The Influence of Media on U.S.-Korea Relations and Future of the Korean Peninsula Public Policy Forum Korea Chamber of Commerce & Industry Building June 28, 2010 (9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. )   June 18, 2010 -- On June 28th, The Asia Foundation hosted a public policy forum on “The Influence of Media on U.S.-Korea Relations and Future of the Korean Peninsula.” The forum, cosponsored by the Korean-American Association and Friends of The Asia Foundation, sought to examine the role of media in the U.S. and Korea relations and in particular its impact on public perceptions about bilateral relations and policy development toward North Korea. “During the recent tensions between South and North foreign audiences were convinced war might break out at any moment while most Koreans seemed unruffled,” said Edward Reed, The Asia Foundation's country representative in Korea. “Do differences in media coverage play a role in generating these different responses? And do public perceptions affect policies? I think these are important questions for discussion.” Presenters from the U.S. side included Shin Gi-wook, Director of The Walter H. Shorestein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC), Stanford University and Alyson Slack from Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington D.C. In the afternoon, local journalists and international correspondents discussed issues related to covering North Korea such as the constraints on access to information and the accuracy of news sources. Barbara Demick, the Los Angeles Times correspondent in Beijing, Shin Kyung-min, a veteran reporter from MBC, along with other journalists participated in a roundtable discussion as the last part of the program.