Emerging Voices on Korea Symposium: ROK Inside-Out: Korea's Domestic Policies Influence on Asia

As part of its continuing efforts to highlight new thinkers on Korea, KEI has selected a group of talented students to present and develop their research interests. All presenters and papers were recommended by leading Asia professors and selected from an international pool. The second session of the symposium focused on the South Korea’s domestic policies and some potential impact for its foreign relations.

South Korea is proud of its development from an aid receiving country to a nation that provides development assistance to others. Its economic relationship with the U.S. played an important role in that process.

Emerging as a modern country and a developed economy, Korea then emphasized reform of its legal system and profession. This internal reform combined with its overall national development enhanced Korea’s role in the world. Soon its national identity, how its people view themselves and their place in the world, became an influential factor in South Korea’s internal dynamics and also permeates its foreign relations. With the emergence of a rising China, along with Korea’s historical tensions with Japan, the emanation and evolution of Korea’s national identity will be key factors in its policy toward Northeast Asia.

The second part of the symposium featured four students who presented their papers, followed by an engaging discussion.

South Korean National Identity and its Strategic Preferences
Andrew Kim, Princeton University

Agencies, Roles and Their Choices Shown in the Reform of the Korean Legal Profession from 1995 to 2007
Yukyong Choe, University of California, Berkeley School of Law

Aligned but not Allied: ROK-Japan Bilateral Military Cooperation
Jiun Bang, University of Southern California

The Dollar Influence in East Asia: Benevolent or Overbearing?: A Comparative Answer in the US Economic Aid and the Dollar Standard
Gloria Koo, University of Southern California

Moderator:
Nicholas Hamisevicz, Director of Research and Academic Affairs, Korea Economic Institute

These papers were recommended by Gilbert Rozman (Princeton University), Taeku Lee (University of California at Berkeley School of Law), and David Kang (USC).