cultural history of North Korea in the context of the Japanese Empire’s legacy as well as the influence of the revolutionary bloc. In particular, she explores the history and development of the leadership succession in North Korea, focusing on the role of intellectuals and their ideas in the generation of the unique North Korean model of leadership. More broadly, she is interested in the intellectual interplay between East and West and how it paved the way for a transition to an illiberal modernity. Roy received her PhD from the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. She previously received her MA from Harvard University and her BA from Waseda University in Japan.

All media representatives interested in covering the event or accessing the event site should contact aparc-communications@stanford.edu by 5 PM Pacific Time, Monday, May 6.

Directions and Parking>

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Could technological innovation offer a solution for LGBTQ+ couples in a society where they have no access to legal union? In this special event on Social Tech – innovations with social impact – Koki Uchiyama, a serial entrepreneur, discusses his new venture that leverages blockchain to offer a venue for recognition in Japan, where legislative changes for same-sex union do not seem forthcoming. Following his presentation, Tricia Wang, a tech ethnographer who specializes in infusing human insights into big data and designing equity into systems, will have a dialogue about the promises and challenges of his social innovation.

9:30-10 a.m.
Walk-in (coffee & light refreshments served)

10-10:10 a.m.
Introduction welcome remarks

10:10-11:30 a.m.
Presentation by Koki Uchiyama, followed by a discussion with Tricia Wang and Q&A session

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Lunch buffet & networking

Speakers:

Koki Uchiyama is Founder and CEO of Hotto Link Inc. He founded Hotto Link in 2000 and led it to have the first IPO among all the other social media analytics/listening players in the world. He and his team have been exploring the possibility of utilizing social Big Data and AI specifically to support brands in creating and conducting marketing strategies driven by data and evidence for almost 20 years. He is a pioneer of data-driven marketing.
Uchiyama also has a strong passion for social activities. One of his major activities is leading the "Famiee Project" which aims to help society accept diverse forms of family, including LGBTQ couples. He founded this non-profit organization which (1) issues partnership certificates for LGBTQ+ couples based on blockchain technology and (2) organizes the network of big corporations that provide the benefits or services not only for legally married couples but also for families of LGBTQ+ couples with the certificates. As a representative director of Famiee, he was selected by Forbes JAPAN for their "NEXT 100" list which focuses on influential people who hope to save the world.

Tricia Wang, a social scientist, consultant, and thought leader, is on a relentless quest to ensure technology serves humanity, fostering social impact at the intersection of data and humanity. Renowned for helping companies unearth pivotal customer behavior insights to unlock growth, Tricia co-founded Sudden Compass and has advised industry giants like Google, Spotify, and P&G. Her insights have been featured in publications like Quartz, New Yorker, Buzzfeed, Techcrunch, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, Slate, Wired, The Guardian, and Fast Company. In a world where data is the cornerstone of innovation, Tricia has long recognized its potential, well before the recent rush of consumer-facing AI products. Tricia's unique fusion of ethnography and data science offers an invaluable perspective on technology, design, and human experience. She has been instrumental in launching tech labs with clients, including a recent collaboration with The World Economic Forum in founding the Crypto Research and Design Lab (CRADL). As an acclaimed speaker, Tricia's enlightening keynotes and her TED Talk delve into AI, data, and their societal, economic, and personal impacts. Her concept of "thick data" advocates for deep human understanding in AI and emerging technologies, transcending conventional data analysis. Her ethnographic fieldwork spans from China to South America and North America, offering unique insights into the adoption of social media under authoritarian regimes and advocating for consumer-centric approaches in the private sector. 

Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions is pleased to present a special conversation featuring Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mark Lambert, who oversees the Office of China Policy Coordination at the US State Department. Lambert will be speaking on US-China Relations in an Era of Strategic Competition. This event is in-person only and will be off the record.

Mark Lambert’s presentation begins at 4:30 pm on Friday, February 16th, followed by a Q&A moderated by Scott Kennedy, CSIS Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics. You are invited to a welcome reception at 4:00 pm.

Registration is required for admission. No walk-ins.

No audio, video recording or photography will be permitted.  Please note, this event is closed to the media. 

