Wilson Center Experts
James Person
Senior Program Associate
North Korea International Documentation Project
Contact Information:
T 202/691-4305
// F 202/691-4001
Expertise:
Cold War
; History
; Modern Korean History
; Asia
; North Korea
James F. Person is the Senior Program Associate for the History and Public Policy Program and coordinator of the North Korea International Documentation Project. Person is editor of the NKIDP Working Paper Series and co-editor of the Cold War International History Project Bulletin and History and Public Policy Program Critical Oral History Conference Series. Person has worked as a consultant on historical documentaries
Education
Ph.D, Modern Korean History, George Washington University; M.Phil., Soviet History, Moscow State University, B.A. History and Fine Arts, The George Washington University.
Experience
Diplomatic historian; Archival research in the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History (RGASPI), the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History (RGANI), the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation (AVPRF), the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF), and the Russian State Archive of the Economy (RGAE), Chinese Foreign Ministry Archive; professorial lecturer, Korea University, Graduate School of International Studies.
Expertise
North Korean history and politics; modern Korean history; modern Asian history; Cold War history; Soviet foreign policy; archives and archival openness.
Related Content for this Expert
2013 IFES-WWICS Washington Forum on Korea
June 14, 2013 // 9:30am — 3:30pm
In addition to keynote speaker Ambassador Glyn Davies, the 2013 IFES-WWICS Washington Forum on Korea will also include a roundtable discussion on leadership changes in East Asia moderated by veteran ABC anchor Sam Donaldson and a panel on North Korea's crisis diplomacy. more
The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia
April 26, 2013 // 9:30am — 11:00am
Andrei Lankov will discuss his new book, "The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia" more
Capacity-Building and Low-Key Reintegration of North Korea into International Regimes
May 08, 2013 // 3:30pm — 5:00pm
Realistically, is there still room for international civilian efforts to open up North Korea? During this event, Dr. Bernhard Seliger will consider the role international capacity-building efforts might play in this respect. more
North Korea Warned Foreigners During Past Crisis
Apr 09, 2013Why the U.S. Should Give Pyongyang Breathing Space
Apr 02, 2013North Korea's provocative behavior may be part of a larger effort to break out of diplomatic isolation and economic dependency on China by pressuring Washington to return to the negotiating table. Commentary co-authored by Jane Harman, Robert Hathaway, and James Person. more
North Korean Perspectives on the Overthrow of Syngman Rhee
Jan 16, 2013NKIDP e-Dossier no. 13, "North Korean Perspectives on the Overthrow of Syngman Rhee, 1960," is introduced by Jong-dae Shin, Christian F. Ostermann, and James Person and features twenty translated documents cataloging North Korea’s immediate responses to the April 19 Revolution in South Korea and how the DPRK attempted to take advantage of the events which ultimately led to the resignation of President Syngman Rhee. more
North Korea's Dangerous Ambition
Dec 19, 2012North Korea's first successful rocket launch is a truly dangerous development. Although the North Koreans have previously detonated two nuclear devices, until now they have not demonstrated any ability to deliver them. Weaponizing a missile is hard, but Pyongyang's close ally Iran has made great advances in miniaturizing warheads. With the combination of North Korea's nuclear bombs and Iran's technology, a nuclear-tipped missile could be capable of striking the West Coast of the United States in the near future. We can no longer afford to ignore North Korea. more
North Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Oct 15, 2012NKIDP e-Dossier no. 12, "The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Origins of North Korea’s Policy of Self-Reliance in National Defense," is introduced by James F. Person and features 6 translated documents which demonstrate how the Cuban Missile Crisis transformed North Korea’s relations with Moscow and Beijing and nudged the country down a path of unsustainable military buildup that, in part, resulted in a nuclear weapons program and was responsible for the country’s economic difficulties in later decades. more
Mao, Stalin and the Korean War: Trilateral Communist Relations in the 1950s
November 02, 2012 // 2:30pm — 4:00pm
Shen Zhihua, former Wilson Center public policy scholar and director of the Center for Cold War International History Studies at East China Normal University will discuss his latest book entitled, “Mao, Stalin and the Korean War: Trilateral Communist Relations in the 1950s” which examines relations between China and the Soviet Union during the 1950s, and gives a unique insight into Chinese thinking about the Korean War. more
The Role of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Industrialization of the Republic of Korea during the Park Chung Hee Era
October 05, 2012 // 2:00pm — 3:00pm
Meung-Hoan Noh (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) will present on the relationship between West Germany and South Korea's industrialization during the Park Chung Hee era. more
Pages
2013 IFES-WWICS Washington Forum on Korea
June 14, 2013 // 9:30am — 3:30pm
In addition to keynote speaker Ambassador Glyn Davies, the 2013 IFES-WWICS Washington Forum on Korea will also include a roundtable discussion on leadership changes in East Asia moderated by veteran ABC anchor Sam Donaldson and a panel on North Korea's crisis diplomacy.
The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia
April 26, 2013 // 9:30am — 11:00am
Andrei Lankov will discuss his new book, "The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia"
Capacity-Building and Low-Key Reintegration of North Korea into International Regimes
May 08, 2013 // 3:30pm — 5:00pm
Realistically, is there still room for international civilian efforts to open up North Korea? During this event, Dr. Bernhard Seliger will consider the role international capacity-building efforts might play in this respect.
