Recent Publications

Korea Policy Vol. 1, Issue 2

Rhetoric vs. Reality: Seoul & Washington’s Strategic Alignment on Taiwan

Seoul has gradually adopted a more outspoken position regarding the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and framed it in increasingly expansive terms—as a regional and global issue yet also directly linked to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula. Nevertheless, the U.S.-ROK alliance faces a…

Comparative Approaches to the Indo-Pacific Region in 2022-23

The United States-South Korea-North Korea Strategic Triangle in the Indo-Pacific

The development of the concept of the Indo-Pacific strategy, since its adoption by the United States in 2017, has primarily been driven by the emergence of China as an object of strategic concern and a perceived threat in the United States and South Korea. The main impacts of a rising…

United States and Southeast Asian Indo-Pacific Approaches Compared

While the use of the term “Indo-Pacific” is relatively new, debates about its use echo longstanding arguments about how the region should be defined: who is in, who is out, and on what terms. Under two successive U.S. administrations, the term Indo-Pacific has become the accepted way that the United…

How the United States Gained Momentum over China in the Indo-Pacific

In 2020, Xi Jinping was on a roll. Donald Trump had left U.S. alliances in disarray and the home front in discord, unable even to unite against a pandemic. U.S. allies South Korea and Japan saw China (and Russia too) in ways at odds with U.S. strategy—Moon Jae-in depending on…

The South Korean and U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategies: Seoul’s Cultivation of Regional Boldness from a Foundation of U.S. Alignment

When South Korea released its “Strategy for a Free, Peaceful, and Prosperous Indo-Pacific Region” in December 2022—marking Seoul’s first-ever effort to develop a comprehensive regional strategy—early commentaries honed in on two seemingly contradictory observations. Many took note of the degree to which the core tenets of the Republic of Korea’s…

Japan’s Indo-Pacific Strategy

Japan’s Indo-Pacific Strategy predates that of the U.S. In fact, Abe Shinzo gets credit for envisioning it as early as 2007, during his first brief tenure as prime minister. When he returned to office in December 2012, he revitalized the effort to actualize his vision as the “Free and Open…

Free, Peaceful and Prosperous: South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and Middle Power Convergence with Australia

Over the past decade, the “Indo-Pacific” concept has replaced the late 20th century “Asia-Pacific” as a central frame of reference for strategy and external policy. Definitions vary. Some cast the Indo-Pacific as a neutral term for the connectivity of a two-ocean region. Others depict it more as loaded code for…

2023 Report on American Attitudes Toward the Korean Peninsula

KEI’s 2023 Report on American Attitudes Toward the Korean Peninsula summarizes results from a survey commissioned by KEI and conducted by YouGov from August 22nd to August 29th, 2023. The goal of the report is to explore the perceptions of Americans on the relationship with South Korea, the challenges presented…