WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 14, 2011) — Republic of South Korea President Lee Myung-bak was in the United States this week and at one point visited Orion Township, Michigan with President Barack Obama to tour a General Motors Assembly plant that produces the new Chevrolet Sonic subcompact.

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New America Media

Support among South Koreans for unification of the two Koreas is at a new low, according to recent reports.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who reversed a decade of liberal policies aimed at fostering closer relations with the North, promised recently to show greater “flexibility” in dealing with leaders in Pyongyang, where hatred of Lee — who is set to arrive in Washington this week for talks with Pres. Obama on a free trade agreement — runs high.

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Republic of Korea President Lee Myung-bak, center; U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, left; and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; right, toast the U.S. alliance with the Republic of Korea, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on October 13, 2011. [State Department photo/ Public Domain

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 13, 2011) — Republic of Korea President Lee Myung-bak was in Washington this week on an official state visit.

President Barack Obama said this state visit reflects the fact that the Republic of Korea is one of our strongest allies. The countries  have stood the test of time, starting from the ruins of war. Korea went on to build an economic miracle and become a large trading partner.

South Koreans built a strong and thriving democracy and become a steady partner in preserving security and freedom not only on the Korean peninsula, but beyond, he added.

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St. Paul, Minn. (Oct. 1, 2011) — Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton returned along with the delegation of businesspeople, agriculture industry representatives, education and civic leaders from an official trade mission to South Korea.

The trade mission to South Korea was the first under Governor Dayton’s administration and was a productive mission to a country that is an important export partner and growth market for Minnesota.

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WASHINGTON (Sept. 13, 2011) — The White House Office of the Press Secretary announced this week that President Barack Obama will host President Myung-bak Lee of the Republic of Korea at the White House on October 13 for an official state visit.

The visit will highlight the strong alliance, the global partnership, and the deep economic ties between the United States and the Republic of Korea, according to the Press Secretary. The visit will also celebrate the strong bonds of friendship between the American and Korean people.

During the visit, the two leaders are expected to discuss a broad range of economic and security issues and review the progress made in connection with the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement and the 2009 U.S.-Korea Joint Vision Statement for the Alliance.

President and Mrs. Obama will also host President Lee and Mrs. Kim for an official state dinner on the night of October 13.

By MAYA NISHIKAWA
AAP staff writer

Music is a universal language that brings people, thoughts, and feelings together. That’s the idea behind the a Special Children’s Choir, a Korean-Amercan/Adoptee Children’s/Youth’s Choir in Minnesota.

“Eating and music are cultural language. Through music and food, we can share our culture,” said Joshua Kim, Founder of Culture in Motion, which hosted a benefit for the Special Children’s Choir.

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Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton will lead a trade mission to South Korea from September 25 through October 1, 2011. South Korea is Minnesota’s sixth largest export partner, up from ninth a year ago and fourteenth just a decade ago. The Minnesota Trade Office, lead organizer of the mission, is now accepting applications from Minnesota business leaders interested in joining the delegation.

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WASHINGTON (July 28, 2011) — The U.S. State Department Office of the Spokesperson announced last week that Official Meetings with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) were held.

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Ambassador Sung Y. Kim

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2011) – The White House Office of the Press Secretary reported last week that President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate Sung Y. Kim as United States Ambassador to the Republic of Korea.

“It gives me great confidence that such dedicated and capable individuals have agreed to join this Administration to serve the American people,” said President Obama of Kim and other nominees. “I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

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By Peter Schurmann
New America Media

San Francisco (June 2, 2011) – A public high school in the affluent Bay Area suburb of San Ramon is set to offer what will be only the second Korean-language program in Northern California, where an ongoing fiscal crisis is driving most schools toward drastic cuts. But thanks to grants from the South Korean government, Dougherty Valley High is set to play a part in Seoul’s larger push to deepen ties with the United States.

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