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
Feb 27,2018 Special Forum

US-ROK Alliance

North Korea’s Olympic outreach brought an easing of tensions between North and South Korea after a year of escalating tensions throughout 2017. After delivering a somewhat conciliatory New Year’s address, Kim Jong-un sent a substantial delegation to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, led by the North’s titular head, Kim Yong-nam, accompanied by Kim Yo-jung, Kim […]

Sue Mi Terry
comfort women , Kim Yo-jung , KORUS FTA , OPCON , Pyeongchang Olympics , THAAD , trilateralism , Victor Cha
Jun 29,2017 Special Forum

Moon Jae-in’s Foreign Policy & Roh Moo-hyun’s Shadow

40 days into his presidency, Moon Jae-in appointed the nation’s first female foreign minister. However, fine-tuning for policy coherence and clarity on some key foreign policy items among his advisors has yet to happen. The main discord is not about national interests, but more ideological and philosophical, regarding South Korea’s position in the ROK-US alliance […]

Lee Seong-hyon
FTA , Moon Jae-in , OPCON , Sunshine Policy , THAAD
Jun 29,2017 Special Forum

Synopsis: What Next? South Korean Politics, Policy, North Korea, and the US Alliance

In exploring South Korea’s transformation under Moon Jae-in, the discussions in Washington DC two weeks after Moon took office provide a useful starting point. Koreans and Americans exchanged thoughts and raised doubts on the prospects of ROK-US relations. Naturally, a major element was the effort by Koreans to report on recent developments and clarify uncertainties […]

Editorial Staff
Donald Trump , KORUS FTA , Moon Jae-in , Moon-Trump summit , OPCON , THAAD
Jul 17,2015 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (July 2015)

With the seventieth anniversary of the end of the war and the division of the Korean Peninsula coming up in August, diplomatic challenges continued, especially in South Korea’s relationships with North Korea and Japan. It was commonly noted that the upcoming anniversary is the best opportunity to make a breakthrough in the two stalled relationships. […]

Editorial Staff (prepared by Han Minjeong)
Middle Power Diplomacy , National security , OPCON , Regionalism , The China Paradox