Apr. 19, 2016
Tuesday presentation: A Nuclear North Korea and the World
The Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Seattle, the Honorable Moon Duk-ho will visit Central Washington University to discuss “A Nuclear North Korea and the World” on Tuesday, April 19.
The address, which will include a question-and-answer session, is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in the Student Union and Recreation Center. Questions are encouraged at the end of his talk.
“He has been part of the sanctions office of the South Korean representatives at the United Nations Security Council and he has a lot of experience in this area,” said Michael Launius, CWU political science professor and director of the university’s Master of Science degree in public administration. Those units, in conjunction with Asia Pacific Studies, are sponsoring the free, public presentation.
“I think he’s going to seek to explain the reasons that North Korea continues to promote this strategy, why the South Korean government opposes it, and how the U.S. and South Korea share a common position on the issue,” Launius added. “Officially, South Korea would like to see a denuclearization of the Korean peninsula position. Most of Korea’s neighbors—the Chinese and Japanese—along with the Americans and Russians would like to see the same thing.”
Students from a variety of university programs—including anthropology, history, philosophy, and political science, along with the Army and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps units—along with international students from Korea now studying at CWU are encouraged to attend Moon's address. But all members of the campus community are invited.
“We have developed a close relationship with him and some of his staff members,” Launius added. “His office is now reaching out and having more functions on the east side of the Cascades.”
At the invitation of the Office of the Consul General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Launius went to Korea in December to present a series of guest lectures on territorial issues existing between Korea and Japan.
Media contact: Robert Lowery, director of Radio Services and Integrated Communications, 509-963-1487, loweryr@cwu.edu
April 18, 2016