KASCON examines Korean issues

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by George Hatoun

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The Rice Korean Student Association co-hosted the 10th annual Korean American Students Conference (KASCON) held on the University of Texas at Austin campus between March 28 and March 30.

The conference focused on the theme "Strengthening One Another Toward a Common Good."

"It was a forum for political, economic and social discussions about the role of Korean-Americans in their own and in the American community," Rice KSA President Mark Hong said.

A number of Rice students participated in the conference, including Wiess College junior Bernie Yoo, Hanszen College junior Dave Kim and Brown College junior Kwang Chang.

Lovett College junior Wonuk Lee was one of the conference's managing directors. Rice KSA members played a large role in the organization of this year's conference, from inviting speakers to dealing with logistics.

The conference focused on the need for Korean-Americans to understand one another and work with each other to contribute to their communities.

Five hundred people attended the three-day conference, billed by organizers as the largest ethnic student conference in America.

Baker College sophomore James Choi was the KASCON speaker chair. In addition, he organized three seminars. The first dealt with Korea as a homeland for Korean-Americans and political issues like the U.S. role on the peninsula.

The second session focused on the Korean-American dream. In a letter about the speakers, Choi wrote, "The second seminar session will [serve] to discuss the evolution of the Korean-American dream, our unique identity in America, and the troubles we currently face in pursuit of our dream."

The third seminar focused on the Korean community, examining inter-ethnic and cross-cultural relationships, and how Koreans can learn to help each other.

Conference speakers included Northwestern University History Professor Bruce Cumings, University of Illinois at Chicago Political Science Professor B.C. Koh and Power Computing President Stephen Kahng.

According to Hong, the conference was deemed a success on the national level. KASCON is hosted by a different school every year.

Next year's conference will be held in Washington, D.C.

This item appeared in the News section of the April 12, 1996 issue.

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