His Excellency Sung Chul Yang, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States, is a well-known political scientist and author with a long and distinguished career in academia and politics. From 1996 to the time of his posting in Washington, Ambassador Yang served as a member of the Korean National Assembly. He also served as president of the Unification and Policy Forum, and chairman of the International Cooperation Committee for the National Congress for New Politics during this period. He worked as vice chair of the Unification and Foreign Affairs Committee, and was a member of the Political Reform Committee. Most recently, Ambassador Yang served as an executive member of the New Millennium Democratic Party's 21st Century National Affairs Advisory Committee. Outside of the National Assembly, Ambassador Yang has been involved in government and politics for many years. He served as the secretary-general of the Association of Korean Political Scientists in North America and as president of the Korean Association of International Studies. He has also been a member of the Advisory Committees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, and the National Unification Board. In addition to his involvement in government, Ambassador Yang has had a successful career in academia. He was a professor at Eastern Kentucky University from 1970-75 and at the University of Kentucky from 1975-86. He has been a visiting professor at Northwestern University, Pembroke State University, Indiana University, and Seoul National University. From 1987-94 Ambassador Yang held the position of dean of Academic Affairs at the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies at Kyung Hee University in Seoul. Ambassador Yang is the author of several books on Korean issues, including The North and South Korean Political Systems: A Comparative Analysis (Westview, 1994). He is also a much sought after contributor to many political science journals. He has been interviewed often by leading newspapers, magazines and radio stations from around the world. Ambassador Yang received his doctorate in Political Science from the University of Kentucky (1970), earlier receiving an MA from the University of Hawaii (1967), and a BA from Seoul National University (1964). From 1960-62 he served in the Korean Army.

In view of the recent summit between two Korean leaders, Shorenstein APARC believes that the prospect for inter-Korean economic cooperation has improved a great deal. The primary purpose of this conference is to explore various possibilities of inter-Korean economic cooperation as well as to formulate a policy and institutional framework for successfully implementing such cooperative efforts.

The conference will start with an analysis of the current economic situation in the Korean Peninsula and, then, explore sector-specific issues in agriculture, energy, manufacturing and infrastructure. Finally, the conference will draw policy implications for North Korea, South Korea, the United States, and the international community.

In the midst of preparing for the upcoming Inter-Korea Summit in June, the South Korean government and many North Korea experts struggle with how to manage this historic opportunity for breakthrough in the Korean peninsula. What happened behind closed doors to reach this agreement to have the summit meeting and what uncertainties lie along the way? What issues will be discussed at the summit? What will some of the challenges be in the post-summit era, not only in inter-Korean relations but in neighboring countries' policies toward the Korean peninsula? These questions and more will be discussed during this seminar. Dr. Kil has worked for the last four years in the Washington bureau of the Korean newspaper, Joong Ang Ilbo, closely monitoring the U.S.-North Korea talks. He is currently on leave for research at the Tokyo Foundation. Dr. Kil has a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University.

Silicon Valley has become a melting pot of talent, opportunity, and capital from not only the United States but around the world. This seminar will focus on how Korean entrepreneurs can incorporate and manage high-tech ventures successfully in Silicon Valley by overcoming critical barriers--managerial, technical, and cultural. Based on in-depth case studies of Korean start-ups in Silicon Valley, this presentation identifies problems faced by entrepreneurs along the stages of venture development. It also suggests to Korean entrepreneurs a process to overcome barriers through support from partners and advisory experts in Silicon Valley and Korea. More specifically, this seminar will discuss the experiences of Korean start-ups in Silicon Valley in writing business plans, raising funds, hiring and motivating employees, and addressing cultural issues. In addition, some lessons and guidelines for foreign entrepreneurs in surmounting the obstacles for the successful incorporation and growth will be discussed, such as the importance of forming the founding team with complementary assets and the legal form of the entity.

Dr. Zong-Tae Bae is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Management, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Seoul, Korea. He is currently on sabbatical from KAIST and working as a Visiting Scholar of the Graduate School of Business (GSB) and the Asia/Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) at Stanford University. His research interests include various aspects of technology management and entrepreneurship. Currently he is conducting a research project on a global model of new venture development. He has published 10 articles in international journals such as R&D Management and Journal of Production Innovation Management. He received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Seoul National University in 1982, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Management Science from KAIST in 1984 and 1987, respectively.

Please feel free to bring a bag lunch.