You can see downloadable excerpts from KASCON 2000 at TheKoreanChannel.com.

(New Brunswick, NJ)-March 16-19, 2000 marked an important time for Korean Americans. KASCON 2000, which was held at the East Brunswick, Hilton in conjunction with the hosting campus, Rutgers University, gave forum to the Korean American leaders of tomorrow. The event, produced by students from top American Universities was attended by over 700 students that came from places as far as Hawaii and Great Britain.
KASCON's student-run conference is, according to Rutgers President, Francis L. Lawrence, "perhaps the largest in the nation" and provides "a unique opportunity . . .to discuss relevant political and social issues." The program gave voice to the burning issues of today such as:

• Traditional Gender roles vs. Contemporary Korean American Gender roles, with special guest Helie Lee author of, "Still Life with Rice."
• What are the FACTS behind the No Gun Ri Massacre? Special guest, Grace Chung Becker, special adviser to the Assistant Secretary of the Army on the No Gun Ri incident.
• Was Palisades Park a case of TRUE political activism or simply Korean Pride? Special guests, John Bang, an adviser to the Korean American Community Center of New Jersey, and P.J. Kim.
• Corporate America: Is it a place for Korean Americans? Special guests, Stephen Oh, and Joel Tealer.
• "Na" - Issues in Korean American Identity and Cultural Generation Gap. Special guest, Ty Pak.
• The Myths and Realities of Growing Up American: The Experience of Korean Adoptees. Special guest, Hollee McGinnis, founder of the national Korean American adoptee organization named, "Also Known As."
• Our Forgotten Past: "Being Korean is Lonely America." Special guest, Ralph Ahn, son of the 51st and 52nd Koreans issued U.S. visas.
• Cross-examination: Prevalent issues Korean Americans encounter daily in their struggle to assimilate into mainstream America. An open forum for questions and discussions.
• Several discussions and workshops on KIN (The Korean American Intercollegiate Network), which was born in the wake of the 1992 LA riots by students looking for a unified voice to fight the injustices confronting the community.
• Images of Our Voice - Media and Journalism with special guests, K.W. Lee (this years recipient of the KASCON Lifetime Achievement award, KASCON's first such presentation) and Kay Hwangbo.
• Inner-View/ Interview (The Corporate Mindset), with special guest, Esther Kim, corporate Recruiter.
• Can Korean Americans accelerate and excel on the highway of the INTERNET? Special guests, Jonas Lee of GiftCertificates.com and Charlie Kim of Next Jump, Inc.
• Can Korean Americans break into the political and Legislative Arena? Special guest, Mark L. Keam, Representative for the Korean American Coalition (KAC), President of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and current appointee to the Clinton Administration.
• Black, White, and Yellow: Korean Americans and Interracial Relations, with special guests, Bong Hwan Kim, Executive Director of the Multi-Cultural Collaborative, and Chandra Llewellyn-Travis, former Director of Intercultural Outreach for the Korea Society from 1994-1997.
• Breaking the Norms: Korean Americans in Arts and Entertainment, with special guests, Janet Choi, formerly of MTV's "The Real World in Seattle," and Rick Yune, Versace and Ralph Lauren model and actor.
• The Role of Church in Korean American Development, with special guests, Pastor Rubin Son, Senior Pastor of House of Prayer for all Nations.

You can see downloadable excerpts from KASCON 2000 at TheKoreanChannel.com.

Source: KoreanDay.com, NJ News Bureau

Would you like to Comment on this article, or send it to a friend? You can do either one just below where you see:

• Submit Comments on this Article: or
• Mail this article to a friend?

If you would like to read more articles from this author begin by entering their last name in the "Site Search" box (located at top right of this screen), then press your "enter" key. Next, click on an article from those displayed.