James A. Van Fleet Award
Encyclopedia
The General James A. Van Fleet Award (Korean
: 제임스 밴 플리트상), given annually since 1995 by The Korea Society
, is awarded “to one or more distinguished Korea
ns or Americans
in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the promotion of U.S.-Korea relations.” It is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of U.S.–Korea relations.
The award is named for General
James A. Van Fleet
, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army
at the height of the Korean War
in 1951. Beginning in 1957, General Van Fleet served as the first president of The Korea Society.
The award is formally presented to the recipient each year at The Korea Society's annual dinner.
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
: 제임스 밴 플리트상), given annually since 1995 by The Korea Society
Korea Society
The Korea Society is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501 organization with individual and corporate members that is dedicated solely to the promotion of greater awareness, understanding and cooperation between the people of the United States and Korea...
, is awarded “to one or more distinguished Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
ns or Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the promotion of U.S.-Korea relations.” It is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of U.S.–Korea relations.
The award is named for General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
James A. Van Fleet
James Van Fleet
James Alward Van Fleet was a U.S. Army officer during World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Van Fleet was a native of New Jersey, who was raised in Florida and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy. He served as a regimental, divisional and corps commander during World War II and as...
, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army
U.S. Eighth Army
The Eighth United States Army – often unofficially abbreviated EUSA – is the commanding formation of all US Army troops in South Korea.-World War II:...
at the height of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in 1951. Beginning in 1957, General Van Fleet served as the first president of The Korea Society.
The award is formally presented to the recipient each year at The Korea Society's annual dinner.
Winners
- 1992 – Avery McConnell Leider (major, U.S. Army National GuardUnited States National GuardThe National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
) - 1995 – Chulsu Kim (deputy director-general, World Trade OrganizationWorld Trade OrganizationThe World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
) - 1996 – Ambassador James T. Laney (U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Korea)
- 1997 – Pyong-Hwoi Koo (chairman, Korea International Trade Association)
- 1998 – Jong-Hyon Chey (chairman, SK Group) and Jeong H. KimJeong H. KimDr. Jeong-Hoon Kim is a Korean-American electrical engineer and administrator who, since 2005, has served as president of Bell Labs.Jeong Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea. He came to the U.S. from Korea with his father and stepmother at the age of 14. He began school in Anne Arundel County,...
(president, Carrier Networks and DNS / Lucent TechnologiesLucent TechnologiesAlcatel-Lucent USA, Inc., originally Lucent Technologies, Inc. is a French-owned technology company composed of what was formerly AT&T Technologies, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs...
) - 1999 – William J. Perry (former U.S. secretary of Defense)
- 2000 – Jimmy CarterJimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
(former U.S. president) - 2001 – Kim Kyung Won (president, Institute of Social Sciences)
- 2002 – Horace G. Underwood (director, Yonsei UniversityYonsei UniversityYonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...
) - 2003 – Raymond G. Davis (retired general, United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
) - 2004 – Ban Ki-MoonBan Ki-moonBan Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
(minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Republic of Korea) - 2005 – George H.W. Bush (former U.S. president)
- 2006 – Lee Kun Hee (chairman, SamsungSamsungThe Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
) - 2007 - Kim Dae-jung (former president of the Republic of Korea and Houghton and Doreen Freeman (The Freeman Foundation)
- 2008 - Kevin O'DonnellKevin O'Donnell-Early life:O’Donnell was born and grew up in Cleveland and was educated at St. Rose’s Grammar School and West High School. O'Donnell spent two semesters at Kenyon college before joining the US Navy Supply Corps during World War II. He returned after the war and graduated from Kenyon in 1947...
(first country director, Peace Corps Korea) and Don OberdorferDon OberdorferDon Oberdorfer is an American professor at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University and was a journalist for 38 years, 25 of them with The Washington Post...
(chairman, U.S-Korea Institute) - 2009 - Chung Mong-kooChung Mong-kooChung Mong Koo is the chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, the largest carmaker in South Korea. The Hyundai Motor Group is consist of 42 subsidiaries and it is second largest Chaebol in South Korea...
(chairman, Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group) and Henry KissingerHenry KissingerHeinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
(56th Secretary of State, The United States of America) - 2010 - General Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
(65th Secretary of State, The United States of America) and General Paik Sun YupPaik Sun YupGeneral Paik Sun-yup is a Korean military officer of Manchukuo and the Republic of Korea. He is known for his service during the Korean War and the first 4-star general in the history of ROK Armed Forces...
(Korean War Veteran, Military of South KoreaMilitary of South KoreaThe Republic of Korea Armed Forces or ROK Armed Forces, is the armed forces of the Republic of Korea...
)