A PARTNER FOR CHANGE - SIX DECADES of The Asia Foundation in Korea - 1954-2017

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Theodore

Commemorative history tracing The Asia Foundation’s Korea Office from 1954 to 2017, presented as “Six Decades” of evolving engagement and development cooperation. Includes a Foreword for the 50th Anniversary History, an Introduction, and six chronological chapters covering 1954–1959, 1960–1969, 1970–1979, 1980–1994, 1995–2004, and 2005–2017, followed by a conclusion and appendices. The foreword records authors’ roles and the rationale for preserving key institutional achievements through recorded accounts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages300

Reading Time12 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword to the 50th Anniversary History

Introduction

Chapter One: 1954–1959: Engaging the Nation

Chapter Two: 1960–1969: Forging Ahead

Chapter Three: 1970–1979: Expanding Development

Chapter Four: 1980–1994: Building a Modern Society

Chapter Five: 1995–2004: Preparing for the Future

Chapter Six: 2005–2017: Partner for Development Cooperation in Asia

Conclusion

Appendices

A PARTNER FOR CHANGE SIX DECADES of The AsiA Foundation in Korea A PARTNER FOR CHANGE Six Decades of The Asia Foundation in Korea 1954–2017 Written by Cho Tong-jae Park Tae-jin Edward Reed Edited by Meredith Sumpter John Rieger © 2017 by The Asia Foundation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission by The Asia Foundation. Table of Contents 005 ● Foreword to the 50th Anniversary History Mr. Park Tae-jin, former Program Advisor, The Asia Foundation Korea Office 009 ● Introduction Dr. David Steinberg, former Korea Office Representative 013 ● Chapter One 1954–1959: Engaging the Nation 051 ● Chapter Two 1960–1969: Forging Ahead 095 ● Chapter Three 1970–1979: Expanding Development 125 ● Chapter Four 1980–1994: Building a Modern Society 183 ● Chapter Five 1995–2004: Preparing for the Future 217 ● Chapter Six 2005–2017: Partner for Development Cooperation in Asia 281 ● Conclusion Dylan Davis, current Korea Office Representative, and Han Sung-Joo, Friends of The Asia Foundation Chairman 285 ● Appendices Foreword to the 50th Anniversary History Mr. Park Tae-jin This humble publication is the brainchild of several people within The Asia Foundation, including, first, the late Cho Tong-jae, our former senior program consultant, who started to write the history of the Korea Office in the late 1980s. Among others, Bill Fuller, former president of the Foundation, while visiting Korea some years ago, discreetly hinted to me that I should try to continue to write the history that Cho initiated. I hesitated to give him an affirmative response immediately. Despite my interest, I simply had no confidence in undertaking the assignment. In 2001, just a year after he was assigned to the Korea Office as Foundation representative, Scott Snyder nudged me to write a sort of oral history. Again, I indicated to him that I was not sure I could do it. Then, at a Korea Office staff retreat held at Chindong-ri, Kangwon province, in May 2002, Scott openly urged me to finish the unofficial history of The Asia Foundation in Korea, coinciding with the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Korea Office in October 2003. I reluctantly agreed, but with one condition: I would undertake the task if someone else would edit my draft. I insisted on this because I had had no experience in this type of work. I believed my writingskill was not up to standard, and it seemed to me vague as to how I should tackle the task. I anticipated the results of my writing to be in the form of a substandard, amateurish draft. But Foundation support for the history book continued. David Steinberg, a former Korea Office Representative, encouraged me to take on the task when he visited Seoul in the summer of 2002, and then David Kim, then director of the 50th Anniversary Program in the San Francisco Office, sent me a note encouraging this undertaking. Barnett Baron, executive vice president of the Foundation, and Tom Flynn, vice president for external relations, were also *Mr. Park Tae-jin, coauthor of this book, worked for The Asia Foundation for more than five decades. He first joined the Korea Office staff in 1955, and over the years held various positions, including accountant, office manager, and program officer. Mr. Park studied political science at the Chungchi College (now known as Konkuk University) and business administration at Korea University. This Forward to the original 50th anniversary version of the book was left as is for the purpose of keeping a record of the origins of the book in Mr. Park's own words. keenly concerned with the need of a Korea Office history. I must confess that I still felt inadequately suited to the task. I understood the rationale behind the insistence that I should write the history book expressed by all these people. It was simple. As I had been with the Foundation in Korea for some 44 years, I was regarded as a living memory or a livi

FAQs

What time span does this “Six Decades” history cover?

It covers the Korea Office history from 1954–2017.

How is the main content organized?

It is structured into a foreword, an introduction, six chronological chapters, a conclusion, and appendices.

What is the focus of Chapter Six?

Chapter Six covers 2005–2017 and describes the Korea Office’s role as a partner for development cooperation in Asia.

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Theodore