Mao, Stalin and the Korean War: Trilateral Communist Relations in the 1950s
November 02, 2012 // 2:30pm — 4:00pm
Shen Zhihua, former Wilson Center public policy scholar and director of the Center for Cold War International History Studies at East China Normal University will discuss his latest book entitled, “Mao, Stalin and the Korean War: Trilateral Communist Relations in the 1950s” which examines relations between China and the Soviet Union during the 1950s, and gives a unique insight into Chinese thinking about the Korean War.
The Role of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Industrialization of the Republic of Korea during the Park Chung Hee Era
October 05, 2012 // 2:00pm — 3:00pm
Meung-Hoan Noh (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) will present on the relationship between West Germany and South Korea's industrialization during the Park Chung Hee era.
North Korean Calculations behind the Blue House Raid and the USS Pueblo Incident
June 20, 2012 // 2:00pm — 3:00pm
On June 20, Korea Foundation Junior Scholar Yuree Kim will present the results of her research conducted at the Woodrow Wilson Center from January through June 2012.
Confrontation Controlled: Sino-American Relations and the Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1962
April 19, 2012 // 2:00pm — 3:00pm
Wilson Center ECNU Scholar Ming Chen will present on Confrontation Controlled: Sino-American Relations and the Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1962
Behind the Deadlock: The U.S., the PRC, the U.K. and the Issue of the POWs during the Korean War
February 29, 2012 // 12:30pm — 1:30pm
Youzhen Xu, Wilson Center ECNU Scholar will give a presentation on the U.S., the PRC, the UK and the issue of Korean War POWs.
The Role of the USIA in Implementing America’s Policy towards the Soviet Union: A Case Study of the Cuban Missile Crisis
January 31, 2012 // 3:00pm — 4:00pm
Wilson Center ECNU Scholar Zhao Jike will present a work-in-progress presentation entitled The Role of the USIA in Implementing America’s Policy towards the Soviet Union: A Case Study of the Cuban Missile Crisis which examines the role of the USIA in implementing U.S. policy toward the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Romania’s “Fraternal Support” to North Korea during the Korean War, 1950-1953
December 12, 2011 // 3:30pm — 5:00pm
Wilson Center Public Policy Scholar Radu Tudorancea will shed light on what was in fact a coordinated division of labor among communist regimes, marking the high point in Socialist bloc cooperation.
Pages
North Korean Perspectives on the Overthrow of Syngman Rhee
Jan 16, 2013NKIDP e-Dossier no. 13, "North Korean Perspectives on the Overthrow of Syngman Rhee, 1960," is introduced by Jong-dae Shin, Christian F. Ostermann, and James Person and features twenty translated documents cataloging North Korea’s immediate responses to the April 19 Revolution in South Korea and how the DPRK attempted to take advantage of the events which ultimately led to the resignation of President Syngman Rhee.
North Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Oct 15, 2012NKIDP e-Dossier no. 12, "The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Origins of North Korea’s Policy of Self-Reliance in National Defense," is introduced by James F. Person and features 6 translated documents which demonstrate how the Cuban Missile Crisis transformed North Korea’s relations with Moscow and Beijing and nudged the country down a path of unsustainable military buildup that, in part, resulted in a nuclear weapons program and was responsible for the country’s economic difficulties in later decades.
New East German and Soviet Evidence on North Korean Support to South Korean Political Parties and Labor Unions
Jun 01, 2012NKIDP e-Dossier No. 8, "New East German and Soviet Evidence on North Korean Support to South Korean Political Parties and Labor Unions," is introduced by James F. Person and includes two translated German and Russian documents from 1960 which provide evidence of North Korean political and material support to South Korean political parties, labor unions, and student groups.
After Detente: The Korean Peninsula, 1973-1976
Nov 16, 2011A collection of archival documents on inter-Korean, US-ROK and DPRK-Communist bloc relations from 1973 to 1976 compiled in preparation for the 31 October - 1 November 2011 conference "After Detente: The Korean Peninsula, 1973-1976."
The Rise and Fall of Détente on the Korean Peninsula, 1970-1974
Oct 25, 2011"The Rise and Fall of Détente on the Korean Peninsula, 1970-1974" features the transcript of the second in a series of critical oral history conferences jointly convened by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ North Korea International Documentation Project and the University of North Korean Studies and a selection of primary source documents.
New Evidence on North Korea's Chollima Movement and First Five-Year Plan (1957-1961)
Jul 07, 2011A collection of declassified archival documents on North Korea's Chollima Movement, compiled in preparation for the 10 February 2009 conference The 2009 'New DPRK Revolutionary Upsurge'--A Blast from the Past or a New Path?
The Rise and Fall of the Detente on the Korean Peninsula: 1970-1974
Jul 07, 2011A collection of archival documents on inter-Korean, US-ROK and DPRK-Communist bloc relations from 1970 to 1974 compiled in preparation for the 1-2 July 2010 conference "The Rise and Fall of the Detente on the Korean Peninsula: 1970-1974."
Crisis and Confrontation on the Korean Peninsula: 1968-1969
Jul 07, 2011A collection of declassified archival documents on US-ROK-DPRK relations from 1968-1969 compiled in preparation for the 8-9 September 2008 international conference "Crisis and Confrontation on the Korean Peninsula: 1968-1969"
Crisis and Confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, 1968-1969
Jul 07, 2011"Crisis and Confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, 1968-19694" features the transcript of the first in a series of critical oral history conferences jointly convened by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ North Korea International Documentation Project and the University of North Korean Studies and a selection of primary source documents.
New Evidence on North Korea
Jul 07, 2011New archival evidence on North Korean history from 1955 through 1984 prepared for the 16-17 June 2010 conference New Documents and New Histories: Twenty-First Century Perspectives on the Korean War.