뉴스레터

I wish all those who care about and support the Northeast Asian History Foundation good health and good fortune in the Year of the Tiger.

It has been three months since my inauguration, and I am pleased that the Northeast Asian History Foundation has been able to successfully wrap up 2009 to usher in the New Year.

Three months is not a long time. However, we have been able to secure a budget befitting the status and role of the Foundation and have restructured our organization for further advancement and progress. Also, by enhancing the employee performance assessment system, we have established the basis for strengthening not only individual capabilities but also that of the Foundation at large.

I would like to thank the Foundation's managers, board, and staff for their hard work and cooperation.

2010 is a meaningful year not only in Korean history but also in Northeast Asian history. It is the centennial of Japan's forced annexation of Korea. It is also the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, a devastating tragedy in modern Korean history. 2010 also happens to be the 50th anniversary of the April 19 Revolution, which made an enormous contribution to the advancement of Korean democracy. It is also the 30th anniversary of the Gwangju Democratization Movement.

Among these weighty historical events, the centennial of Japan's forced annexation of Korea and the 60th anniversary of the Korean War are closely tied to the projects the Foundation is undertaking. We hope to set the stage for "historical reconciliation" by organizing international academic conferences and history NGO conferences related to these two significant historical events. We will strive to move beyond the Korean peninsula and Korean history and recast the two events within the context of world history in order to advance a historical understanding that promotes peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia.

Prioritizing research and policy capacities

The Northeast Asian history Foundation will focus on strengthening and advancing our research and policy capacities. The restructuring as well as the improvements made to the employee performance assessment system in 2009 aimed to create an environment in which our researchers and program officers could realize their capabilities to the fullest in their respective positions of relevance. In 2010, we hope that our Foundation can solidify its standing as a public institution that enjoys international recognition for pursuing historical reconciliation and mutual prosperity. To this end, we will aim for the convergence of the Foundation's individual capacities to form the Foundation's collective capacity and for the Foundation's capacity to bolster the capacities of individual staff members.

In 2010, we will endeavor to find the ways and means by which our research findings and projects can make even more significant contributions to academia and the society at large. One such means we are working on is to make available the Foundation's accumulated research findings and related materials online. The Northeast Asian History Foundation will be revamped into a hub for Northeast Asian historical research and reconciliation, readily accessible to the scholarly community and society at large.

For the Foundation to remain steadfast amid changing circumstances and continue our growth, it is of the utmost importance that we present research findings and policy options that can enjoy domestic and international recognition.

To realize this goal, our executives and staff must step up to the plate with a strong sense of duty. I will work hard to foster an environment that enables us to give research and policy development our undivided attention. To this end, there would be nothing more effective than securing our own plot and building.

Once again, I call on the staff to rise to the occasion. I would also like to ask for the continued support and interest of the readers of the newsletter and the staff and members of the organizations in cooperation with the Foundation.

I hope that the Year of the White Tiger proves to be a time of peace and prosperity for Korea, Northeast Asia, and the world over.

Chung Jae-jeong
President
Northeast Asian History Foundation