Press Release
Press Release
U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Stephens to Attend
Inaugural Ceremony of Korea-U.S. Vision Association
April 6, 2009
U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Stephens will attend the inaugural event of the Korea-U.S. Vision Association (KUVA) at the International Convention Hall (20th floor), Korea Press Center, Taepyoung-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 as KUVA’s guest of honor. KUVA is an independent Korean organization whose members include Korean citizens who have participated in official U.S. State Department-sponsored exchange programs to the United States. The purpose of the organization is to promote people-to-people ties, mutual understanding between Koreans and Americans, and Korea-U.S. exchange programs, and to strengthen Korea-U.S. relations.
Ambassador Stephens will deliver congratulatory remarks during the inaugural ceremony, which will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. Welcoming remarks will be delivered by former Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Kim Jin-hyun, Chairman of the KUVA Board of Directors and of the World Peace Forum. The Chairman of the KUVA Steering Committee is Dr. Koo Hae-woo, Standing Board Member of the Future Foundation.
Dr. Kim and Dr. Koo are alumni of the International Visitors Leadership Program, a U.S. State Department exchange program that has sent close to 900 Korean citizens to the United States for short programs since the early 1950s. The Fulbright Program is the largest official exchange program between the United States and Korea managed by the Korea-America Educational Commission. It has over 1,700 Korean alumni. The total number of Korean alumni of State Department-sponsored exchange programs is over 3,000 persons. KUVA membership also is open to Korean alumni from other official exchange programs including Eisenhower Fellowships, the Voluntary Visitors Program, the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program (under the Fulbright program), the National Assembly-U.S. Congress Youth Exchange Program, American Council of Young Political Leaders exchanges, and Study of the United States Institutes.
KUVA is the third U.S. exchange program alumni association to form in Korea, following the Korea Fulbright Alumni Association and the Eisenhower Fellowship Korea Alumni Association.
For more information, please contact Dr. Koo Hae Woo at 011-9071-0339 (mobile) or Dr. Kim Sung-sig, U.S. Embassy Exchange Specialist, at 011-1701-0267 (mobile).