April 4, 2025 | 2:00 - 3:30 pm | Doheny Memorial Library (DML 240)

Join us for a dialogue with distinguished speakers - former UN Ambassador Cho Hyun and Councilmember Jon Kaji on "Opportunities and Challenges for US-Asia Relations" moderated by Professor Jane Junn (USC).

The West Coast US-Asia Scholars Network is an event that brings together senior scholars and mid-career professionals who study topics related to US-Asia relations with some interest in policy relevance or public intellectual space. 

This year's public event will address topics of importance to US-Asia relations in politics, economy, and diplomacy. 

*This event will be filmed for a video publication. 

Organized by the USC Korean Studies Institute and the Korean Heritage Library.

Sponsored by the USC East Asian Studies Center, the Center for International Studies, and the Korea Foundation.

Speaker Bios

Ambassador Cho Hyun (Asia Society) is a former Korean diplomat and has been teaching security issues and political economy at Seoul National University since he left the Korean government in August 2022 after 40 years of foreign service. He served as Korean Ambassador to Austria and the IAEA(2011-2014), Ambassador to India(2015- 2017) and Permanent Representative to the United Nations(2019-2022). He also worked as Vice Foreign Minister (2017-2019). While his current area of focus is the security issues in Northeast Asia, he was an economic officer at the Korean Embassy in Washington DC when Korea was going through a financial crisis in 1997. He also dealt with trade issues during his secondment to the OECE Secretariat(1999-2002). Ambassador Cho graduated from Yonsei University in Seoul in 1980, and studied at SIPA of Columbia University in 1993, and earned his PhD from Science Po. in Toulouse, France in 2008.  

Councilman Jon Kaji (City of Torrance) is the President of Kaji & Associates. He previously served as the Director of the State of California Office of Trade and Investment in Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea and was involved in more than $1.9 billion in California export transactions and foreign direct investment. He also served as a member of the California Commission for Economic Development; Japan Representative for the State of Nevada Commission for Economic Development; and member of the Board of Governors of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. He was a member of the Oversight Board to the Dissolved City of Carson Redevelopment Agency and as a member of the University of Southern California Alumni Association Board of Governors. He is currently a member of the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles. He earned his BA in History and East Asian Studies from USC.

Jane Junn is a professor in Political Science and International Relations and Gender & Sexuality Studies at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. Her research areas include Asian American politics, political behavior, public opinion, gender and politics. She teaches courses on elections, public opinion, Asian American politics, ethnic politics, women and the law, and more.