Former ambassador to South Korea to visit city

The former U.S ambassador to South Korea and national security adviser to President George H.W. Bush will speak on Korean peninsula security issues Wednesday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. \nDonald Gregg served as the South Korean ambassador from 1989 to 1993, when he retired from a 43-year career in the U.S. government. He is currently president and chairman of the Korea Society, which promotes Korean cultural awareness in New York City and is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.\n"Ambassador Gregg is an extremely knowledgeable man, and he's been working on the inside of this issue for years," said Michael Robinson, a professor in the department of East Asian Languages and Culture. "So I think he'll be very helpful to unravel this knot and clarify an understanding of Korea and of our policies."\nGregg's visit coincides with increasing nuclear tensions in North Korea.\nTwo recent intelligence reports found that North Korea has made advances on a variety of technologies necessary to build nuclear weapons that surprised many Western intelligence officials, The New York Times reported Wednesday. \nThe current nuclear situation in North Korea will probably be a focal point of Gregg's address, according to a press release.\nRobinson said diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea have looked more optimistic in recent weeks, however, after the United States recently signaled it is now ready to provide some form of agreement for North Korean sovereignty. North Korea has also shown signs they might be ready to accept such an informal guarantee, Robinson said.\n"North Korea is seeking a nonaggression pact with America," Robinson said. "They're completely, and I think justifiably, paranoid about American bombing and military power, and I think that's why they're going for nuclear proliferation. I'm almost certain that Gregg will delve into North Korea's reasons for nuclear proliferation."\nJacques Fuqua, associate director of the East Asian Studies Center, which is presenting Gregg's visit, said he also expects Gregg to discuss the ever-present threat of developing, and possibly using, nuclear weapons as an element of North Korean diplomacy.\n"Finding a way to avert such a crisis is a critical task for not only the U.S. and South Korea, but for other countries in the region as well, which is why the U.S., South Korea, Russia, China and Japan currently seek a multilateral resolution to the North Korean nuclear problem," Fuqua said in an e-mail. "Any conflict on the Korean peninsula would quickly involve each of these nations in some way."\nFuqua said Gregg will be discussing issues that should be important to college students.\n"Envision a culturally and economically significant region of the world, such as Asia, embroiled in a conflict that potentially recreates fissures along Cold War lines," Fuqua said. "Imagine the resources -- capital, material and human -- the U.S. would need to commit in such a scenario. Imagine an arms race as nations worked to ensure their own security. Imagine the change in lifestyle here in the U.S. as a result."\nFuqua said the bottom line is that the ongoing conflict with North Korea should be a cause for concern for college students across the country. \n"Taking 90 minutes or so to hear a senior U.S. statesman offer his thoughts on Korean security issues, in my opinion, is time well spent," Fuqua said. \nRobinson also praised Gregg's balanced perspective as an American government official who also has a vested interest in Korean affairs. \n"(Gregg) takes a fairly diplomatic, broad view of what's going on," Robinson said. "We've got someone coming who can really speak to both sides. He can really address American interests because he understands our policies and international policy-making, but he is also someone who has devoted his life to understanding Korea, so he will present Korean interests, as well." \nGregg's public service career began in 1951 when he joined the Central Intelligence Agency. Over the next quarter-century, Gregg fulfilled assignments in Japan, Burma, Vietnam and Korea, grounding his interest in East Asian affairs. \nBy 1979, Gregg was appointed to the National Security Council staff, where he was in charge of intelligence activities and Asian policy affairs. In 1982, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush named him national security adviser, a position which took him to 65 countries. When Gregg retired from the CIA, he was awarded its highest decoration, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. \nYongkuk Chung, doctoral candidate and president of the IU Korean Student Association, said the current conflicts in East Asia have increased the importance of understanding America's policy regarding Korea. \n"I am really interested in the future of the relationship between South Korea and North Korea and also between America and North Korea," Chung said. "I think Gregg will bring an interesting perspective." \nRobinson agreed. \n"I think that it's a wonderful community and campus opportunity to really air these issues out and listen to someone who really knows what he's talking about." \nAmbassador Gregg's address will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will end with a question and answer session. The event is free and open to the public.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrea Minarcek at aminarce@indiana.edu.