hankyoreh

By Park Byong-su, Senior Staff Writer

Peter Beck has recently returned to Korea to serve as a representative for the Asia Foundation in Korea. Headquartered in San Francisco, the Asia Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established in 1954 to provide development aid to Asian countries and improve Asia-US relations.

Beck, formerly the Seoul office representative for the International Crisis Group, was appointed as country representative for Korea on a three-year-term starting Jan. 3. The Hankyoreh met him in his office in Seoul on Jan. 10. He appeared enthusiastic about his new position.

“I had always dreamt about working for the Asia Foundation.” he said. He interned at the Asia Foundation when he was a senior at the University of California at Berkeley in 1989. He became acquainted with professors Han Hong-gu, Han Seung-ju and the late Robert A. Scalapino. He also had met with former and then-current country representatives. Since then, a position at the Asia Foundation had been his dream job.

“Korea has rich experience in development. Its lessons learned, knowledge and ideas can help other countries develop,” he said.

He also showed a great deal of interest in North Korean projects. He said that it is his urgent mission to raise funds for an ongoing book donations project. The Asian Foundation has been donating ten thousand non-political books on science, technology and management annually to North Korea since the late 1990s. He added that he wants to visit North Korea as soon as possible to develop projects that can aid the country’s development.

Beck began to take a special interest in Korea when he visited in 1987 to witness pro-democracy protests such as the June Struggle for Democracy. He has worked as an expert on the Korean peninsula, having visited North Korea 4 times. This is his 7th stay in South Korea.

(Translated by Kim Min-ji, Intern)

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]