About the Speaker
 

Mark Lambert is State Department China Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs. He oversees the Office of China Coordination and the Office of Taiwan Coordination. Mark has extensive experience in China, cross-Strait, and Asia Pacific affairs. He most recently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary with responsibility for Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.  Earlier he established the International Organizations Bureau’s office aimed at protecting UN integrity from authoritarianism. As Special Envoy for North Korean Affairs, he participated in negotiations with the DPRK and devised and implemented a global pressure campaign to enforce UN Security Council Resolutions. As Director of the Office of Korean Affairs he helped shape the response to ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests conducted by North Korea. While Political Counselor in Hanoi he helped to devise a South China Sea maritime strategy and led a team that won recognition for dramatically improving U.S. relations with Vietnam. He served twice in Beijing, most recently managing U.S. political military affairs with China. Previously, he was named the State Department’s human rights officer of the year for devising a strategy to release Chinese political prisoners and promote religious freedom. He has served as Political Military officer in Bangkok and Tokyo and as a science and technology officer on the State Department’s Japan Desk. He was a weapons inspector in Iraq. His first tour was in Bogota, Colombia, during the era of Pablo Escobar. He received a Meritorious Presidential Rank Award for helping to design and implement a plan to elect the leader of the World Intellectual Property Organization. He has been awarded for efforts bringing the United States and Vietnam closer together, for his voluntary efforts responding to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, for helping to shape the U.S. response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and for his work helping to resolve the 2001 EP-3 crisis involving a U.S. naval aircraft forced down on China’s Hainan Island. He has studied Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Spanish. He is married to Laura Stone, a senior State Department official. They have two daughters.

Scott Kennedy is senior adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). A leading authority on Chinese economic policy, Kennedy has been traveling to China for over 30 years. His specific areas of expertise include industrial policy, technology innovation, business lobbying, U.S.-China commercial relations, and global governance. From 2000 to 2014, Kennedy was a professor at Indiana University (IU), where he established the Research Center for Chinese Politics & Business and was the founding academic director of IU’s China Office. Kennedy received his PhD in political science from George Washington University, his MA in China studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and his BA from the University of Virginia.

Parking & Directions

Parking meters are enforced Monday - Friday 8 AM to 4 PM, unless otherwise posted.

The event will take place in the Koret-Taube Conference Center located within the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Building. The closest visitor parking to the Gunn-SIEPR building is:

• Galvez Lot, located across from the Stadium lot
• Track House Visitor Lot at the corner of Galvez Street and Campus Drive
• Knight Management Parking structure on Campus Drive East (this is an underground option)

Please visit the this website for more detailed parking options and directions to the venue.

Questions? Contact Heather Rahimi at hrahimi@stanford.edu

Please note, registration for this event is now closed, we have reached capacity, space is limited. 

Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions and China’s Global Sharp Power Project at the Hoover Institution are pleased to present a special lecture featuring Professor Minxin Pei who will be speaking on How Does China Spy on Its People? and his newly released book, The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China. This is an in-person event. 

Contrary to the widespread perception that advanced technology enables the Chinese state to maintain full-spectrum surveillance of its people, evidence collected from local yearbooks shows that the backbone of China's surveillance state consists of close bureaucratic coordination among security agencies, an extensive network of informants and labor-intensive surveillance tactics.   This system is made possible and run effectively by the party's Leninist organizational structure.  The hi-tech surveillance apparatus, which China began to construct in the late 1990s and did not become fully operational until probably around 2010, has given the ruling Communist Party a complementary, but not substitutive, tool.  The Chinese regime’s surveillance capabilities, unrivaled by other autocracies in history, may be one explanation why rapid economic development has not led to democratization.  Growth since the early 1990s has produced abundant resources for the regime to expand its labor-intensive network of surveillance, refine surveillance tactics, and adopt new technologies.  Its powerful surveillance state prevents the emergence of opposition despite the rapid growth of the middle class and other elements that can potentially threaten the party's hold on power.  Economic development alone is unlikely to promote democracy because an autocratic regime can take advantage of the growing resources to strengthen its capacity for preventive repression.  Economic failure, not success, is far more likely to trigger regime transition.

About the Speaker
 

Minxin Pei is Tom and Margot Pritzker ’72 Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College. His areas of expertise include China, comparative politics, the Pacific Rim, U.S./Asia relations, and U.S./China relations. Pei has been a Robert McNamara Fellow at the World Bank (1994-1995), Edward Teller National Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University (1994-1995), and Olin Faculty Fellow at The Olin Foundation (1997-1998). Pei has written three books including “China’s Crony Capitalism: The Dynamics of Regime Decay” (Harvard University Press, 2016), “China’s Trapped Transition: The Limits of Developmental Autocracy'' (Harvard University Press, 2006), and “From Reform to Revolution: The Demise of Communism in China and the Soviet Union” (Harvard University Press, 1994). Pei earned a B.A. from Shanghai International Studies University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.

Co-sponsored by:
 

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Questions? Contact Tina Shi at shiying@stanford.edu