Refined Minds Vancouver

Join us for a thoughtful conversation about the Korean Peninsula. Our host, Martin Kim, will start with a brief overview of North Korea's current stance and the range of South Korean policy approaches—from engagement-focused strategies inspired by the Sunshine Policy to deterrence-based approaches that prioritize denuclearization and military readiness.

We're keeping things curious, respectful, and accessible and no prior knowledge is required. After a 10-minute introduction, we'll use straightforward prompts to explore the assumptions, trade-offs, and human realities behind these different approaches.

Potential topics for discussion:

• What is your impression of North and South Korea?
• Do you prefer policies of engagement or deterrence with regards to North Korea?
• Do you think the two countries should work towards reunification?

Who should come

• Anyone curious about the big picture, no expertise required (Martin's also just an accountant btw)
• Members with policy/international politics background who can share deeper context and insight.

About the host
Before his career as an accountant in Canada, Martin served as a sergeant in a Korean Army intelligence unit and brings grounded, firsthand perspective to the discussion.

Details
Location: Vancouver Public Library — Central Branch (Meeting Room 4th Floor - L492)

Join us for an insightful discussion on intentional living as a practical framework for designing a life that fits your values. We’ll explore how small, conscious choices in our spaces, schedules, and relationships add up to clarity, calm, and meaning.

We’ll open with a short primer by asking ourselves what we actually mean by “intentional”, then explore through guided prompts and free-flowing discussion.

Our group is welcoming to first-timers and thought-provoking for veterans alike.

Warm-up: Our facilitator, YarOn, will present a few examples from personal experience for all of us to consider. We will then move on to a round of personal introductions, with check-ins on where each person is already living intentionally and what that feels like.

Questions we’ll use to spark the room

1. Personal/individual: Whether you are reading in private or walking in the street on your own, there are many actions you might be making with very little attention, such as sipping from a cup of a warm drink or seeing things around you. We will share examples and discuss practical actions. Our focus would be to benefit from applying intention to
what we previously might have taken for granted.

2. Social/public: In our kitchen, we know our way because most items are placed on the same shelf or in the same drawer. Similarly, we don’t usually look for our shirt all over the house because it has its specific spot in the closet. But not all of our life’s routines are set in stone.
On the bus, you notice a passenger with their feet on the seat in front of them. We all know the norm, we all have expectations, and yet the choice is ours to avoid that passenger, to nudge them or to engage in conversation.

Many more examples exist in our lives for moments where practice and preparation could benefit the interaction and collaboration among us. With a focus on intention, we will explore and discuss them in the hope of illuminating compelling insights.

3. Inspirational: Participants will be encouraged to raise their own questions as the discussion lights up and evolves.

Who this is for: Anyone curious about living with more clarity and less noise - no prep required.

Location: Vancouver Public Library - Central Branch.
L6 North (690) Meeting Room

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Confirmed Attendees: If your plans change and you find you cannot attend, please take a moment to update your RSVP on Meetup as soon as possible.
As a courtesy, this makes a huge difference, allowing us to notify the people on the waiting list with enough time to join us.

For the Waiting List: Thank you for your patience! Please stay tuned, as we often see spots open up in the days leading up to the meeting. If you don't get a spot this time, please know that Intentional Living is a rich topic we can certainly revisit in future sessions.

See you all soon!

Cheers,
YarOn

Join us for a special Refined Minds outing to hear the winner of the 19th International Chopin Piano Competition, live in a concert held at the Orpheum in Vancouver on February 16, 2026.

Held every five years in Warsaw, the Chopin Competition has launched the careers of some of history's greatest pianists. This is a rare opportunity to experience a world-class interpreter of Chopin's music right here in Vancouver, and a perfect follow-up to our recent session on the composer's life and artistry.

We'll experience the elegance, drama, and poetry of Chopin's works together, hearing firsthand why his music still captivates audiences nearly two centuries later.

After the concert, we will regroup at the nearby library meeting room to talk about our experience.

🎟️ Tickets are available through the Orpheum website (address below). We recommend booking early, as this event is likely to sell out.

https://chopinsociety.org/winner-chopin-competition-2025.html