The World On arirang

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, a special documentary, <Enduring Partnership: South Korea-U.S. Relations>, will give viewers a closer look at the 70-year-long history of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, that all began with signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty in October 1, 1953. It will highlight the bilateral cooperation in security, the economy, and cultural exchanges, as well as efforts by the Korean government and civic group to provide face masks and medical supplies to its crisis-stricken allies amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

We also sat down with American veterans of the Korean War to get their first-hand accounts of the conflict, and whose stories are being told in a series of photographs by Korean photo artist Rami Hyun, as part of ‘Project: Soldier’.

We will also be looking at the vibrant cultural exchanges that are taking place between the two countries, especially in light of BTS’s popularity and the film Parasite’s historic win at the Academy Awards. We spoke to members of the UCLA marching band, who recently collaborated with BTS for their latest track ‘ON’, as well as a group of cultural experts, including film critic Darcy Paquet, to get their thoughts on the role of cultural exchanges in facilitating a stronger South Korea-U.S. alliance.