Aug 27,2020 Special Forum

Double Allegiance: Moon Jae-in’s Strategy amid US-China Rivalry

Can a state be a credibly ally and still partner closely with its rival? During the Cold War, no country was allied to one side and strategically tied to the other; it may have accommodated the rival to a degree, but this fell short of any actual aligning behavior. Today, in what is now frequently […]

Eun A Jo

COVID-19 , free and open Indo-Pacific , GSOMIA , OPCON , THAAD , the Quad , US-China rivalry , US-ROK alliance

Aug 28,2019 Special Forum

Moon’s Failed Balancing Act

The mood was decidedly upbeat in South Korea around this time last year: following the “historic summit” between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in Singapore, many praised Moon Jae-in as the “master mediator.”1 When Trump contracted cold feet just two weeks before his meeting with Kim, Moon staged a surprise inter-Korean summit to dispel their […]

Eun A Jo

“No Japan” movement , G20 summit , GSOMIA , Korea Passing , nuclear diplomacy , Panmunjom handshake , THAAD , US-China trade war

Dec 30,2018 Alternative Scenarios

Positive Scenario II

Months have passed since the Pyongyang summit—and hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough remain illusory. For a brief moment, the stalled diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang appeared to recover; yet no date has been fixed for a second Trump-Kim summit and the newly-appointed US envoy Stephen Biegun has yet to set foot in North Korea. The […]

Eun A Jo

Donald Trump , Kim Jong-un , Moon Jae-in , Moonshine Policy , Pyongyang summit , Singapore Summit

Oct 16,2018 Alternative Scenarios

Positive Scenario I

In what is considered one of Pyongyang’s most potent propaganda events—a mass performance called the “Glorious Country”—Moon Jae-in addressed some 150,000 North Koreans, who erupted in teary applause as he proclaimed a “new era” of peace and prosperity. In his seven-minute-long speech, Moon implored the two Koreas to “end the past 70 years of hostility […]

Eun A Jo

Kim Jong-un , Moon Jae-in , Panmunjom Declaration , Pyongyang Declaration , Pyongyang summit

Aug 08,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (July 2018)

From May to July 2018, South Korean news editorials continued to focus on bilateral dynamics among the two Koreas, the United States, and China. On inter-Korean relations, analysts assessed the second inter-Korean summit, which followed the North’s unilateral suspension of high-level talks and momentary refusal to allow South Korean journalists at the dismantling of the […]

Eun A Jo

CVID , Kaesong Industrial Complex , KMEP , Panmunjom Declaration , Singapore Declaration , Trump-Kim summit , Xi-Kim summit

May 21,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (May 2018)

From March to May, South Korean news editorials continued to focus on inter-Korean and US-Korean relations, albeit with a new player in the picture: China. On China, analysts assessed its trade relations with the United States and Kim’s two summits with Xi, which took place before and after the inter-Korean summit. On inter-Korean and US-Korean […]

Eun A Jo

CVID , inter-Korean summit , John Bolton , Kim-Xi summit , Libya model , Max Thunder , Trump-Kim summit

May 01,2018 National Commentaries

Moon’s Precarious Push for Peace

Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s Address, and the surge of diplomatic overtures that followed, came as a shock to many. The preceding year had been marked by the North’s heightened efforts toward completing its nuclear program, demonstrating a significant technological leap and leading it to more confidently declare itself a “nuclear state.” Combined with Donald Trump’s […]

Eun A Jo

inter-Korean summit , Kim Jong-un , Panmunjom Declaration , Pyeongchang Olympics

Mar 08,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (March 2018)

In February and March 2018, South Korean news editorials focused on developments in US-South Korean relations and inter-Korean relations before, during, and after the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. On US-South Korean relations, analysts discussed Trump’s State of the Union address and the withdrawal of Victor Cha as the nominee for US ambassador to South Korea—both […]

Eun A Jo

Kim Jong-chul , Kim Yo-jung , Mike Pence , North-South talks , Pyeongchang Olympics , trade war , Victor Cha

Feb 02,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (January 2018)

From November 2017 to January 2018, South Korean news editorials discussed North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, Hwaseong-15, and covered bilateral dynamics: South Korea-China relations following the Moon-Xi summit; US-North Korea relations following Tillerson’s proposal for unconditional talks; US-South Korea relations following the release of Trump’s national security strategy and the suspension of […]

Eun A Jo

comfort women , freeze-for-freeze , Hwaseong 15 , Moon-Xi summit , Pyeongchang Olympics , THAAD

Nov 15,2017 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (November 2017)

From September to November of 2017, South Korean news editorials discussed Trump and Moon’s UN speeches and the growing dissonance in their approaches toward North Korea. They also covered bilateral dynamics, emphasizing US-North Korea relations, US-South Korea economic relations, and China-South Korea détente over THAAD. Lastly, South Korean media traced Trump’s visit to Asia, in […]

Eun A Jo

APEC , KORUS FTA , Moon-Xi summit , Trump-Moon summit , Trump-Xi Summit , UN General Assembly