From Volunteer to Ambassador – Kathleen Stephens, South Korea 1975-1977

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My Peace Corps Story

121 episodes

9 months ago

Since the establishment of the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961, more than 230,000 Americans have served 141 countries. The My Peace Corps Story Podcast aims to tell some of the many diverse and rich stories of volunteers, in their own words. This podcast will create an oral history of the varied experiences had by generations of Americans when they devoted two or more years of their life to national service abroad.

While often cited as a positive, life-changing experience, service in the Peace Corps is not easy. This show strives to portray Peace Corps service as it is, both the good and the bad. The host of the show, Tyler Lloyd, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer and would “gladly and proudly do it all again.” The difficulties and risks of serving abroad, however, should not be understated or taken lightly.

The My Peace Corps Story Podcast will captivate you with the personal stories of Americans working and living abroad. Each episode, we explore the cultures, communities, and people that make the Peace Corps an unparalleled experience, filled with stories worth telling.

Every volunteer has a story. What’s yours?

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From Volunteer to Ambassador – Kathleen Stephens, South Korea 1975-1977

My Peace Corps Story

55 minutes 56 seconds

6 years ago

From Volunteer to Ambassador – Kathleen Stephens, South Korea 1975-1977

Photos from Kathleen’s Service
The Peace Corps Story of Ambassador Kathleen Stephens
Korea has been part of Ambassador (retired) Kathleen Stephens’ life and career since she served in rural Korea as a Peace Corps volunteer and trainer, 1975-1977. She again found herself in Korea from 1983-1989, first as a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul reporting on Korea’s domestic political and human rights scene, and later leading the U.S. Consulate in Busan. Then, in 2008, Kathleen Stephens became U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, the first woman and first Korean-speaker to serve in that position.
Since September 2018, Kathleen Stephens has been serving at President and CEO of the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI). In addition to her time in Korea, other overseas assignments included postings to China, former Yugoslavia, Portugal, Northern Ireland, where she was U.S. Consul General in Belfast during the negotiations culminating in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, and India, where she was U.S. Charge ‘d Affaires (2014-2015).
Ambassador Stephens also served in a number of policy positions in Washington at the Department of State and the White House. These included acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (2012), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (2005-2007), Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (2003-2005), and National Security Council Director for European Affairs at the Clinton White House.
She’s had an illustrious career and by no means is she done. But, where did it all start? The Peace Corps!
On this episode of the My Peace Corps Story podcast, I sit down with Kathleen Stephens at the KEI to talk about her service as a Peace Corps volunteer in South Korea. For some, it may be odd to think of South Korea as a Peace Corps country, but in 1975 it was one of the poorest countries in the world–behind North Korea at the time.
For those interested in the Peace Corps, foreign service, and international diplomacy, this episode is sure to delight.
And links you may be interested in:
If you want to know more about the Korea Economic Institute of America, visit www.KEIA.org
If you want to learn more about the Peace Corps in South Korea, check out Friends of Korea

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