Background In 1953, near the end of the Korean War, US General James Van Fleet left Korea. He had been commander of all US ground forces, the
Republic of Korea Army, and all ground forces of the UN between 1951 and 1953. Upon his return to the US, Van Fleet commenced a campaign to raise funds to facilitate reconstruction efforts and aid support for the people of Korea. Following his position during the war, Van Fleet occupied the position of chairman to the American-Korean Foundation (AFK) in the 1950s. Van Fleet was successful in facilitating a fund drive aimed at humanitarian efforts for the Korean people in need of aid. This success led to other aspirations in using his relationships and position to further cooperation between the United States and the people of Korea. In this effort, he sought the input of leaders such as
Arthur Hays Sulzberger of
The New York Times,
Henry Luce of
Time-Life,
Spyros P. Skouras of
20th Century Fox,
William Randolph Jr. Van Fleet also sought the involvement of
William Zeckendorf, a real estate developer, Juilliard President,
William Schuman, and
Ben C. Lim, the first Korean Ambassador to the UN.
Foundation On 20 November 1957, Van Fleet was one of the five signers of the
certificate of incorporation for the Korea Society. On the certificate, the stated purpose of the organization was: The Korea Society set up its first operation center at 420 Lexington Avenue. The organization received its first acknowledgment from
President Eisenhower through a government endorsement. The Society granted awards to various figures, including
Ban Ki-moon,
Jimmy Carter,
Chey Tae-won,
Park Yong-man,
Colin Powell,
Chung Mong Koo,
Lee Kun-hee,
George W. Bush, and
Kim Dae-jung. == References ==