Columbus State University will host a three-part public symposium series focused on the legacy of the Korean War and post-war relations between the Republic of Korea and the United States during the war’s 70-year armistice.

The first of these will be on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. in 1304 Frank Brown Hall [map] on the university’s RiverPark Campus. Its focus will be on the state of U.S. and Korean diplomatic and military relations from 2006 to present. It will feature a three-person panel including:

• Gen. Robert B. Abrams (retired), former commander of U.S. Forces Korea and ROK/US Combined Forces Command
• Jenny Town, senior fellow, Stimson Center and director, 38 North
• Frank Aum, senior expert, Northeast Asia, U.S. Institute for Peace

“We are thrilled to have assembled a panel that will bring together internationally recognized thinkers with vast, but also diverse, experience in U.S.-Korean relations,” said Dr. David Kieran (pictured), Columbus State’s Col. Richard R. Hallock distinguished chair in military history and an associate professor in its Department of History, Geography & Philosophy. “These are the leading experts who, over the past two decades, have played prominent roles in analyzing the political dynamics of North Korea and crafting and implementing U.S. policy relating to the Korean Peninsula.”

The 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice is certainly an opportunity to think about the events of 1950 to 1953 and of the seven decades that followed. But as the U.S. turns its attention to the Pacific and to challenges posed by China and North Korea, and as Korean corporations become increasingly prominent investors in the United States —particularly the Chattahoochee Valley — the anniversary is also an opportunity to think about the current state of affairs and how the U.S./Republic of Korea relationship will continue to evolve over the next 70 years. 

“The U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance stands as a beacon born from the Korean War,” said Dr. Daewoo Lee, an associate professor in the School of Policy, Justice, and Public Safety and a South Korean native who has been planning the symposium series alongside Kieran. “Our series of events will remember and honor the sacrifices made — underscoring the importance of chronicling a legacy that continues to guide our two countries’ shared journey during the past 70 years.”

The second symposium session is scheduled on Thursday, Nov. 7 and will focus on U.S. and Korean relations during the Cold War and after from 1953 to 2006. The final symposium installment will be on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, and will focus on the legacy of the Korean War. Both will begin at 7 p.m. in 1304 Frank Brown Hall Room.

“The program that we have created allows us to spend a year focusing and reflecting on the different moments that have shaped the past 70 years of U.S.-Korean relations,” Kieran said, “beginning with an assessment of the current challenges and opportunities and moving backward to study the Cold War Era and the Korean Conflict itself.”

During the Summer 2024 semester, Kieran, Lee, and retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Pat Donahoe will accompany a group of Columbus State students to South Korea as an endnote to the symposium series. The study abroad excursion will include visiting several Korean conflict sites, some of the military installations where U.S. troops serve today, and the think tanks, consular offices and corporate headquarters that highlight the enduring relationship between these countries.

“Having spent a number of years serving in South Korea from my first assignment in 1989 to my most recent posting there in 2020 to 2022, I have seen South Korea develop at lightning speed," said Donahoe, who recently retired as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Moore. He now serves as CSU’s special assistant to the president for military liaison. 

“Their development is widely known as the ‘Miricle on the Han’ — the Han being the river that runs through Seoul. As our nation looks to its future in the Pacific, our South Korean ally is at the center of our strategy, so it’s incredibly important for our students, our citizens, to better understand the US-South Korean relationship across our diplomatic, military and economic connections.”

The symposium program is hosted and funded by the university’s Hallock Endowment for Military Studies. It is presented in partnership by CSU’s Center for Global Engagement; Military-Connected Student Services; Department of History, Geography & Philosophy; and School of Policy, Justice & Public Safety.

All three symposium sessions are open to the public at no charge. No registration is required.